Dramatic draw as Bath fight back
BUCS RUGBY
BATH and Hartpury wowed an 8,000 strong crowd at The Rec as BUCS Super Rugby capitalised on a big chance to further its presence in emphatic fashion.
Celebrating their Anniversary Game, the two sides defied waterlogged conditions to put on a show, drawing 31-31 in a wildly entertaining game. Hartpury had raced into a 21-0 lead through two maul tries from Oscar Wilson and Casey Williams before skipper Matt Hillary profited from a fortunate bounce to score.
Bath then seemed to have completed a stunning comeback when, after tries from Alfie Griffin, Harry Breeze and Kepu Tuipulotu, Ieuan Davies scored a converted try, followed by a Will Roue penalty, to give them a 31-21 lead with just a minute to go.
Hartpury responded with a Keillan Cullen penalty and then dramatically equalised through another Hillary score to set up the grandstand finish.
Exeter continue to set the pace at the top but their game was also heavily affected by the weather as blustery conditions prevented them from getting their try bonus against Swansea in a 19-5 win, Gulley brothers Tom and Louie scoring their respective fourths of the season while Lucas Brooke, son of Zinzan, also crossed.
Loughborough have recovered from their opening day loss to climb to second courtesy of a 46-19 win away to Durham; the tries continue to flow for the Leicester Tigers associated side.
Given the postponement of the Nottingham versus Cardiff game, the final game of the week was Leeds Beckett’s 40-35 loss to Cardiff Met.
In the women’s league, Exeter’s 59-21 thumping of Loughborough is a significant result, while Edinburgh beat Cardiff 28-17 and Durham were thrashed 73-0 by Cardiff Met.
