Max Malins strikes final blow as Bristol rack up record score at Bath

Kyle Sinckler may not have made this summer’s British & Irish Lions squad but there was no disputing his man-of-the-match impact for Bristol as the Premiership leaders roared back from 15-0 down to flatten their West Country rivals Bath. The England prop said afterwards he had “never had so much anger inside me” and used it to powerful effect to ensure the Bears maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table.

To a large degree it was a tale of the non-Lion, the pitch and the wardrobe-proportioned Nathan Hughes as Sinckler and Bristol overcame slippery underfoot conditions to put increasing pressure on a wilting Bath scrum, with Hughes also rampaging around to good effect under the gaze of the England coach Eddie Jones and his assistant Matt Proudfoot.

As Sinckler acknowledged after the game, however, his personal hurt at his unexpected Lions omission was also a significant factor in a striking personal performance. “I am not going to lie, I am emotional,” said the 28-year-old. “It has been so tough – I have never experienced something like this in my career.

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“Right now it doesn’t make sense but what I wanted to do was to lead by example. I wanted to show the kids and everyone at home how much it means to me and not throw my toys out of the pram. I wanted to use that anger. I have never had so much anger inside me and I used it in a positive way to do what is best for the team.”

This was the Bears’ sixth win in their last seven fixtures against Bath and their second in a row at the Rec, where they had previously failed to win since 2006. In the first half they mostly flattered to deceive but, despite a brace of tries from Bath’s solitary English Lion Anthony Watson, the visitors were already in control before the home hooker Tom Dunn was sent off 10 minutes from time for a shoulder to the head of Semi Radradra.

By the end they had scored six tries, with England’s Max Malins sliding over for two of them, and scored more points than any Bristol side have ever done on their neighbours’ ground. Occasionally their sense of adventure can still be counterproductive but, given a bit of space, the likes of Radradra, Malins and Charles Piutau can slice anyone open. Bath, not for the first time this season, could not sustain their initial promise and a top-six finish may now be beyond them.

Despite an excellent start, with tries for Watson and then Rhys Priestland against the run of play, Bath knew they were not entirely safe, with Exeter’s 38-16 win here in March from 16-0 down a cautionary precedent. Sure enough Bristol were back in the game before the interval, a rare clinical line-out from the visitors resulting in a successful driven try for Hughes with Callum Sheedy curling over a neat conversion.

They could have had a classic score within six minutes of the restart, brilliant handling by Piutau and a cross-kick by Sheedy to Hughes again rendered irrelevant by another forward nudge by Luke Morahan.

It mattered not, a penalty try narrowing the gap before the outstanding Piutau helped to put Malins over in the left corner before the full-back dived over himself to secure a bonus point with 16 minutes left. Dunn’s dismissal was another ill-timed blow for the hosts, with Ben Earl and Malins taking full advantage of the Bears’ overwhelming scrum supremacy.

Bath are currently enduring a rough trot on all fronts. Their next home game against Sale this Friday is also due to be played behind closed doors, which means they have just one home fixture left with a potential crowd this season – against Northampton in June when the European football championships will have begun and many people’s attention will be elsewhere. Hopefully it will at least feel vaguely like summer by then.