Bath push on as rivals flounder on unfamiliar ground

Bristol 9-19 Bath

Bath consolidated their push for the play-offs with their first victory in Bristol for 10 years. The decision of the home side to forsake the advantage of playing at the Memorial Stadium in search of greater revenue suffered a double backfire: Bristol City's ground was 6,000 short of capacity and a first home league defeat since the opening day of the season dashed any lingering hopes of a repeat of last season's top-four finish.

It was a typical derby on the pitch, full of thumping hits, niggly altercations, almost non-stop whistle blasts and kicks at goal. There was one try, deep into time added on, but the atmosphere was as flat as the two back lines and the Bristol head coach, Richard Hill, said it was like a neutral venue. "We would have had more of a chance of winning had we played at home, but you have to accept the commercial reasons for moving the fixture," he added.

Bristol did lead 9-6 at the break but posed little threat with the ball in hand. Bath, like France the previous week, looked to run from everywhere, kicking as a last option, with the twin intention of playing at a tempo which would not be appreciated by the lungs of the Bristol tight five and keeping home lineouts to a minimum, thereby defusing the threat of driving mauls.

It was a high-risk strategy which, in the absence of the injured outside-half Butch James, contained a crucial weakness. Bristol may be the least expansive team in the Premiership, a fault they are trying to remedy, but they possess one of the most destructive tacklers around, in the centre Rob Higgitt. His thumping hit on Alex Crockett on 18 minutes forced a turnover from which Bristol were awarded a penalty, which Ed Barnes kicked to tie the scores at 6-6, but his mere presence encouraged Bath to pass anxiously, as if handing on an explosive device, and a series of half-chances were squandered.

Matt Banahan lost control of the ball five yards from the line and, while the former second-row takes some stopping when on the charge, he has "hard" hands, not an asset in a typically tense derby. Daniel Browne was held up on the line, and while the wing Michael Stephenson did find his way over he was called back because Joe Maddock's pass was deemed forward.

Bath's approach after the break was markedly different. They opted to kick from their own territory, finally acknowledging that Bristol posed little threat on the counter-attack and that position counted for nine-tenths of the score rather than possession. The balance of the game tilted towards the visitors and Olly Barkley kicked an equalising penalty on 48 minutes for a high tackle on Michael Claassens but then, just at the point that Bath threatened to take control, they lost a back to the sin-bin.

The centre Crockett was the player shown the yellow card by the referee David Rose though it was Barkley who had committed the offence. After David Lemi had chipped through a flat defence into Bath's 25, Barkley tried to tackle the wing in conventional fashion with the ball still rolling on. Crockett was still off the field, counting down the seconds, when Barkley landed a 45-yard penalty, awarded after Joe El Abd had entered a ruck from the side, thus giving his side a lead they were not to lose at a time when he should not have been on the field.

It was part of a notable 10 minutes for El Abd. He did well to remain on the pitch after receiving an unsympathetic pass from Gareth Llewellyn almost at the same time as Banahan arrived and nearly knocked him into the stand, and then thought he had scored a try after helping himself to a Bath lineout, only to be penalised for not retiring 10 yards. After Barkley had restored Bath's lead with 12 minutes to go thanks to El Abd's indiscretion, the flanker messed up a clever restart by getting in front of Matt Salter and being penalised for offside. He was hauled off quickly afterwards.

Bath's try came five minutes into stoppage time after Alex Higgins had received the ball in space in his own half and, not trusting his kicking, had veered, as erratically as a clockwork mouse, into Bristol territory. The ball was worked through the phases before Michael Lipman and Maddock combined to send Higgins over for a try that enhanced Bath's position in the top four.

Bristol had blown the chance of three points when Crockett was given 10 minutes off, opting to kick the penalty to touch rather than take the three points on offer to regain the lead. It was bolder than any of their play had been. While Hill said they were looking to play a more expansive game, choosing Scott Linklater at hooker rather than England's Mark Regan in pursuit of more impact in the loose, Bath were more effective at the breakdown, even after the loss of the flanker Andy Beattie with suspected knee ligament damage.

"Bath were much better than us today and they are the best team in the Premiership at the moment," said Hill.

Bath are two points behind the leaders Gloucester with a game in hand. "Olly Barkley is doing really well for us and I am very surprised that he has not been involved with England in the Six Nations," said their head coach Steve Meehan.

Bristol L Arscott; Elliott (Cox, h-t), Higgitt, Hill, Lemi; Barnes, O'Riordan; Clarke (Hilton, 80), Linklater, Crompton, Llewellyn (Winters, 58), Hohneck, Salter (capt), El Abd (To'oala, 71), Blowers.

Pens Barnes 3.

Bath Maddock; Stephenson, Crockett (Cheeseman, 80), Berne, Banahan (Higgins, 65); Barkley, Claassens (Baxter, 80); Barnes (Bell, 23; Barnes, 74), Mears, Stevens, Borthwick (capt), Short (Purdy, 80), Beattie (Goodman, 59), Lipman, Browne.

Try Higgins. Con Barkley. Pens Barkley 4.

Sin-bin Crockett, 55

Referee D Rose (Warwickshire). Attendance 16,243.