Finn Russell stars despite major gaff on Bath return

Finn Russell led Bath to a bonus-point 38-17 victory over Gloucester on his return to the team despite picking up a yellow card that caused a brief second-half wobble.

After his watching brief in the coaches’ box last weekend, the British and Irish Lions fly-half returned as captain and displayed his full range of skills in his team’s third successive Gallagher Prem victory.

Russell’s faultless kicking supplied 13 points for Bath, who scored first-half tries through Tom de Glanville, Tom Dunn, Ollie Lawrence and Ewan Richards.

Gloucester, who have now lost seven matches on the bounce in all competitions against their West Country rivals, crossed three times through Will Joseph, Ollie Thorley and Ben Loader – the latter two coming early in the second half when Russell was off the field to close to 28-17.

But Russell returned to kick his sole penalty of the contest before converting Richards’ second try of the contest.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Bath

38 - 17

Full-time

Gloucester

All Stats and Data

Bath were in front within seven minutes with a De Glanville try, converted by Russell from wide out. Henry Arundell had chased Lawrence’s kick-ahead and slipped the scoring pass inside to his full-back.

Arundell was everywhere, forced into touch at the flag shortly afterwards and dancing around flailing tacklers.

Russell was in equally mesmerising form, spinning passes out of both hands and kicking short and long-range off both feet.

His pinpoint kick to the corner from a penalty yielded a second try on 20 minutes, a trademark catch and drive finished off by Dunn.

Russell converted to push Bath 14-0 ahead and was called on again to convert a Lawrence touchdown close to the posts after the elusive Arundell broke free on the left.

Gloucester had not threatened the Bath 22 at all and when they finally did it only led to a penalty which Russell promptly hoofed upfield. Ross Byrne fumbled the ball under pressure from Joe Cokanasiga and lock Richards hacked on to score at the posts for the bonus-point try.

Finally, in added time before the break, Joseph broke away down the right to score and Byrne added the conversion to make it 28-7.

There was further encouragement for Gloucester when Russell was shown a yellow card in the 49th minute for kicking the ball away from Tomos Williams’s grasp at the back of a ruck.

Gloucester quickly took advantage when Thorley cruised over in the left corner, but Byrne’s conversion attempt hit the post.

Byrne’s kick hit the post again soon after when Loader crossed in the right corner for the visitors’ third try.

On came the bulk of Bath’s bench, including Argentina’s Santi Carreras, who was prised away from Gloucester during the summer.

Russell’s first action after his spell in the sin-bin was to kick a penalty to settle the nerves of team-mates and supporters alike.

That was followed by a second try for Richards, courtesy of a perfectly weighted pass by Russell who added the conversion to round off an impressive return.