Bath Push La Rochelle but Fall Just Short at the Rec

Bath narrowly missed out on a remarkable comeback as La Rochelle secured a hard-fought victory in torrential conditions during their Champions Cup opener at the Rec. The two-time winners displayed their class amidst the pouring rain and Storm Darragh’s swirling winds, leading 21-6 at halftime through tries by Oscar Jegou, Reda Wardi and Tawera Kerr-Barlow. Despite losing captain Ben Spencer pre-match, Bath showed resilience.

Finn Russell opened the scoring with an early penalty, but La Rochelle quickly adapted to the challenging conditions. Jegou powered over for the opening try, followed by Wardi’s finish from a dominant rolling maul. Kerr-Barlow added a third, exploiting defensive gaps after a clever line-out move. Russell’s penalties kept Bath within touching distance. Bath roared back in the second half, inspired by Tom Dunn’s rolling maul try, which ignited fiery exchanges between the teams.

They gained further momentum when Quinn Roux capitalized on the slippery surface to score after Kerr-Barlow failed to secure the ball, narrowing the deficit to one point. With the home crowd in full voice, Bath pushed for a famous win but Ihaia West’s penalty extended La Rochelle’s lead to four. In the final moments as Bath pressed forward, Levani Botia’s critical turnover ended their resistance sealing the victory for the French side.

Post-match, Bath’s stand-in captain Charlie Ewels reflected on the effort: “At 21-6, we stuck to our game and gave ourselves chances to win. It felt like a Test match especially at the breakdown. Next time, we need to make those moments count.” Bath now prepare to face Benetton on December 15 while La Rochelle hosts Bristol Bears the previous day. Despite the loss, Bath’s spirited second-half fight provided encouragement for the challenges ahead.