Bath:(19) 36
Tries: Redpath, Obano, Cokanasiga, Dunn, Lawrence Pens: Francis Cons: Spencer 4
Exeter:(14) 19
Tries: Kata, Sio, Yeandle Cons: Slade 2

Bath moved off the bottom of the Premiership with a five-try win over Exeter to dent the Chiefs' top-four ambitions at the Recreation Ground.

Beno Obano and Joe Cokanasiga then gave Bath the half-time lead.

Tries from Tom Dunn and Ollie Lawrence stretched their advantage and while Jack Yeandle pulled one back as Exeter stay sixth in the table.

Exeter are eight points behind London Irish in fourth, although they still have a game in hand on the three teams immediately above them.

Defeat continued their poor run of away results, with this their sixth consecutive loss on the road in the Premiership.

For Bath, the win is their first in 2023 and arguably the finest of their season so far as they scored five tries at the Rec for the first time in over a year.

They moved one point above Newcastle at the foot of the table, as they look to end their campaign on a high.

Redpath - back from Six Nations duty with Scotland - opened the scoring for the hosts with a brilliant solo try eight minutes in.

He skipped past a tackle from Harvey Skinner to get in behind the Chiefs' line, before producing a turn of speed no-one could get near to, and finish with a dive into the corner.

Exeter reacted instantly from the restart, taking the ball straight back down the other end for Kata to score from close range. When Obano was then sent to the bin for a high tackle on Kata, the Chiefs added a second through Sio under the posts.

Bath, who last won on New Year's Eve, weathered the storm with a player disadvantage and, with 15 restored, grew in strength.

As the mistakes racked up from the Chiefs, they kicked to the corner from which Obano eventually powered over from range.

Three minutes later Cokanasiga got their third on Bath's third visit to the Exeter 22, running onto a kick from Orlando Bailey, as the Chiefs ended the half with five straight penalties in eight minutes.

Exeter's ill-discipline continued and Dunn got the bonus point driving over from a maul, before Dan Frost was sent to the bin for a mistimed high tackle on Bailey as the visitors started to implode.

Lawrence then made it five tries for Bath, rolling over under a tackle to widen their lead to 16 points.

The visitors started ringing the changes and Yeandle drove over with 23 minutes still on the clock as their line-out finally hit the target after earlier misfires.

But it did not invigorate Exeter's comeback.

A Piers Francis penalty added another three points for Bath and Exeter's afternoon was summed up when Dave Ewers was held up on the line with seconds left on the clock - on his landmark 200th appearance for the club - denying them what could prove a crucial bonus point right at the death.

Bath defence coach JP Ferreira told BBC Radio Bristol:

"We always knew that Exeter are a tough side, they keep the ball for multiple phases, you've got to be really up on your D on the day otherwise you can get 50 against you. We looked hard at them and also ourselves and luckily we came out on top today.

"There was some helter skelter out there and then the boys really had some calm heads on them, Ben [Spencer] leading the team with Dunny [Tom Dunn]. This whole week has been really about them, they've been leading this week, they've even lead today.

"We're getting to a point where they're thinking like we're thinking and it takes time. It takes time to build those habits and to get rid of the old ones and build the good ones.

"We're on the right track at the moment. We'll take this performance, we'll look hard at it because it was our best one for the season but I think there's still a lot of work to be done."

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said:

"We can't perform as a team because individually we are killing each other. I am at that stage when I am almost thinking we have got to change the personnel.

"We have got guys now who are champing at the bit and expecting to be there or thereabouts as players move on next season, and I just said to the lads 'the power you have got as a player is your performance'.

"They perform and it shows how much they want things and how good they want to be. The power I have got is selection.

"It never looked like we were going to make the game about us. It was a litany of errors.

"We have got a lot to work on in a week, and the most important thing is how the players turn up on Tuesday. Did we look like a good team today? I don't think we can say any player had a good game in any facet."

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, McConnochie; Bailey, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Stuart, McNally, van Velze, Hill, Cloete, Reid.

Replacements: Annett, Boyce, Rae, Lee-Warner, Bayliss, Schreuder, Francis, de Glanville.

Sin bin: Beno Obano (20 mins), Niall Annett (78 mins)

Exeter: Hodge; Nowell (capt), Slade, Kata, Woodburn; Skinner, S Maunder; Sio, Frost, Street, Dunne, Jenkins, Ewers, Tshiunza, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Hepburn, Schickerling, Williams, Davis, J Maunder, J Simmonds, DeVoto.

Sin bin: Dan Frost (48 mins)

Referee: Karl Dickson

Source: BBC Rugby Union News