A tasty Anglo-French contest on a perfect clear winter’s day offered a further reminder that the Six Nations is not the only compelling rugby show in town. At the final whistle there was also pure delight for Bath, now guaranteed to feature in the Champions Cup last 16 and still unbeaten after their third successive victory in pool two.
Racing, in negotiations to sign the erstwhile England captain Owen Farrell from Saracens, had eased into a 22-8 lead with third-quarter tries from their big No 8 Kitione Kamikamica and their exiled English winger Henry Arundell. But in a fluctuating, open game Bath roared back to 22–22 with 17 minutes left with tries from Alfie Barbeary and Joe Cokanasiga before Will Muir’s 72nd‑minute score dramatically tipped the scales in the hosts’ favour.
Even the late dismissal of the forceful Barbeary for a second yellow card, not ideal timing before Wednesday’s England Six Nations squad announcement, could not save Racing. The Parisians are keen to sign Farrell for next season but on this occasion, with Finn Russell pulling the strings at fly-half, Bath proved the more resilient side when it mattered.
Russell and Barbeary have combined to add a completely different energy to a previously toiling team who have now qualified for the knockout stages of this competition for the first time since 2015. The 23-year-old Barbeary demonstrated that French loose forwards do not have a monopoly on galloping aggression, while Russell coped admirably in defence, where he was frequently targeted by his former employers.
Barbeary’s two cards, meanwhile, were both for upright challenges, one with and one without the ball, but his marauding instincts in attack will surely be rewarded with a place in Steve Borthwick’s squad. “When I signed him I said ‘You can become the premier ball carrier in European rugby,” said Bath’s director of rugby, Johann van Graan. “He is a special player and a big personality in our team. I thought he carried exceptionally well … he has had a break and come back in phenomenal form.”
Stuart Lancaster, having watched his Racing side struggle to cope with Barbeary’s dynamism at times, was similarly impressed. “He’s phenomenally strong for a young player. Everyone flirted with the idea of him being a hooker but he seemed to be a pretty good number 8 to me. He’s got great potential.”
Van Graan was also understandably delighted by the way his entire team stared down defeat and bounced back to inflict Racing’s third successive defeat in this season’s tournament. Ben Spencer had another influential game at scrum-half while Scotland’s Cameron Redpath, flourishing alongside his compatriot Russell, again oozed quality.
The visitors had turned up knowing they badly needed to win or else see qualification drift out of their control but despite the presence of Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s World Cup‑winning captain, the Top 14 leaders could not always rise to the demands of this particular occasion.
Bath’s strong scrummaging was among the reasons why, with the Racing loosehead Hassane Kolingar conceding three penalties in the first quarter alone. Even so an 18th‑minute score for Nolann Le Garrec, along with a conversion and a penalty from the same player, helped Racing into a 10-8 half-time lead and Barbeary going to the sin‑bin for making barging head contact with the Racing full-back Max Spring also did little for local momentum.
While Bath fully deserved their belated first-half try, Thomas du Toit barging over from close range, they were also a touch fortunate that Arundell, who watched Bath as a youngster, was not always at his fizzing best and was unable to convert two clear try-scoring opportunities in the first half. In the final analysis they were to prove costly.
Still, though, it was Racing who made the faster start to the second half. Bath had left oceans of space free on their right flank and a cross‑kick from Antoine Gibert gave Kamikamica plenty of time to collect and score. When Arundell then eased over on the opposite wing after smart work down the blindside from Le Garrec and Maxime Baudonne, it left Bath facing a seriously uphill task.
The challenge merely served to galvanise them. Barbeary’s 59th‑minute try brought the crowd alive and three minutes later a lovely backdoor offload from Ollie Lawrence and an artful flick-on from Russell helped to put Cokanisaga over in the corner. The drama was not finished, with powerful bursts from Barbeary and Lawrence putting the onrushing Muir over for the crucial bonus-point score.
Even then, with Barbeary despatched after catching Le Garrec with his forearm, Racing had their chances but must now rely on thrashing Cardiff and hoping Ulster lose heavily at Harlequins. Bath will complete their pool campaign in Toulouse, with Van Graan hopeful that Barbeary will be cleared by a disciplinary panel this week. “He was gutted when he came off but hopefully he can play next weekend because it’s two yellow cards. We would like to think he will be available.”
