Bath set themselves up nicely for the Boxing Day visit of Premiership leaders
Leicester with a seven-try thrashing of London Irish.
Bath have struggled to find their form this season but this was the first sign
they are recapturing the fluency and confidence that saw them put together a
four-month unbeaten run at the end of last season.
England wing Iain Balshaw began it all in typically spectacular fashion in the
fourth minute, breaking from his own 10-metre line and rounding the static Irish
defence to score under the posts at the other end.
At this stage the Bath machine was still looking a little vulnerable and Irish
hit them on the break on 22 minutes when centre Matt Oliver rounded off an
85-metre counter-attack.
That came very much against the run of play but the visitors nearly scored
again on the break-out through flanker Richard Bates.
England full-back Matt Perry steadied things with a penalty and on the
half-hour mark converted a wonderful try from young scrum-half Gareth Cooper,
who broke from a scrum under his own posts and outpaced the Irish defence to
score at the other end.
Bath led 23-7 at half-time with the aid of two Perry penalties and although
Jarrod Cunningham cut the lead back to 10 points early in the second half, Bath
wrapped the game up with two tries in quick succession from England centre Mike
Tindall and Cooper with his second.
Perry's conversion of that try stretched their lead to 37-13 and Bath began to
introduce some fresh blood from the bench, mindful of the far stiffer task next
Tuesday.
That did not stop the points being racked up, however, as Mike Catt forced his
way over for the fifth try and Kevin Maggs barrelled over through several
attackers on 72 minutes.
With Perry now off the field having kicked 17 points, Jon Preston had taken
over the kicking.
Irish worked hard to claim a try from replacement prop Mike Worsley, converted
by Rob Ashforth, but Bath had the last word with their seventh try scored by
Shaun Berne.
Zurich man of the match: Gareth Cooper.
Teams:
Bath: Perry, Balshaw, Maggs, Tindall, Thirlby, Catt,
Cooper,Emms, Regan, Mallett, Haag, Borthwick, G. Thomas, Clarke, Lyle.
Replacements: Preston for Perry (60), Berne for Tindall (62),
Barnes for Emms (64), Long for Regan (56).
Not Used: Boyce, N. Thomas, Lloyd.
Tries: Balshaw, Cooper 2, Tindall, Catt, Maggs, Berne.
Cons: Perry 5, Preston.
Pens: Perry 3.
London Irish: Cunningham, Sackey, Oliver,
Wright, Bishop,Ashforth, Tonu'u, Hatley, Alexopoulous, Hardwick, Fahrensohn,
Delaney, Bates, Allen, Sheasby, Halvey.
Replacements: Campbell for Cunningham (65),
Ezulike for Sackey (44), Flavin for Alexopoulous (73),
Williams for Delaney (50), Halvey for Bates (28),Worsley for Halvey (50).
Tries: Oliver, Worsley.
Cons: Cunningham, Ashforth.
Pens: Cunningham 2.
Not Used: Appleford.
Att: 7,317
Ref: Brian Campsall (RFU).
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