Johann van Graan believed Bath’s captivating performance against Northampton was a great advertisement for the Gallagher Premiership. That’s because the league leaders lost 35-34 at Franklin’s Gardens thanks to Fin Smith’s last-minute penalty.
The definition was rough for Bath, who showed a remarkable recovery from 19-0 down to outscore their opponents 5-4, but the two points they gained still allowed them to extend their lead to six points at the top of the table. .
Joe Cokanasiga scored two tries for Bath. Orlando Bailey, Will Stuart and Max Ojomoh also got on the scoresheet, with Finn Russell converting three and adding a penalty.
George Hendy, Fraser Dingwall, James Ramm and Josh Kemeny scored tries for the Saints, while Smith scored three conversions and three penalties.
Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan said: “It was a phenomenal game and definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. “But we just need to keep two things in mind and take the next step.”
“Saints had very good pace and accuracy early on and converted well in the opening 20 minutes. But our strength got us back in the game.
“They fought so hard that they were obviously exhausted, but we showed that we are hard to beat and we will fight to the end no matter where we go in the world.
“We showed our ability to bounce back when we lost Guy (Pepper) and Will (Muir) to hamstring injuries early on and Jaco Coetzee to a head injury later on.”
A loss for the reigning champions would have certainly taken them out of contention for the play-offs this season, but the bonus point win kept them in eighth place, still eight points adrift with eight games remaining.
Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said: “It was a huge relief when Fin knocked over the kick because we played really well, but then we messed up in the second half.”
“We were up 19-0, but got shellacked in the third quarter and had a hard time getting out quickly.
“There will be a lot of pressure on us to win because we cannot coach fighting spirit. But if we can start from here in the next game, there will only be a change in momentum and fortune.
“After falling behind in the 77th minute, we showed a great performance by recovering the short kickoff and going through several stages leading up to the penalty kick,” he said.
Smith earned the Most Valuable Player award with a measured performance and 15 points scored.
“Before the last kick I really thought it would be better to get this one over with because I thought I would have let the guys down if I missed the previous two kicks,” Smith said.
“I wasn’t very confident, but it passed and it was one of the biggest achievements of my career.
“It was a huge feeling because it was a make-or-break game for us. If we had lost, our league season would have been over.”
