A scintillating ten-try performance from Bath Rugby meant they put 14-men Saracens to the sword, routing the London club with a record-breaking 68-10 victory to end 2024 sitting at the top of the table.

Bath started the game in stunning style, with a sublime Finn Russell cross-field kick forcing full-back Liam Williams to bat the ball back into the dead-ball area, giving Bath a penalty try and sending the Welsh international to the bin. From that point on, the Blue, Black and White dominated the first 40, with tries from Thomas du Toit, Cameron Redpath and Will Muir sealing the try bonus point after just 36 minutes. Russell was perfect from the tee too, knocking over his three conversions. Saracens had a first half to forget, going down to 14 men after just 14 minutes as flanker Toby Knight went head-on-head with Ollie Lawrence. A Fergus Burke penalty was the only source of points in the first 40.

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The Blue, Black and White then turned on the style in the second half with some champagne rugby, scoring six tries in the second half to give themselves a ten-try performance. Muir added two tries in the second half to give him a hat-trick, with Lawrence, Sam Underhill and a Joe Cokanasiga brace leading Bath to their biggest-ever win against Saracens. Russell knocked over five of the six conversions in the second 40, which meant he overtook Britsol's AJ MacGinty as the leading points scorer in the Premiership. On the other hand, it was a record defeat for Saracens, who will look to quickly forget today's drubbing. Replacement hooker Kapeli Pifeleti gave them a small speck of joy as he crashed over, with Burke knocking over the conversion.

Rugby writer Olly D'Arcy takes a closer look at the individual performances of the Bath players...

15 Tom de Glanville - 8

The first half wasn't the greatest under the high ball from the fullback, but he was able to grow into the game and play some great rugby as he has done all season. He took a huge shot from his opposite number Williams, but he shook it off and carried on. An injury at 15 is the one position Bath could do without this season. He joined the free-flowing rugby in the second 40, with some lovely passes creating space with ease in the Saracens defence, setting up Cokanasiga for his second try with a lovely pass. Another great performance from the full-back in what is probably his best season in a Blue, Black and White shirt.

14 Joe Cokanasiga - 9

The deliberate knock-on from full-back Williams was the only reason why Cokanasiga did not get his name on the scoresheet after just four minutes, with Russell's kick heading straight into his hands. However, just five minutes into the second half, he was able to find the try line, profiting off the skill of Lawrence. He sat on the shoulder of the centre, and thanks to the sumptuous offload, he was set free on the right wing and could not be stopped, diving over the whitewash to extend the Blue, Black and White lead to 33-3. He then added his second try to the scoring spree, once again set free on the right wing with nobody around him. Nobody could chase him down with his raw pace, and just like London buses, you wait for a try, and two come along at once for 'Big Joe'.

13 Ollie Lawrence - 9

It was a welcome return to the side for the English international, with his massive carry from Bath's lineout setting up Du Toit's try after 14 minutes. Just before then, he endured head-on-head contact from Saracens flanker Knight which saw him red-carded. A stunning offload then gave Lawrence his 'Wow' moment of the game, drawing in two defenders and then shipping the ball out with a lovely 'chicken-wing' pass to set Cokanasiga free on the right wing and give the Blue, Black and White their fifth try of the game. He wasn't going to miss out on the try-scoring frenzy either, with a great charge down from Francois van Wyk allowing Lawrence through unopposed. He hacked the bouncing ball through, picked it up and dived over to cap off yet another stunning performance in a Bath jersey.

12 Cameron Redpath - 8

The inside centre looked like he was getting back to his brilliant best in the Bue, Black and white, making such great metres with the ball in hand. He was on the shoulder of Russell five metres out, and the two Scots combined very nicely to set Redpath free and give Bath a 21-3 lead after just 23 minutes. A poor decision squandered a perfect two-on-one chance, opting to kick instead of play the inside pass to a supporting De Glanville. He looked like he may have picked up an injury after that kick, and as a precaution, he came off just two minutes later to give Max Ojomoh his first Premiership start in eight months. But for Redpath, it was a super performance, and he looked to be back to his best.

11 Will Muir - 10

It was quite a quiet first half for Muir, but you can't keep 'The Horse' that quiet for long. The brilliant carry from Spencer gave Bath a two-on-one down the blindside, and the Blue, Black and white captain fed the ball to the winger, and he did the rest. He pinned his ears back from the 22-metre line, and his pure pace meant he could be stopped from crashing over in front of the Thatchers Stand. 'The Horse' then dived over in 'Horse Corner' to give himself his second try of the game, with Spencer picking the blindside brilliantly once again to create a three-on-two that Muir finished expertly. He capped off a 10/10 performance with his best try of the lot, taking advantage of a splintered Saracens defence by carrying the ball from 65m out, using his pace once again to burst through and gallop towards the line to score a hat-trick of stunning tries. A simply sublime performance from a simply sublime player.

10 Finn Russell - 9

A sublime driving crossfield kick after just four minutes was the first 'Wow' moment from the Scottish international. The kick that was heading right into the hands of Joe Cokansiga forced Saracens full-back Williams to bat the ball back into the dead-ball area and give away a penalty try and a yellow card. Saracens went down to 14 men after just 14 minutes, which then gave the fly-half more space to pull the strings, and boy did he do so, feeding in Redpath perfectly for Bath's third try after just 24 minutes, putting Saracens to the sword in a scintillating first 40. It was more of the same in the second 40, with Russell the magician behind the magic in Bath's second half. Some of his creative passes just defied the laws of physics making space where any other fly-half in the world would struggle to do so. His kicking was fantastic once again, only missing one out of his nine conversions. Yet again, it was a performance that shows why he is probably the odds-on favourite to take the fly-half jersey for the British and Irish Lions in 2025.

9 Ben Spencer - 10

Arguably the best performance from Spencer since coming to the Rec. Bath may have been aided by the Williams yellow card after four minutes and the Toby Knight red card just ten minutes later, but the poise and control that Bath's captain had in the first half to jump out to a 21-3 lead after just 25 minutes was superb, highlighting what the Blue, Black and White can do when they play at their best, similar to the opening game of the season against Northampton. He then had his own moment of magic with a brilliant pick-up and carry from the back of the scrum, racing down the blindside to create a two-on-one and send his opposite number Gareth Simpson the wrong way. He fed in Muir to give the Blue, Black and White the try bonus point after just 38 minutes. There was no slowing down from the scrum half in the second 40 either, continuing to control the game sublimely. His decision-making and chance creation were off the charts, picking the blindside perfectly again to give Muir another try. He came off after 64 minutes to a rapturous reception from the fans, and every bit of it was deserved for Bath's talisman.

1 Beno Obano - 7

The loosehead prop returned to the starting XV for the first time since Sale at home in late October. He faced off against former Gloucester man Frasier Balmain in the scrum, and he won the early battle with some scrum penalties, showing his brilliance in the scrum once again. There was so much brilliance in attack from the Blue, Black and White that Obano didn't have too much work in defence, and he was kept busy with some important carries across the gain line before he was replaced. A super player, and a huge help to have him back.

2 Tom Dunn - 6

He had a couple of awry throws from the lineout to start the game, a theme that we have seen a few too many times so far this season. However, his work in and around the midfield did not go unnoticed. The lineout got back into gear as the game went on, and although it was a quieter performance for Dunn than usual, he did what was needed to be a part of Bath's stunning performance.

3 Thomas du Doit - 9

As it always seems to be when Du Toit puts on the Blue, Black and White, he adds a try to his growing collection. It only took 15 minutes for 'The Tank' to get his name on the scoresheet, crashing over from five metres out after carries from Lawrence and Hill moved Bath up from the 22 to the try line with frightening power and accuracy. The skill set of the South African international was once again on show, highlighting why he could easily be regarded as one of the best props on the planet right now. His scrummaging was neon-perfect once again, his carrying was impactful as always, and his work at the breakdown was stunning, winning a penalty with his jackaling in the process. Like Russell, these performances are becoming the norm, and it's special to watch week in, week out.

4 Quinn Roux - 7

The Irish international has been an unsung hero for Bath so far this season with some of his performances in the second row. He was caught out a couple of times with the restart, giving away a penalty at one of them for crossing. However, his work in defence when it was needed was mighty, as it has been throughout the season. There was not a lot of defensive work to be done, but it was done with a lot of heart, something that Johann van Graan was extremely proud of.

5 Charlie Ewels - 8

Great early work in the engine room from the English international. He stole the ball from the Saracens lineout in a critical position as the away side sat inside the Blue, Black and White 22. when needed, his defensive work was hugely impactful too, stopping Saracens when they entered Bath's 22. In the second half, he continued with his work, putting in a monster hit on Ben Earl to stop him and the Saracens attack in its tracks. The quality has always been there from the lock, and we are seeing it on a weekly basis now.

6 Ted Hill - 7

The flanker was making his 100th Premiership game in what has been a stunning 24/25 season so far. He made his impact just 15 minutes in with a thunderous carry which set up Thomas du Toit's score, crashing through Alex Lozowski to bring the ball from the 22 up to the five-metre line. He continued with his fine work like always until the half-time whistle sounded. However, he did not return when the second half got underway as he was replaced by Miles Reid in the back row. A shoulder injury was the reason why he was replaced, with Van Graan saying they would "assess" what happened. Hopefully, he will not be too badly hurt, as Bath will miss his presence if he misses some time.

7 Guy Pepper - 6

Pepper has been a revelation since joining from Newcastle for the Blue, Black and White, with some unbelievable performances coming from the young back-rower. However, today was a much quieter day. He was not needed as much in the breakdown, such was the nature of the game, and he did not see much of the ball in his hands, unable to impose himself on the game. Nothing to be worried about at all, but the quietest game of his short Bath career so far.

8 Alfie Barbeary - 7

After a stunning season last year for the number 8, Barbeary has not been at his ball-carrying and disruptive best in the 24/25 season. Unfortunately, he gave Saracens their first points with a silly penalty, getting back up off the deck after referee Karl Dickson judged him to be tackled. He also gave the away side a few extra metres for throwing the ball away. There were quite a lot of opportunities with the ball in hand in the first half, but as it has been all season, he just could not break the tackles like he did last year. However, in the second 40, there were flashes of the old Barbeary, bouncing off tackles and getting past the gainline. He played a full 80 minutes for the first time ina quite a while, and hopefully that, along with some good second half carries, will reignite his season.

Replacements

16 Niall Annett - 6

17 Francois van Wyk - 7

18 Will Stuart - 5

19 Ross Molony - 6

20 Sam Underhill - 8

21 Louis Schreuder - 7

22 Max Ojomoh - 7

23 Miles Reid - 7