Bath beat Lyon to win EPCR Challenge Cup and edge closer to treble

Bath stayed on course for a possible trophy treble after beating Lyon 37-12 to lift the EPCR Challenge Cup in Cardiff.

It was Bath’s first major silverware since they won the same competition in 2008 under the captaincy of current England head coach Steve Borthwick.

They add the Challenge Cup to Premiership Cup success earlier this season, and are two victories away from league title glory.

Johann van Graan’s team overcame first-half yellow cards for Sam Underhill and Will Muir at the Principality Stadium to subdue dogged opponents and post the tournament’s biggest winning margin in a final since 1998.

Tries from hooker Tom Dunn, centre Max Ojomoh, prop Beno Obano and captain Ben Spencer saw Bath home, while Spencer’s half-back partner Finn Russell kicked four conversions and three penalties.

Lyon led through wing Ethan Dumortier’s early score, with number eight Arno Botha also touching down – fly-half Leo Berdeu added one conversion – but Bath were comfortable winners.

They appear to be on an unstoppable roll ahead of a Premiership play-off in two weeks’ time, when their opponents could be west country rivals Bristol.

Lyon monopolised possession from the kick-off, and they rocked Bath through a well-worked try after just four minutes.

The forwards built strong attacking foundations, and Dumortier evaded Muir’s challenge to cross in the corner, although referee Hollie Davidson consulted television replays before awarding it after checking Dumortier’s foot was not in touch.

Bath collected points from their first venture into Lyon’s 22 when Russell kicked a penalty, and they soon grew into the contest, illustrated when centre Will Butt was only denied a try by Lyon scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud’s saving tackle.

The Premiership title favourites kept battling, though, and they were rewarded when Dunn took a quick penalty and dived over for a try that Russell converted.

Lyon were firmly on the back foot, and Bath struck again after 25 minutes when Spencer fired out a long pass to Ojomoh, who finished impressively. Russell’s conversion opened up a 12-point lead.

The French side found it hard work finding a way through Bath’s defence, although they gained a temporary numerical advantage 11 minutes before half-time when Underhill was yellow-carded following head-on-head contact with Lyon full-back Davit Niniashvili.

Bath were guilty of more poor discipline just six minutes later after Muir tackled Dumortier in the air, and he also saw yellow.

Lyon had to capitalise, but Dumortier was denied a second try after obstruction on Dunn at the back of a lineout, and Bath led 17-5 at the interval.

A Russell penalty opened the second-half scoring, increasing Lyon’s degree of difficulty, yet they responded impressively through Botha’s powerful effort and Berdeu’s conversion cut the deficit to eight points.

Bath had no intention of letting things slip, and a try from Obano midway through the third quarter that Russell converted restored an element of breathing space.

And Spencer’s try 17 minutes from time took Bath past 30 points, ending Lyon’s resistance, and then a long-range penalty completed an emphatic success.