Saturday Round-Up

Bath come up short: English Premiership outfit Bath travelled to Montpellier last night in search of a four try bonus point victory, only to come up just short in a 30-5 win over their hosts. Played out in torrential rain, both sides made the most of the cabbage patch of a pitch which didn't exactly lend itself to fast, free flowing rugby. However, primarily through the direction and tactical nous of man of the match George Ford, the visiting men from England’s West Country got themselves into a commanding 30 point lead midway through the second period, with three tries in the bag already. However, despite tries from Henry Thomas and big no.8 Leroy Houston, along with a penalty try awarded at scrum time, the visitors couldn’t make the most of their possession or territory in the final quarter, coming up short of what was truly required to revive their hopes for European progression this season. 

Falcons see off Stade: Newcastle Falcons completed an historic bonus point win over giants of the French club game, Stade Francais, at Kingston Park last night, as they overcame their visitors to the north of England 30-23. A tight affair in the early exchanges, the Falcons held a five point advantage at the break courtesy of tries from Chris Harris and fullback Simon Hammersley. The second period continued in much the same vein, with Julien Tomas crossing the whitewash to put Stade in front for the first time. The seesaw theme of the game continued when Sean Robinson went over for the Falcons third of the game, before winger Noah Cato rounded off the game to complete a famous bonus point win. Elsewhere in the Challenge Cup, there were wins for both Grenoble and Oyonnax.

Ryan Sheady