Rugby story by Vinnie Mitchell, Sun, 18 Dec 2005 02:04:00 GMT


Bath defeated Glasgow pretty easily in the end to preserve their unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup this year. Bath were already sitting pretty atop Pool Five, but with this performance have made their position impregnable.

At Firhill, Bath appeared to put behind last week's narrow win as Glasgow went down 10-29 in a match when nothing clicked for the home team. Michael Stephenson's run in the dying minutes to secure the team's fourth try of the evening ensured that Bath came away with a bonus point, something they could not have envisaged at the beginning of the game.

Nick Walshe began the rot in the 37th minute, till then Glasgow had had the better of the initial exchanges and were looking very strong especially in the midfield. Dan Parks penalty put the home team ahead, but Ollie Barkley got Bath on level terms almost immediately. But the second half belonged to the visitors as proved by Danny Grewcock who raced ahead only 30 seconds into the half to put the game firmly in Bath's quarter.

Bath's coach Michael Foley was delighted with the bonus point, "I have to be satisfied with a bonus point on enemy territory. People had tried to tell us in the build-up to the two matches with them that [Glasgow] weren't much of a team. They proved in both legs that the theory was rubbish," he commented.

"They made us work tremendously hard for our victories and I regard it as a significant achievement to have pocketed the bonus point in Scotland." Glasgow boss Hugh Campbell was left to rue a disappointing showing,: "We didn't achieve the same level of intensity that we had shown against Bath at The Rec last weekend but we still had our opportunities," he said adding that the team was unable to convert these opportunities into points and this is what cost them the game. "I remain convinced that this squad are making significant progress."

Match details
Referee: G Clancy (Ireland)

Glasgow: Staniforth; O'Hare (Craig, 77), Morrison (Craig, 59-66), Henderson, Lamont; Parks, Beveridge (Pinder, 53); Tkachuk, Lawson (Thomson, 70), Murray (Harrison, 59), Barker, Turner (Hamilton, 65), Swindall (Hayter, 40), Barclay, Beattie.

Bath: Stephenson; S Finau, Higgins, Barkley, Welsh (Cheeseman, 53; Davis, 80); Malone, Walshe (Williams, 72); Barnes, Dixon (Mears, 66), Bell (Stevens, 61), Fidler (Hudson, 23), Grewcock, Beattie, Scaysbrook, Feaunati.

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