Bath’s quest for an Investec Champions Cup last-16 place will go to the wire after they claimed a 40-21 victory over French challengers Clermont Auvergne.
Their first win of this season’s Champions Cup campaign came in bonus-point fashion at the Recreation Ground after Clermont had prop Giorgi Akhaladze sent off for a dangerous 25th-minute tackle.
Bath could need at least a point from a testing Pool Two finale against Leinster in Dublin next Saturday to stay on course for one of three remaining qualifying places alongside the Irish heavyweights.
Clermont, La Rochelle, Bristol and Benetton also remain in the mix, yet Bath made it an initial job done by claiming the five-point maximum they required through prop Thomas du Toit’s try-double, plus touchdowns for fly-half Finn Russell, full-back Tom de Glanville, wing Joe Cokanasiga and centre Ollie Lawrence.
Russell added five conversions but Clermont, despite being a player down for almost an hour, kept plugging away and were rewarded with tries from Folau Fainga’a, Anthony Belleau and Peceli Yato, while Belleau slotted three conversions.
They now host Bristol on the last weekend of pool action, with Benetton having home advantage against La Rochelle.
Bath knew the pressure was on, but they showed no sign of nerves as they raced ahead after just 105 seconds.
Centre Max Ojomoh scythed his way through Clermont’s midfield, and when possession was moved wide, De Glanville finished impressively, with Russell converting for a 7-0 lead.
Clermont could not get a foothold in the game, and they fell further behind in the seventh minute when sustained pressure driven by Bath’s forwards gained the finish it deserved as Russell stepped over from close range and then added the conversion.
There was no let-up in the scoring, and three-time Champions Cup finalists Clermont halved the hosts’ advantage midway through the opening quarter when Fainga’a breached Bath’s defence, with Belleau converting.
England head coach Steve Borthwick, who announces his Six Nations squad on Tuesday, looked on as Clermont fought back strongly, but the visitors suffered a huge blow 15 minutes before half-time.
Referee Mike Adamson assessed video replays before deciding that Akhaladze’s high, swinging arm hit on Ojomoh warranted a red card, leaving the visitors in considerable strife.
Their problems were highlighted from Bath’s next attack that Russell launched through an inch-perfect kick that Ojomoh caught at full speed before delivering a scoring pass to Cokanasiga.
Russell’s conversion made it 21-7, yet Clermont had no intention of subsiding, and they gave themselves hope just before the interval when Belleau scored a try that he also converted, making it a seven-point game once more.
Bath had taken their foot off the pedal, and Belleau broke away touch touch down within two minutes of the restart, but it was disallowed following a knock-on in build-up play.
The home side needed fresh impetus, and it arrived midway through the third quarter from Du Toit after Bath’s pack hammered away in sight of Clermont’s line.
Russell’s conversion of a bonus-point try gave breathing space; then Du Toit added his second score in five minutes before Yato crossed for Clermont, and Belleau converted.
Clermont showed impressive resilience, given Bath’s numerical advantage, yet they were undone again eight minutes from time through a Lawrence score that Russell converted.
