Premiership: Bath 27-14 Northampton - Hosts clinch first win to move off bottom

Tom Dunn powered over to score Bath's second try against Northampton

Bath climbed off the bottom of the Premiership with their first win of the season against an off-colour Northampton at The Rec.

Tries from Miles Reid and captain Tom Dunn put the home side into a deserved 14-0 lead at half-time.

Tom Collins scored to half the deficit for Saints before Cameron Redpath's try re-established Bath's control.

Sam Graham pulled another try back before rookie fly-half George Worboys's penalty sealed a long-awaited win.

Having started last season with 10 straight league defeats, Bath are off the mark at the seventh attempt this time round.

Their first Premiership win since beating London Irish in the penultimate game of last term lifted them up to ninth in the table, while Saints missed the opportunity to leapfrog Gloucester into third after their first defeat in five matches in all competitions.

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Bath illuminated a largely uninspiring first 20 minutes with a fabulous break by Scotland centre Redpath, whose lovely dummy sent him on a 20-metre burst before off-loading to Reid to open the scoring.

With Saints lacking sharpness in Bath territory, the home side fed off the uncertainty and it wasn't long before a kick to the corner brought a line-out from which Dunn burst over following a rolling maul.

Northampton were brighter after the break and finally got going when winger Collins provided the overlap to score in the corner following a quick tap-penalty.

But Bath didn't wobble, thanks largely to the calm boot of Worboys on his Premiership debut. He stroked over his first penalty to take their lead back into double figures and when Redpath ran in an interception try, victory was effectively ensured.

Replacement Graham burrowed over for Saints following a rumbling driving maul to get the visitors back within 10 points but academy graduate Worboys landed a late penalty - after Saints were caught offside in front of their own posts - to end any hopes of a comeback.

Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan:

"I was very satisfied with the performance and very glad for the staff and the players and everybody in Bath.

"We showed real determination in defending our goal-line. We spoke in the week that we needed to start well. Scoring the first try gave us a lot of momentum and we were 14-0 up at half-time.

"What was impressive was how we kept control of the game and Cam Redpath's try was a big turning point because it was the first time this season that we had a pressure release.

"All of a sudden we had a lead with 10 minutes to go and we could manage the game. I'm so glad for all involved that we got that right."

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton:

"It's very disappointing and frustrating. We had so much opportunity but couldn't convert it and we ended up being on the wrong side of what was, up until the last 10 minutes, a close game.

"What we're doing at the breakdown probably isn't strong enough - we're losing a lot of the ball.

"We haven't been performing as well as we'd like and we know that.

"We haven't been consistent in what we're doing - turning pressure into points and being tougher in our own 22 where we give away too many penalties. We're not quite turning the screw."

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Butt; Worboys, Schreuder; Schoeman, Dunn (capt), Coetzee, Attwood, Roux, Bayliss, Reid, De Carpentier

Replacements: Ojomoh, Searle, Carr-Smith, Hill, Lee-Warner, Rae, Cordwell, Annett

Northampton: Furbank; Collins, Proctor, Dingwall, Sleightholme, Grayson, Mitchell; Waller, Matavesi, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Ribbans, Coles, Ludlam (capt), Augustus

Replacements: Hendy, Litchfield, James, Graham, Moon, Petch, Iyogun, Smith

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe