Four-try bonus point provides consolation for much-changed Bath in BUCS Super Rugby derby defeat at Hartpury
The University of Bath men’s 1st XV left Hartpury with a hard-earned bonus point following a tough derby against their BUCS Super Rugby West Country rivals.
Bath were missing several players on U20 Six Nations and Premiership Rugby Cup duty but did welcome 2023-24 co-captain Ludo Kolade back to the starting XV following a long-term injury.
The first 50 minutes were well contested and saw the visitors notch up four tries through Oli Sedgwick, Alfie Griffin (2), pictured, and captain Max Pearce, with Raff Weston adding two conversions.
Hartpury pulled away in the last 30 minutes, though, to win 50-24 and move up to second above Bath in the BUCS Super Rugby table.
Bath, sponsored by Team Bath partners Bath Building Society and Rengen, face another derby test on Wednesday 5th February when they head to Sandy Park to face fourth-placed Exeter in a match that will be live-streamed (7.45pm kick-off).
They then return to the Team Bath Sports Training Village on Wednesday 12th February for their penultimate home match of the league season against Leeds Beckett. Kick-off is 6.30pm and admission is free.
Match stats
Hartpury starting XV: 1 Thomas Hill, 2 Casey Williams, 3 Oliver Minnis, 4 Liam Le Roux, 5 Carn Richards-Farr, 6 Cameron Murray, 7 Ellis Hart, 8 Matthew Hillary (cc); 9 Rhys Price, 10 Keillen Cullen, 11 Keir Clark, 12 Max Knight, 13 Wilf McCarthy (cc), 14 Josiah Edwards-Giraud, 15 Corbin Smith. Replacements: 16 James Randall, 17 Harrison Bellamy, 18 Owen Popple, 19 Eddie Erskine, 20 Peter Paramore, 21 JJ Williams, 22 Oscar Wilson, 23 Dylan Coetzee.
Tries: Richards-Farr, Williams, Edwards-Giraud, Hillary 2, McCarthy 2, Wilson.
Conversions: Cullen 5.
University of Bath starting XV: 1 Jacob Yates, 2 Max Pearce (c), 3 Alfie Griffin, 4 Albert Dmitriev, 5 Max Mayor, 6 Tom Hilton, 7 Will Keylock, 8 Archie Hurford; 9 leuan Davies, 10 Raff Weston, 11 Tom Hughes, 12 Will Roue, 13 Ludo Kolade, 14 Oli Sedgwick, 15 Freddy Rossigneux. Replacements: 16 Yujian Zou, 17 Oban Baird, 18 Jai Sahi, 19 Jimmi McNally, 20 Rhys Harries, 21 Fraser Riddoch, 22 Jamie Howick, 23 Alex Clayton.
Tries: Sedgwick, Griffin 2, Pearce.
Conversions: Weston 2.
Picture credit: Bob Bradford.
