Bath down PREM Rugby rivals Saracens as Sale defeat Harlequins to reach Champions Cup quarter-finals

Bath will face Northampton Saints in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup after overcoming another domestic rival in the last 16. The Gallagher PREM Rugby champions came from behind to beat Saracens 31-22 thanks to a scintillating second-half performance and captain Ben Spencer said after that it was "huge" to reach the last eight in European rugby's premier club competition.

Ben Spencer hailed a result that was ”huge for the club” after Bath fought back to beat Saracens in an all-English Investec Champions Cup thriller to reach the quarter-finals.

The hosts trailed 10-0 at half-time at The Rec, but responded in style during an electrifying second half for a 31-22 victory that set up a last-eight clash with Northampton Saints next weekend.

"I’m loving playing with these lads and we move on to next week now. It’s huge for the club and the fans deserve nothing more than knockout rounds at The Rec,” captain Spencer told Premier Sports.

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"Delighted with the win but disappointed with aspects of the performance. We know we are going to need to be a hell of a lot better when Saints come. Loads of credit to Sarries, they were very good. We were disappointed to go in 10-0 down so loads to build on going into Friday night."

Bath, reigning champions in Gallagher PREM Rugby and the Challenge Cup, were big favourites against Sarries, having torn them apart with a 62-15 win just two weeks earlier.

But they faced a far tougher challenge this time round against the three-time European champions as a Charlie Bracken try and five points from Owen Farrell’s boot gave them a comfortable cushion at the break.  

Highlights: Bath dismantle Saracens with 60-point demolition at The Rec

Video credit: TNT Sports

The home side stormed back with tries from Henry Arundell and Joe Cokanasiga to take the lead, before Spencer finished a devastating move from one try line to the other to give his side a nine-point advantage.

Sarries stayed in touch as Max Malins and Noah Caluori crossed either side of an Ollie Lawrence effort to keep it a one-score game going into the final five minutes, but Arundell’s second try of the afternoon clinched the win in style for the hosts.

Bath prop Thomas du Toit, who was named man of the match despite only coming on at half-time, paid tribute to his opponents after an eventful encounter in which yellow cards were also dished out to Bath’s Guy Pepper and Beno Obano and Sarries’ Harry Wilson.

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"Saracens put up a massive fight and showed us class rugby. We were very grateful to turn things up in the second half and play the way we prefer to play the game,” Du Toit said.

"Well done to everyone, it was a brilliant match. You can’t win anything without your set-piece. We tried our best in the first half - the boys that were on, it was a learning experience for them.

"The scrum is not a one-person thing, it’s the full eight. It’s such a great atmosphere and we love the supporters. It shows you the fight in that team [Saracens]. They are a quality side."

Bath are next in PREM Rugby action on Saturday, April 18 when they host Harlequins, while Saracens travel to Sale Sharks on Sunday, April 19. Both games will be shown live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Cowan-Dickie and Ford help Sale beat Harlequins

George Ford declared himself "delighted" as Sale beat Harlequins 26-17 at Twickenham Stoop to progress to the last eight.

Fly-half Ford was instrumental for the visitors, scoring from four penalties and converting both of Luke Cowan-Dickie's tries.

Cowan-Dickie got the game's first try after 33 minutes, powering over the line after a maul from a lineout. That put Sale 16-0 up at half-time, though Nick David had a try chalked off for the hosts just before the break.

Ford's fourth penalty kick extended Sale's lead early in the second half, but Chandler Cunningham-South responded with a try to give Harlequins hope.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Sale pulled clear again, though, when Cowan-Dickie got his second try, only for Quins' Alex Dombrandt to score a quickfire double and force a nervy final 10 minutes.

But Sale defended resolutely and held on for a hard-earned win.

"It's huge. Our PREM campaign has not gone as we would have liked, but we’ve had a decent run in Europe," Ford told Premier Sports. "This was a tough game, they are in a similar position to us, so we are delighted to win and excited for next week.

"We can look to the future all we want but we have not been good enough to do that. We just need to focus on getting better and improving. If we do that we will put ourselves in decent positions in the long run.

"The start was massive, into the wind and we wanted to build a score and exert pressure. Going in at 16-0 up was good, Quins came back in the second. We had some ups and downs but found a way to win in the end."

Elsewhere, Toulon of France edged South African side DHL Stormers 28-27 to set up a quarter-final clash with Glasgow Warriors who edged out Vodacom Bulls, while Bristol were beaten 59-26 at Toulouse.

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