Bath go top with bonus-point win over Harlequins

Bath (8) 25

Tries: Cokanasiga 2, Stooke, Reid Con: Russell Pen: Russell

Harlequins (5) 17

Tries: Smith, Walker, Chisholm Con: Smith

Scotland stand-off Finn Russell edged out England counterpart Marcus Smith as Bath went top of the Premiership with a bonus-point win over Harlequins.

But Russell’s penalty edged Bath ahead at the break, aided by a man advantage from Danny Care’s yellow card.

Elliott Stooke, Cokanasiga and Miles Reid then added second-half scores to secure Bath their key fourth try.

That try bonus point in the swirling wind and rain at the Rec edged them above Sale to be top of the table at Christmas.

Jack Walker and James Chisholm scored second-half tries for Quins, but Smith hit the post with a last-minute conversion attempt that would have earned the visitors a losing bonus point.

Bath took the lead when Will Muir leapt high to tap back Ben Spencer’s lofted kick, Russell somehow found space on the right to release Ollie Lawrence and Cokanasiga was on his shoulder to steam through Tyrone Green’s attempted tackle.

After Russell’s conversion attempt went wide, Smith then danced through the home defence to score at the other end, although he hooked his kick against a post.

Max Ojomoh then went over on the left seven minutes before the break but referee Luke Pearce brought play back, yellow-carded Care for falling on the tackled player and awarded a penalty which Russell kicked.

Bath made their man advantage count at the start of the second half with a catch-and-drive try by lock forward Stooke.

It went unconverted but, despite Care’s return to the field, the hosts moved 20-5 ahead when Cokanasiga steamrollered over Smith’s attempted tackle. allowing Russell to land his first conversion of the game.

Smith’s penalty to the corner led to a catch-and-drive try for Bath old boy Walker, Smith converting to make it 20-12.

But Bath regained the upper hand and, after his attempted drop-goal hit the post, Russell’s inch-perfect tactical kick then set up a line-out in the corner, from which Reid’s try stretched his side’s lead to 25-12 with six minutes left.

Chisholm’s last-minute score came too late to count, when Smith again hooked his conversion attempt against the post.

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Muir; Russell, Spencer; Obano, Annett, du Toit, Stooke, Ewels, van Velze, Reid, Barbeary.

Replacements: Dunn, Schoeman, Stuart, Roux, Coetzee, Schreuder, Bailey, Redpath.

Harlequins: T Green; David, Joseph, Esterhuizen, Lynagh; Smith, Care; Marler, Walker, Collier, Launchbury, Lewies, Cunningham-South, Chisholm, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Riley, Baxter, Lewis, Herbst, Hammond, W Evans, Porter, Beard.

Sin-bin: Care (33)

Referee: Luke Pearce.