Bath player ratings vs Ulster

Bath player ratings live from The Rec: We arrived curious to learn whether Bath could transfer their huge upswing in Gallagher Premiership form onto the European stage; we left believing this could be the first season since 2014/15 that the once giants of the English game are potentially a real deal again in this tournament.

Not since 1998, when they lifted the trophy in Bordeaux versus Brive, have Bath been considered a true Champions Cup heavyweight.

Three quarter-finals and a sole semi-final appearance have been their lot in the quarter-century since then – and you even had to go back to January 2018 to find their most recent pool win before this deserved 37-14 success versus Ulster.

Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

Premiership buoyancy (five wins in eight outings for second place) in Johann van Graan’s second season in charge have the fans believing that the outlook is now finally bright again.

And with new arrival Finn Russell orchestrating their attack and club owner Bruce Craig forking out to improve the soft pitch stitching in recent weeks, their run of 10 successive Champions Cup losses finally ended with a second-half flourish decorated by three late tries. Here are the Bath player ratings:

15. Matt Gallagher – 6.5
Is keeping Tom de Glanville out of the selection and we saw in patches why. It was his kick that gave Ulster the prompt for their second try, but he had the last laugh with his last-minute walk-in.

14. Joe Cokanasiga – 7.5
Unwanted by Borthwick’s England for the recent Rugby World Cup but cherished by van Graan’s Bath. Eager all afternoon for ball involvement and he was adequately rewarded with two well-taken tries.

13. Ollie Lawrence – 8
Has been in top gear in recent weeks and he reprised all that and more here. Will be kicking himself – literally – for the error that gifted Ulster their first try, but his frequent defence-busting carrying was so very important to ensure Bath were rich winners.

12. Cameron Redpath – 7
Another who has been impressive of late and he too continued that influence versus Ulster, even joining the maul for the crucial Tom Dunn try and then landing a splendid touchline conversion right at the finish.

11. Will Muir – 6
It was his footwork that was important in getting Bath busy in attack early in the game when chances were at a premium. Less involved in the second period, but still solid.

10. Finn Russell – 7.5
Has been touted as the best bang-for-buck singing in this season’s league and there sure is magic in his hands with his ability to shift the ball. He quit the kicking tee duties after making a hames of an early attempt, but the other parts of his game were up to scratch.

9. Ben Spencer – 8
The skipper played a captain’s part, even taking on the place-kicking duties after Russell’s mishap. His ability to make the right decision was encapsulated by his fabulous pass for Cokanasiga to break the…