Bath come from behind to beat Northampton Saints in 11-try thriller to reach Champions Cup semi-finals

Bath Rugby and Northampton Saints played out a Champions Cup classic as Henry Pollock went from hero to villain in an 11-try thriller at the Recreation Ground. Bath were 21 points behind at one point but profited from two second-half yellow cards for Saints to snatch a 43-41 win. The top two sides in the Gallagher PREM meet again on April 25, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with top spot at stake.

Bath booked their place in the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup after coming from behind to beat Northampton Saints 43-41 in an encounter that player of the match Alfie Barbeary described as "pretty mental."

The match, which featured 11 tries and three yellow cards, looked to be in Saints’ control for most of the match, but a late Henry Pollock booking helped Bath take the lead for the first and only time with five minutes to go.

Bath were as far as 21 points behind at one point, unable to cope with Northampton’s exhilarating attack in the first half, but used their stronger bench to claw their way back into the game.

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"It was a pretty mental game to play in. It was class to get the result," Barbeary told Premier Sports.

"I’ve got great players around me that make me look good. The big thing is our belief - we didn’t look at the scoreline. We just knew if we stuck to our processes we could give a performance and we did that.”

His back row team-mate Miles Reid said: ”This crowd is amazing. When they get behind you, it’s the best place to play rugby.

Ted Hill of Bath Rugby scores his team's sixth try during the Investec Champions Cup match between Bath Rugby and Northampton Saints at Recreation Ground on April 10, 2026 in Bath, England.

Image credit: Getty Images

”We knew we had the players in the bank to go and score. The bench made a massive difference and we knew we had that power coming on.”

Saints had raced out of the traps, helped by an early yellow card for Reid, and went over twice in the first six minutes, including a barrelling run from Pollock, but Bath bit back through Tom Dunn.

The exchange of tries continued back and forth, with Northampton maintaining a decent cushion, but two tries to close out the half for Bath closed the deficit to nine.

Despite an early penalty for Saints, Bath clawed their way back to within five, capitalising on a yellow card for JJ van der Mescht.

Highlights: Northampton strike late to snatch thrilling win over Saracens

Video credit: TNT Sports

Northampton’s discipline continued to cost them and Pollock’s yellow card for reaching over the ruck gave Bath the impetus to complete the comeback.

Ted Hill forced his way over with five minutes to go and Finn Russell’s conversion put the hosts in the lead for the first time.

Bath held on with the extra player to reach the semi-finals of the Champions Cup for the first time in 20 years and will face either top seeds and holders Bordeaux Begles or Toulouse, who face off this Sunday.

Not only are these two sides spearheading English interest in the Challenge Cup, but they are also in the top two in the Gallagher PREM table.

Northampton lead Bath by just one point and the two sides meet at Cinch Stadium on April 25, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Saints beat the reigning PREM Champions 41-21 back in December but Bath have not lost in the league since, and will be confident about gaining revenge.

Highlights: Freeman and Pollock flourish as Saints clinch shock win over Bath at The Rec

Video credit: TNT Sports

On the other hand, Saints have shown far from convincing league form of late, needing narrow wins to get past Newcastle Red Bulls and Saracens in their two matches since the return of the PREM.

Furthermore, they still have to play each of the other teams in the top five, but should have enough of a cushion to be assured of a play-off spot.

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