Bath climbed to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table after defeating Exeter Chiefs 40-34 in an 11-try West Country derby on October 2, 2026, at the Rec. Exeter rallied from a 26-10 halftime deficit to briefly lead before a decisive yellow card turned the match.
Bath secured top spot in the Gallagher Premiership standings following a frantic 40-34 victory over Exeter Chiefs in an 11-try contest at the Rec. The West Country derby saw the home side surge ahead early before weathering a fierce second-half comeback from Exeter.
Bath Establishes First-Half Lead Before Exeter Rally
Cam Redpath intercepted a pass from Harvey Skinner to run 50 metres for the opening score as Bath established control during the first quarter. Bernard van der Linde followed with an individual try, slipping through the visitors’ defence, while Finn Russell converted both efforts to push the hosts ahead 14-0.
Stephen Varney scored for Exeter after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso broke an Ollie Lawrence tackle and powered past two cover defenders. Bath answered when a favourable bounce on halfway allowed Van der Linde and Ewan Richards to create an opening for Dan du Preez to force his way over from close range. Jack Yeandle touched down from a driving line-out immediately after the subsequent kick-off. Russell dummied his way over for a bonus-point try near half-time and added the conversion, sending Bath into the interval with a 26-10 advantage.
Yellow Card Restores Bath Advantage
Josh Iosefa-Scott crashed over from close range and Feyi-Waboso brushed aside two defenders for his first try as Exeter dominated the opening stages of the second half. Henry Slade converted both scores to narrow the gap to two points. Will Butt cut through the defence to set up Feyi-Waboso for an easy run-in and his second try, giving Exeter the lead for the first time.
Stephen Varney received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, resulting in a penalty try for the hosts. Ted Hill battered his way over the try-line to extend Bath’s lead while Varney was off the field. Harvey Skinner successfully converted a late penalty to secure two bonus points for Exeter after Slade missed an earlier attempt.
Russell finished the match with four conversions alongside his try. Redpath, Du Preez, Van der Linde, Hill, and Russell accounted for Bath’s tries, while Feyi-Waboso scored twice for Exeter alongside tries from Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, and Varney. Slade converted three kicks for the visitors.
