South African lock Quinn Roux was a standout on defence for Bath in a high-scoring Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against the Northampton Saints.
Northampton are one of the most attack-minded teams in the competition, but came up just short against Bath in an epic clash on Friday night.
Bath won an 11-try thriller 43-41 with a late try by replacement flank Ted Hill.
However, the hosts had to dig deep defensively as Saints threatened to run away with the game in the first half at The Rec.
Saints stormed out of the blocks and led 28-7 after just 21 minutes and then 35-14 after 30.
However, Bath stayed in the fight, managing to close the gap to nine points at half-time.
The Northampton attack threatened again in the second half but could not produce another try.
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In the Champions Cup pool stage, Northampton ranked fifth for points scored (205), third for tries (30), fifth for carries (638), first for metres made (2,800), fifth for clean breaks (64) and third for passes (715).
On Friday night, Bath shaded possession by 52% to 48%. Other key metrics such as passes (120 to 116), kicks (19 to 21) and carries (120 to 114) were also more or less even.
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However, Northampton had a clear edge in attack with 12 linebreaks to eight and 468m gained compared to 381 for the hosts.
Both sides had high tackle success rates, with Bath making 112 of 137 tackles (82%), compared to 116 from 144 (81%) for Northampton in a game played at a frenetic pace, particularly in the first half.
ALL STATS: Bath vs Northampton Saints
Roux, who was substituted in the 47th minute, was tied second on 11 tackles made with teammates Guy Pepper, Charlie Ewels and Billy Sela. Hooker Tom Dunn topped Bath’s tackle count with 13 in his 51-minute stint.
While Northampton also boasted impressive individual tackle counts, with Craig Wright (15) and Henry Pollock (13) leading the way, they could not stop Bath from staging a late surge.
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Johann van Graan’s side now awaits the winner of the clash between defending champions Bordeaux Bègles and six-time winners Toulouse.
Photo: Bryan Keane/INPHO
The post Quinn stars in Bath defensive effort appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
