Saracens will take an eight-point lead into the second leg of their Parker Pen
Challenge Cup semi-final after a cutting loose in the second half at Vicarage
Road.
Brett Sparg, Ben Johnston and Tom Shanklin all touched down in the space of 14
minutes to add to Richard Haughton's first-half score as Wayne Shelford's side
threatened to rack up an unassailable lead.
But Bath - playing their third game in eight days - summoned up enough energy
to push Saracens all the way with Elvis Seveali'i striking twice in the last 10
minutes.
Despite the drama of their game against Irish three days earlier, the visitors
looked fresher for the opening half-hour, dominating the set-pieces and taking
advantage of some gaping holes in a reshuffled Saracens backline.
One opened up when Ollie Barkley darted down the blindside, with wing Tom
Voyce stepping on the gas and ignoring Matt Perry outside him as he breezed
between Tony Roques and Thomas Castaignede before touching down under the
posts.
Barkley converted, then missed one straightforward penalty shot before
succeeding from 50 metres to put his side 10-0 up after 20 minutes.
Saracens survived, though, with Nicky Little kicking a penalty and Kyran
Bracken made sure they stayed in the game when he spotted full-back Perry had
been trapped at the bottom of a ruck and chipped the ball deep into open
territory.
Quickest off the mark was winger Haughton and no-one got close to the England
Sevens star as he regathered to score. Little converted and added a long-range
penalty in injury-time to give his side a 13-10 lead they scarcely deserved.
But any hopes Bath had of taking a lead back to the Recreation Ground
disappeared in the third quarter, when they shipped three tries in 14 minutes
after Barkley's penalty had made levelled the scores.
First, Castaignede dodged down the right and fed on to replacement hooker Matt
Cairns with Haughton injecting the pace and making the ball available for Sparg
to touch down with Little converting.
Then Shanklin blasted 30 metres through a gap and was brought down by
replacement Chris Malone's tap-tackle as he stretched for the line. He could not
ground the ball but Johnston was on hand to pick up and claim the score.
Finally Bracken's quick-thinking caught Bath cold again, this time with a
quickly-taken penalty which allowed Haughton to scorch down the wing and feed
the scoring pass to Shanklin, who went under the posts to give Little a
straightforward conversion.
But Saracens went back to sleep after that as Bath attacked at a line-out and
Seveali'i forced his way over under the posts with Barkley converting.
And the Samoan centre - Bath's hero in their midweek win against London Irish
- got his side back in the tie with his second converted try five minutes from
time, galloping in unopposed after stepping through another midfield gap.
Barkley and replacement Andy Goode traded penalties and Saracens just managed
to keep their revitalised opponents at arms' reach to earn a slim advantage
going into the second leg on April 26.
Teams:
Saracens: Castaignede, Haughton, Shanklin, Johnston, Sparg,
Little, Bracken, Califano, R. Russell, Marsters, Benazzi,
Yandell, Peacey, Roques, Skirving.
Replacements: Ross, Cairns, Hooper, B. Russell, Williams, Goode,
Winnan.
Tries: Haughton, Sparg, Johnston, Shanklin.
Cons: Little 3.
Pens: Little 3, Goode.
Bath: Perry, Voyce, Seveali'i, Maggs, Danielli, Barkley,
Cooper, Barnes, Long, Galasso, Borthwick, Grewcock, Scaysbrook,
Beattie, Lloyd.
Replacements: Blake, Humphreys, Stevens, Delve, Malone, G. Thomas,
N. Thomas.
Tries: Voyce, Seveali'i 2.
Cons: Barkley 3.
Pens: Barkley 3.
Att: 6,482
Ref: Joel Jutge (France).
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