Montpellier defeat Bath at home in Champions Cup
Bath suffered a 32‑14 loss to Montpellier in their opening pool match of the Investec Champions Cup, adding to a tough weekend for English clubs in the competition. After Gloucester’s high‑scoring draw with defending champions Bordeaux on Friday, Bath joined Sale, Bristol and Saracens in defeat on Saturday, while Leicester, Exeter and Northampton are set to play on Sunday.
Bath had begun the season by scoring at least 33 points in each of their first three Premiership games, but they could not replicate that form at The Recreation Ground. The hosts saw a try ruled out in both halves, and a promising chance for Joe Cokanasiga was missed when he failed to secure a clean pass near the try line while Bath led 14‑10 early in the second half.
Montpellier’s Donovan Taofifenua turned the tide with a double in the second period, and Alex Becognee added a late try to secure the win. The French side posted 22 unanswered points after the break.
The match began with a Max Ojomoh try disallowed for a knock‑on after a run by former Scotland full‑back Stuart Hogg, who then scored the first points of the game for Montpellier. Bath responded through England centre Ollie Lawrence, who dived over in the corner, and number eight Arthur Green, who sidestepped a defender to give the hosts a brief lead.
Montpellier kept close, with Adam Hastings converting a penalty before half‑time. A missed opportunity by Cokanasiga proved costly when Taofifenua dived in the corner to put the visitors ahead 15‑14. Hastings added three more points from the tee, and after a solid defensive spell, Taofifenua intercepted a Finn Russell pass at midfield and ran away to score his second try.
A potential Bath try by Josh Bayliss was ruled out for an earlier infringement, and Becognee’s close‑range effort in the final minutes sealed the French side’s victory.
Bath’s remaining pool games will be against Cardiff, South African side the Bulls and Stade Français. The Bulls later that day beat Stade Français 56‑20, with Cheswill Jooste scoring a hat‑trick after opening the scoring inside 20 seconds.
**Line‑ups**
*Bath:* Carreras; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, C Griffin; Russell, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Jeanes, Ewels, Hill, Pepper, Green. Replacements: Frost, Kirk, A Griffin, Richards, Bayliss, Van der Linde, Redpath, Tuipulotu.
*Montpellier:* Hogg; Delibes, Anyanwu, Piccardo, Taofifenua; Hastings, Price; Wardi, Akrab, Hounkpatin, Van Heerden, Chalureau, Camara, Becognee, Nouchi (capt). Replacements: Riccitelli, Tabarot, Welsch, Beard, Duguid, Vunipola, Bezy, Echegaray.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy) with assistants Filippo Russo and Alberto Favaro (Italy) and TMO Matteo Liperini (Italy).