Premiership: Exeter 14-26 Bath - Chiefs play-off hopes dented by high-flying Bath

Ben Spencer's try was his first for Bath since he went over in the corresponding fixture at The Rec in November

Bath gained revenge for their Champions Cup loss at Exeter and dealt the Chiefs' Premiership play-off hopes a blow as they beat them at Sandy Park.

Alfie Barbeary and Ben Spencer put Bath 14-0 up at the break as Tom Cairns had a try disallowed for the hosts.

Olly Woodburn pulled a try back for Exeter before Max Ojomoh and Miles Reid scored to secure Bath a bonus point.

Stu Townsend got a second Exeter try with nine minutes left but the hosts failed to earn a point.

The victory moves Bath up to second in the Premiership after Saracens had briefly overtook them following their bonus-point win over Gloucester.

Johann van Graan's side are five points off leaders Northampton - who beat rivals Leicester earlier on Saturday - and two ahead of Saracens.

Exeter - who were knocked out of Europe by Toulouse last week - stay sixth, two points off fourth-placed Harlequins having played a game more.

A seventh league loss of the season for the 2017 and 2020 Premiership champions means they are likely to have to win their remaining three games to make the top four.

Exeter could be seven points adrift of the play-off places with just three games to go if results go against them on Sunday

Bath had the better of the opening territory in an entertaining but scoreless first quarter before they eventually took the lead as Barbeary was mauled over form a close-range line-out.

Exeter thought they had levelled the scores when Cairns darted in from close range after nine phases of pressure on the Bath line, but replays showed Ehren Painter had barged Tom Dunn to open up the gap that Cairns went through.

On the stroke of half-time Bath doubled their lead as Charlie Ewels spun out of a line-out and sprinted down the left wing before feeding Spencer for the score.

Exeter started the second half well as Woodburn went over in the left corner thanks to a looping Ollie Devoto pass after pressure on the Bath line.

But the visitors regained their advantage two minutes later as Cairns fumbled Ojomoh's kick with the centre taking advantage to dot down, and four minutes later replacement Reid went in from a few inches under the posts.

Townsend sniped in from a couple of metres with eight minutes left, but Exeter could not stop Bath getting their first league win at Sandy Park in eight years.

Exeter director or rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

"They got under our skin, and fair play to them, I think we interacted quite poorly with some little silly niggle penalties from us.

"It was quite a big moment when we looked like we were going to tie the game up and we gave away a silly penalty on their goal line for just doing something we just didn't need to do, and I think that was the story of the game a little bit.

"It was one of those games where we played some lovely rugby, some exciting rugby, but ultimately not effective rugby, and what you have to is you have to play effective rugby to win."

Bath head coach Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Bristol:

"I'm really proud of them today, it was an 80-minute performance against a very good side that's incredibly difficult to beat here.

"The Premiership is so tight, so for us to get five points and they go away with nothing is massive.

"There's three more games to go, it'll be a big shift for the next few weeks, so we'll enjoy tonight and then we'll move forward."

Exeter: Hodge; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Devoto, Woodburn; Skinner,Cairns; Sio, Yeandle, Painter, Pearson, Jenkins (capt), Roots, Vermeulen, Fisilau

Replacements: Norey, Southworth, Street, Dunne, Tshiunza, Townsend, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Muir; Bailey, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Roux, Ewels, Hill, Underhill, Barbeary

Replacements: Faiva, du Toit, Griffin, du Plessis, Bayliss, Schreuder, Butt, Reid

Referee: Adam Leal

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