Johann van Graan: 'It looked like a war zone in our changing room'

Bath boss Johann van Graan described his team’s 26-24 victory over Exeter at Sandy Park as “a great advert for the Premiership”.

Bath moved 15 points clear at the league summit, but Exeter rallied from 26-10 adrift at the interval as wing Paul Brown-Bampoe’s try double meant a gripping west country derby went the distance.

“I think it was a great advert for the Premiership today. You had the team number one on the log versus the team that was number nine, and you got a game like that,” Van Graan said.

“It was quite a physical game and it looked like a war zone in our changing room afterwards.

“Whenever you come here, you know that is what you are going to get when you come up against the Chiefs. Fair play, both teams left it all out on the pitch.”

Gallagher Premiership

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Bath

14

12

2

0

61

2

Bristol

13

8

5

0

46

3

Sale

14

9

5

0

44

4

Leicester

13

7

5

1

41

5

Gloucester

13

7

6

0

41

6

Saracens

13

7

6

0

39

7

Harlequins

14

6

7

1

38

8

Northampton

14

6

8

0

33

9

Exeter Chiefs

14

3

11

0

21

10

Newcastle

14

2

12

0

12

Bath ultimately prevailed courtesy of a penalty try and touchdowns by Niall Annett, Josh Bayliss and Will Muir, while Finn Russell kicked two conversions as British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell looked on.

But it was far from plain sailing as Bath failed to score after midway through the second quarter and saw Muir and centre Max Ojomoh suffer serious-looking injuries.

Van Graan added: “We’ve got the five points which puts us in a good position. I think the challenge for us as a group is how we manage the next few weeks.

“It’s new territory for us as a group, still being alive in two competitions (Premiership and EPCR Challenge Cup). I am going to have to pick wisely over the next few weeks to make sure we keep guys fresh.”

Hooker Jack Yeandle also crossed for Exeter in addition to Brown-Bampoe’s double, with Henry Slade booting three conversions and a penalty.

Bath’s victory took them to within touching distance of securing a play-off place with four regular season games still remaining, and they should secure that prize against Recreation Ground visitors Newcastle next weekend.

Brown-Bampoe again showcased outstanding natural talent, with his quickfire scoring burst highlighting his status among the Premiership’s most lethal finishers.

Exeter head coach Rob Hunter said: “He is attracting a lot of interest, as your best players always do. He is an incredible talent and he is exciting every time he touches the ball.

“We’ve got to keep trying to get the ball to him. It’s really important that we make sure we have a game-plan that brings these guys into the game, not leaves them standing on the edge.

“I am really pleased with the performance on the whole, but also gutted that we didn’t quite get it over the line.

“They (Bath) are such a difficult challenge, the standard to aspire to at the moment. When you are playing great teams, you learn the most from them.

“We probably had three or four opportunities that went begging. The key thing is that you have got to know how to keep creating those opportunities.

“We know where we want to be. It is a pretty steep incline, but we are taking some big steps up it very quickly.”