Premiership: Bath 17-21 Gloucester: Visitors hold firm to win West Country derby

Matias Alemanno scored twice as Gloucester took their third consecutive league win at the Rec

Gloucester secured their first away Premiership win since January in a tense 21-17 victory against Bath in the West Country derby.

A brace from Matias Alemanno and one try from Santiago Socino helped Gloucester to a 14-point half-time lead, as Miles Reid kept Bath in touch.

Tom Dunn's try reduced the deficit before Niall Annett cut it to four points as Bath dialled up the pressure.

But Gloucester held firm to consign Bath to their fifth consecutive defeat.

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Winless Bath were keen to banish memories of the record 64-0 whitewash they suffered at Kingsholm last season, in a derby that dates back to 1882.

The hosts have tended to start strongly this season but been unable to turn territory into points, and the trend continued as two early attacking line-outs came to nothing.

By contrast, Gloucester's driving maul appears ever more effective and they made their set-piece prowess count again. Their first attacking line-out saw Alemanno pile over and with Bath prop Juan Schoeman sent to the sin-bin, Socino followed suit instantly from another line-out drive.

When Cherry and Whites number eight Albert Tuisue became the second player yellow-carded, Bath captain Dunn cleverly took a quick penalty to take the hosts within a metre before Reid bundled over.

However, too often in the first half Bath caused their own problems. Four of their seven line-outs were lost or stolen, one of which Gloucester pounced on to set up Alemanno's second try.

Yet with Gloucester scrum-half Ben Meehan in the bin for a high tackle, the visitors started the second half penned inside their own 22. Bath finally made their advantage count seconds before Meehan's return, as Dunn scored from close range.

Bath boss Johan van Graan said he wanted to see a full 80-minute performance from his side and the hosts' pressure did not relent as Gloucester saw minimal possession.

Replacement hooker Annett scored Bath's third try from another driving maul, but a second missed conversion from Orlando Bailey kept Bath trailing by four.

The momentum was all with the hosts approaching the final 10 minutes as the crowd sensed a first victory of the season.

But despite making three times more passes, almost triple the number of carries and gaining 510m to Gloucester's 183, Bath could not break the visitors' defence again as Gloucester held on for their third consecutive win at the Rec.

Reaction - 'Sometimes you've got to win ugly'

Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Bristol:

"That's the beauty of sport, you give it all you've got and you're knocked short. Gutted, to be honest.

"Tactically, first half, we overplayed in our own half considering the two penalties they kicked to the corner and ultimately that was the difference in the game.

"I felt we stuck at it literally until the last flow of the game. I'm proud but incredibly disappointed."

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

"I think we looked like we haven't played rugby very much in the last month, which we haven't.

"We've had a week on, week off, week on, week off and that's always going to come with a bit of clunkiness.

"We didn't quite execute a few bits in the first half but our maul came through for us which was great. The boys' doggedness in the end to defend 25 phases and not give a penalty away when the rub of the green was against us - I think the last eight or nine had gone against us - was outstanding.

"That's more a reflection of the group, how hard they fight for each other. We talked about the supporters coming in, being a local derby, and they won. Sometimes you've got to win ugly and that's what they did."

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Hamer-Webb; Francis, Schreuder; Schoeman, Dunn (c), Stuart, Attwood, Roux, Ellis, Reid, Merigan.

Replacements: Annett, Cordwell, Coetzee, Richards, De Carpentier, Green, Bailey, Butt.

Sin bin: Juan Schoeman (19 mins)

Gloucester: Evans; Rees-Zammit, Kveseladze, Atkinson, Carreras; Hastings, Meehan; Rapava-Ruskin, Socino, Balmain, Clarke, Alemanno, Ackermann, Ludlow (c), Tuisue.

Replacements: Singleton, Knight, Ford-Robinson, Jordan, Reid, Chapman, Reeves, May.

Sin bin: Albert Tuisue (23 mins), Ben Meehan (40 mins), Ruan Ackermann (62 mins)

Referee: Tom Foley