Bath overpower Gloucester to regain six-point lead

Both Bath and Gloucester scored four tries apiece in an end-to-end first half

Gallagher Premiership

Bath (28) 42

Tries: Pepper, Ojomoh, Du Toit, Russell, Stuart, Underhill Cons: Russell 6

Gloucester (26) 26

Tries: Clement, Williams, Blake, Barton Cons: Carreras 3

Bath won a feisty West Country derby 42-26 against Gloucester to re-establish their six-point lead at the top of the Premiership.

Both sides had secured a bonus point by half-time as they traded four tries apiece, with Santi Carreras' charged down conversion the only difference between them on the scoreboard.

Yet Will Stuart's try 20 minutes from time pushed Bath nine points clear of their opponents, before his England team-mate Sam Underhill scored their sixth in the final 10 minutes to wrap up victory.

Gloucester came into the weekend third but end it fifth, level on points with Harlequins.

After Bristol's high-scoring thriller against Exeter the night before, the sold-out Recreation Ground initially proved just as entertaining a venue with eight tries during first 40 minutes.

Bath struck first after Russell kicked to the corner and Guy Pepper twisted out of three tacklers to spin over under the posts.

Gloucester instantly retaliated on the counter as Carreras – facing his future club after confirming his transfer next season last month - collected a poor kick and found space past two defenders to feed George Barton. The full-back ran deep into Bath's half before teeing up Jack Clement to run into the corner.

Bath had their second on 17 minutes, as a scrum penalty gave them another put in from five metres out and on the third time of charging at the line, Russell sent a perfectly timed pass around the back under a tackle for Max Ojomoh to find a gap and score.

Bath had Gloucester rattled and under pressure and Du Toit made it three tries to the hosts six minutes later, powering over following another Bath line-out after a penalty.

But Gloucester pegged them back, first through Williams - although Carreras unexpectedly saw his conversion from right in front of the posts charged down by Will Muir to deny them two more points.

The Cherry and Whites' attack has fizzed this season and their third from the restart was the pick of the bunch.

Ruan Ackermann made an initial break darting out of a ruck before releasing Williams, who ran from his inside his own half. He toyed with Russell up ahead before finding reinforcements in Seb Blake who capped a stunning try.

George Barton's try for Gloucester closed the gap on Bath

The end-to-end scoring continued and Bath had their bonus point five minutes before half-time through Russell from a quick tap-and-go.

The visitors had the final say though when Bath number eight Alfie Barbeary kicked the ball out thinking it was half-time, only to gift the visitors another opportunity. Carreras eventually picked out Barton in space out wide to score and close the gap to two.

Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington said his side learned "huge lessons" from the reverse fixture in October and are more balanced today, after a second-half collapse saw them concede six tries.

They were pinned into their own half but their defence initially did well to stem the Bath tide coming at them.

Christian Wade was shown yellow for being off his feet at a ruck and the 14-men halted Bath's forwards from inching over.

A spectacular Russell 50-22 from the outside of his boot sent Bath straight to Gloucester's line but again the Cherry and Whites held up.

The dam finally burst on the third Bath opportunity as their replacements made the desired impact.

Stuart touched down from a maul and nine minutes from time Underhill similarly charged over to seal victory and leave Gloucester without a second-half point.

'Our power game was really good' - reaction

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

"[I'm] very satisfied, five points. We started the game really well, first 25 minutes three tries. We went into the corner and unfortunately we were tackled out then three positives for Glos they scored and scored again from the kick off.

"We scored again for our bonus-point try and then some pressure applied from them just before half time. [It was] pretty tight at half time.

"[It was] very controlled from us in the changing room, we said we need to control the broken field which I thought we did fantastically the second half.

"I thought our power game was really good and I thought our impacts made a big difference."

Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

"We did some good stuff in the first half, but I don't think we really got to fire any shots in the second half. Bath were really good at strangling us. The opportunities we did have we weren't accurate enough.

"The way you have to work really hard to play that way, it's not by luck or flinging the ball around. We didn't quite get in the right spots at some crucial times and missed some opportunities so a bit of work to do.

"I was proud of the boys, they worked hard, they threw it all out there.

"They played a good power game today and we talked about that at half-time, we didn't think we quite met that defensively like we have done prior to having this break so we need to liven up a bit there."

Bath: De Glanville; McConnochie, Ojomoh, Redpath, Muir; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Du Toit; Roux, Ewels, Bayliss, Pepper, Barbeary.

Replacements: Annett, Van Wyk, Stuart, Hill, Underhill, Schreuder, Butt, Coetzee.

Gloucester: Barton; Wade, Harris, S. Atkinson, Llewellyn; Carreras, Williams; Knight, Blake, Fasogbon; Clarke, Thomas, Clement, Ludlow (c), Ackermann.

Replacements: Singleton, Rapava-Ruskin, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Taylor, Englefield, Atkinson, Hathaway.

Sin bin: Christian Wade (52 mins)

Referee: Sara Cox