An experienced Bath United side ran in 14 tries in a 92-0 victory against the visiting Royal Navy at the Rec this evening.
United, playing in their first match since clinching the Aviva A League title in December, set the score for the rest of the match in the first minute of play. Tom Heathcote put Matt Banahan into space inside the United half, and the centre galloped 60m before unselfishly putting Tom Biggs away. Heathcote’s conversion made it 7-0.
Two minutes after that score, Ryan Caldwell showed surprising speed for a second row to sprint in for a try from just inside the Navy’s half. With Heathcote’s simple conversion in front of the posts, Bath led 14-0.
On six minutes, Tom Biggs was unwisely shown some space by his opposite man – space he exploited to toy with the Navy winger before offloading to Olly Woodburn to score United’s third try, which Heathcote converted. 21-0.
With quarter of an hour gone, Banahan rounded his man on halfway, with Woodburn again the eventual beneficiary as he took the ball to score from within metres of the line. Heathcote missed the first of only three conversions he would miss on the night. 26-0.
Rich Lane on 22 minutes had spotted the smallest of gaps in the defence as the Navy backline rushed forward in Bath’s half. It was all he needed, the fullback scything through to run from his own 22 to the Navy’s 10m. Ben Williams then did the rest of the work, cantering in to score United’s fifth try, converted by Heathcote. 33-0.
Within four minutes, Mat Gilbert had broken away from a maul in the Navy’s 22 and touched down to enable a straightforward conversion from Heathcote. 40-0.
England U20s second row Charlie Ewels was the next to get his name on the scoresheet, taking a good angle six metres out from the Navy line to dot the ball down. The extras were added by Heathcote, allowing United to see out the half 47-0.
Half time: Bath United 47 – Royal Navy Rugby 0
Any chance the Navy had of snatching the first points of the second half were quickly dashed as Heathcote scored in the 42nd minute. He converted his own try, making it 54-0.
After 50 minutes, a United penalty followed a forceful scrum from the home side. Heathcote kicked to touch, and Max Northcote-Green scored the first of his three tries from the driving maul. His first, second and third tries were all scoredin a fifteen-minute period – each converted by Heathcote – and by the 66th minute, United led 75-0.
Straight after the restart, and following Northcote-Green’s third try, Heathcote latched onto an overarm pass from replacement wing Jake Henry to score out wide. 80-0.
Henry, now looking for a try of his own, scored three minutes later under the posts, to which Heathcote added the extras to make it 87-0.
With seven minutes left on the clock, and with very little room to work with on the left wing, Henry burrowed over for his second try after United had wasted little time in advancing into Navy territory. Heathcote’s conversion attempt was wide, but with the score now standing at 92-0, the referee decided to call time on the match.
Full time: Bath United 92 – 0 Royal Navy
