Head coach Mike Ford was delighted with Bath Rugby's 21-16 Aviva Premiership win over local rivals Exeter Chiefs yesterday after seeing his side pushed to their absolute limits.
Exeter enjoyed prolonged periods of territory and possession at The Rec and crossed the whitewash twice, through second-rows Damian Welch and Dean Mumm.
All of Bath's points came from the boot of fly-half George Ford, who kicked six from six from the tee as well as adding a drop goal.
Ford senior praised his side's ability to find a way to win as third-placed Bath further enhanced their Premiership play-off credentials.
"It was a good game for the neutral but at times rugby doesn't go all your way. You've got to tough it out and find a way to win – and we did that today," said Ford.
"Exeter had a lot of field position and a lot of the ball but you have to credit our defence.
"We want to build pressure but we weren't quite able to do that. The penalties they gave away were kickable, so we kicked them."
Head coach Ford hailed the character shown by his side after a difficult first half at The Rec, where a series of errors had put Chiefs on the front foot.
"Exeter are a great side. They challenge you more than most teams when you're defending and if you kick the ball away or don't control the ball you are not going to see it again for a few phases," said Ford.
"In the first half they built the pressure really well but we defended really well.
"With all that happened in the first half, with our poor control and a couple of poor kicks, to still come in winning 9-8 was a massive statement.
"We said at half-time, if we can control the ball and show a bit more composure we thought we'd do alright."
The victory extended Bath's winning run to eight games in all competitions ahead of the break for the return of European fixtures over the next fortnight.
Bath face a double header against Italian side Mogliano before resuming their Premiership campaign when Harlequins visit The Rec.
"Momentum-wise, everybody has got a spring in their step coming to training," said Ford. "The next three games, two of them are at home, so we will just see where we are then."
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