The 'outstanding' passage of play that saw Bath break Lyon in Cardiff

A defiant defensive stand with just 13 players on the field laid the platform for Bath’s dominant 37-12 EPCR Challenge Cup final win over Lyon – a moment head coach Johann van Graan called “huge for the whole group” as they closed in on a potential domestic and European treble.

Van Graan’s side overcame first-half yellow cards to Sam Underhill and Will Muir in quick succession, leaving them two players short for four minutes. But rather than crack under pressure at the Principality Stadium, they produced what captain Ben Spencer hailed as an “outstanding” response.

“We speak a lot about working hard for each other and the yellow card period is something we pride ourselves on,” said Spencer. “When we go down to 14 it’s not an ideal situation, but to not concede in that yellow card period I thought was outstanding.

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“The togetherness in this group is absolutely unbelievable. It’s something we spoke about before the game in just being the best version of ourselves tonight and not playing the occasion, just playing the game.”

Bath not only weathered the numerical storm – they didn’t concede a single point during that critical stretch – but emerged stronger. Tries from Tom Dunn, Max Ojomoh, Beno Obano and Spencer himself capped off a ruthless display that saw them secure their first major trophy since they last won this competition in 2008.

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Avg. Points Scored

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Spencer’s half-back partner Finn Russell kept the scoreboard ticking with four conversions and three penalties in a performance defined as much by resolve as skill.

“This is a moment in time,” said Van Graan. “We will enjoy what this trophy represents.

“We are enjoying our journey together and it is huge for the whole group. We all fight for each other.

“We have taken it step by step by step from the start and it is a group that wants to achieve together.

“Everyone has pulled together, every day on the training pitch and I give credit to the leadership group and all the players.”

Opponents Lyon started brightly with an early try from Ethan Dumortier and another from Arno Botha, but could not capitalise when Bath were shorthanded – a turning point not lost on their coach Karim Ghezal.

“We didn’t score when they were down to 13. They had two yellow cards,” Ghezal said. “One of them was rather dodgy. I will never complain about refereeing.

“It is always hard losing a final. A lot of energy went into this tournament and we came here to win the cup. Bath are a very strong team, but we lacked efficiency.”

As Bath added the Challenge Cup to this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup triumph, they now stand two wins away from completing a rare treble – with a play-off clash against local rivals Bristol potentially up next.

Spencer summed up the mood, saying: “I thought we showed a different level of intensity tonight that we’ve not seen this season. I am just so proud to be able to give the fans what they deserve after so many years of hurt.”