MATCH REPORT: Bath Rugby 20 Stade Francais 36
Bath Rugby missed out on a place in the Amlin Cup semi-finals when they were outclassed by a barnstorming attacking display from French visitors Stade Francais.
The Parisian outfit produced a brilliant show of continental flair to run in four tries at The Rec and book a trip to Perpignan in the last four.
For Gary Gold's Bath it was a case of another disappointing performance in a knockout match following last month's LV= Cup semi-final exit at Harlequins.
"It's very disappointing because it was a very important game for us and it just didn't go as we would like it to. The bottom line is, we just weren't good enough," said Bath first-team coach Toby Booth.
"I thought we were credible and fought hard to get back into the contest but we couldn't really bridge the gap that you need to make it that little bit jittery.
"The disappointing thing is that, from a physicality point of view, we were found wanting a little bit and they scored three tries from turnovers.
"One of the number one basic rules of attack is that if you look after the ball it'll look after you, and we didn't do that well enough in the first half and it made it very difficult for us.
"All they do is attack, so we knew going into the game that if we didn't control the football in attack and didn't defend well, things were going to be difficult for us.
"We didn't get cut too much off first phase, it was all off turnovers and individual brilliance – that's what the top sides to do you.
"If you've got world-class finishers and you give them time and space they are going to hurt you, and that's exactly what they did."
There were few signs of what was to follow as Bath went close to opening the scoring inside ten minutes when centre Kyle Eastmond produced a moment of brilliance.
The former St Helens rugby league ace dropped a shoulder to skip between two Stade tacklers but did not have quite enough pace to beat full-back Hugo Bonneval. Bath retained possession but Dominic Day's pass to Simon Taylor was too low and the visitors were able to clear.
Ollie Devoto then had the first shot at goal but his penalty from the halfway line dropped just short of the posts and, although Tom Biggs charged down Jerome Fillol's clearance, Stade survived again.
Once they began to get control of the game, the visitors threatened to run away with the contest. Fly-half Jules Plisson opened the scoring with a long-range penalty and the Parisians grabbed their first try soon afterwards.
A fine passing move across the width of the pitch cut Bath's defence to pieces and winger Waisea Vuidarvuwalu outpaced Devoto and Horacio Agulla to touch down in the corner. Scrum-half Fillol took over kicking duties and split the posts from wide on the right.
The home side seemed to be the catalysts of their own downfall as, despite having Stade trapped on their own line, they fell further behind. Bonneval sidestepped Devoto, allowing the visitors to break up field and win a penalty within 30 metres, which Fillol converted.
Stephen Donald got Bath on the scoreboard with a 25th-minute penalty but the fly-half was then at fault as Stade added a second try.
The New Zealand international's loose pass was intercepted midway inside the Stade half and the visitors broke quickly for Vuidarvuwalu to cross the whitewash in the corner again. Fillol added the extras from out wide.
Bath needed a boost and it came courtesy of two sin-binnings for visiting players either side of the break. First, Rabah Slimani was yellow carded for taking out Nick Abendanon in the air before Scott Lavalla followed suit five minutes into the second period.
Lavalla's offence was doubly fruitful for the home side, with the lock bringing down a lineout on his own tryline and referee Nigel Owens awarding Bath a penalty try, converted by Donald.
But just as the home side looked to have the momentum, Stade's brilliance in attack stopped them in their tracks with two tries in two minutes.
From a lineout just inside Bath's half, Vuidarvuwalu charged across the field before sending Bonneval over in the corner and the visiting full-back had a second score immediately afterwards when Stade broke from the own half, leaving home defenders trailing in their wake.
Replacement Michael Claassens charged over from short range with 15 minutes to play following a driving maul from a Bath lineout but the visitors replied with another moment of outstanding quality.
From a Bath 22 drop-out, Plisson caught the ball and immediately returned a drop goal attempt from inside his own half which sailed over the posts.
The home side pounded the Stade line in the closing moments, and Jack Cuthbert's try brought them closer but the Parisians had the final word when Jerome Porical split the posts with a penalty.
BATH RUGBY: Devoto, Abendanon (Cuthbert 49), Agulla, Eastmond, Biggs, Donald (Heathcote 54), Stringer (Claassens 59), James (Catt 54), Webber (Batty 54), Wilson (Perenise 54), Hooper, Day (Spencer 65), Taylor (Koster 46), Louw, Skirving.
Tries: Penalty, Claassens, Cuthbert. Conversion: Donald. Penalty: Donald.
STADE FRANCAIS: Bonneval, Vuidarvuwalu, Doumayrou, Williams, Sinzelle (Arias 49), Plisson (Porical 73), Fillol (Warwick 54), Wright (Zhvania 72), De Malmanche (Bonfils 66), Slimani, Lavalla, Mostert, Rabadan (Burban 60), Lyons, Parisse. Replacements not used: Becasseau, van Zyl.
Tries: Vuidarvuwalu 2, Bonneval 2. Conversions: Fillol 2. Penalties: Plisson, Fillol, Porical. Drop goal: Plisson.
Referee: Nigel Owens
Attendance: 11,155
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