Bath 40-21 Clermont Auvergne: Finn Russell inspires hosts to victory in Investec Champions Cup

Bath revitalized their Champions Cup campaign with an impressive bonus-point victory over a 14-man Clermont Auvergne side at their home ground, the Rec. Finn Russell was instrumental in Clermont's downfall, exhibiting tremendous influence with both ball in hand and with his boot, while the visitors were reduced to 14 men in the first half after George Akhaladze's red card.

Bath, having lost their opening two Pool 2 matches, quickly took the lead through a Tom de Glanville try, before Russell created and finished their second. Clermont responded with a close-range effort from Folau Fainga'a, but the game shifted when Akhaladze was sent off for a direct head-on-head contact with Bath centre Max Ojomoh.

The home side punished Clermont two minutes later, with Ojomoh collecting a clever chip from Russell to assist Joe Cokanasiga for their third try. Despite being a man down, Clermont were rewarded on the stroke of half-time with a brilliant individual try from Anthony Belleau. In the second half, Thomas du Toit powered over under the posts to secure the bonus point, before scoring again from a similar distance for Bath's fifth try.

Clermont had defeated Benetton before arriving at the Rec, but suffered a loss to Leicester. They still showed fighting spirit and gained a deserved consolation through Peceli Yato's try, but the home side ultimately wrapped things up with a sixth try from Ollie Lawrence in the corner. Bath moved up from sixth to third in Pool 2, but their final game will be a daunting trip to four-time champions Leicester, who have already qualified for the knockout stages.

Clermont, who are now fifth, left empty-handed and will host Bath's Premiership rivals Bristol in Round 4, with both teams still in contention for qualification. Bath signed Scotland fly-half Russell before the 2023-24 season, reportedly on a £1m-a-year contract, with the clear aim of winning top honors. Johann van Graan's side are top of their domestic league, but their form has not translated to the European stage, having lost their first two games against La Rochelle and Benetton.

They needed a win to reignite their campaign, and their key players rose to the challenge. Just two minutes into the match, Ojomoh latched onto a pinpoint pass from the Scot, breaking through the Clermont defense to create the initial breakthrough. Bath continued to push forward, with Russell once again providing a precise pass for de Glanville to dive over for the opening try. The home crowd erupted in cheers, but the Scot's performance was just getting started.

A master of deception, Russell then dummied his way through to create a gap for Cokanasiga, before collecting the ball himself and easily gliding past the opposition for their second try. If that was easy running rugby, what followed was a display of his kicking prowess – he chipped the ball over the onrushing Clermont defense for Ojomoh to collect and assist Cokanasiga for the try. Russell was successful with five of his six kicks, taking his points tally to 15, and Bath’s competitiveness in the Champions Cup this season may well depend on his form.

Bath’s director of rugby, Johann van Graan, said: “Anything is possible – I think that’s what makes this competition so great.” “You’ve got two choices. You can talk about how good Leicester are, because they are a very good side, or you can just focus on yourself.” “I’ve got some great memories at the Aviva, and some huge disappointments, and to go there and play against one of the best teams in the world, certainly from a club perspective, is a brilliant place to be.” “It’s a massive task. They’re way ahead in the URC, they’re ahead in our group and we’re top of the Premiership.”