Bath Rugby player ratings from Newcastle Falcons win - 'Back with a bang'

Bath's quest for top four continued with an uninspiring but crucial bonus-point 28-17 win away at Newcastle Falcons on Friday night.

It was a bright first half with four tries from the visitors as, Thomas du Toit, Ben Spencer, Matt Gallagher and Joe Cokanasiga collected the scores. However, two maul tries from the hosts, both finished by hooker Jamie Blamire kept them in the game at the break.

Newcastle fought back in the second half but were only able to find a score from scrum-half Sam Stuart as Bath stuttered home to collect all five points.

Rugby reporter Sam Jess takes a closer look at the individual performances from the Bath players...

15 Matt Gallagher - 7

In his sixth consecutive start for Bath since the restart in March, Gallagher was once again his assured self at the back. A brilliant last gasp tackle on Ben Redshaw denied the Falcons a certain score. The full back has not always been known for his attacking work since arriving, but here, his link-up with Russell was excellent and at the heart of Bath's fourth try. First, a great line off the fly-half gave his side momentum, and then a great straight line from Gallagher gave the fullback a brilliant try.

14 Joe Cokanasiga - 7

Another player with lots of games under his belt, the winger, was in the mood to show his power, and after a few decent carries were stopped by the hosts, he then ramped it up, scoring a wonderful try. When receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Russell, the winger had four defenders chasing across, but they were no match for Cokanasiga as he bundled his way over for a well-taken score. The winger struggled though in his defence of Adam Radwan as he was skinned twice before halftime. The second half, like most for Bath, was far less pretty, and when he was stripped by Callum Chick, the visitor's best chance of the second half went begging. A fumble from a simple attacking platform showed the dip in his and Bath's game during the second half.

13 Ollie Lawrence - 7

The centre was right amongst the action with a great line almost straight from kick-off, a 50-22 moments later, and Lawrence was in the mood. However, despite his bright start, his game did not get much better with limited attacking moments.

12 Cameron Redpath - 6

Having recovered from his ankle injury, Redpath was back among it with a decent outing but was never able to show his full attacking self.

11 Will Muir - 6

Guisborough watched on with his boyhood rugby club in the stands but it was a rather quiet first half before a great surge from his own 5m line gave his many followers a cheer. Brutal efforts in defence.

10 Finn Russell - 8

Just one month on from what looked like a season-ending groin injury, and his attacking intent was shown instantly choosing to play the ball from kick-off, which set Bath on their way. It wasn't all pretty as a few moves went array, but when Bath had a lineout in the 22, his attacking flair showed as his delayed looping pass to set up Cokanasiga for the third try. The fly-half wasn't done yet, and after some interplay with Redpath, he set up Gallagher for the bonus-point try.

Four from four from the tee as well. Back with a bang.

9 Ben Spencer © - 7

With Russell again alongside, Spencer could show more of his attacking intent early on with some quick ball. His first major action, however, came from close range as a bouncing ball fell into his arms before he showed great awareness to snipe and score under the posts. A 50-22 then followed for the nine as his left boot pushed the hosts back into their own half.

1 Beno Obano - 4

The prop is in some form at the moment, but on Friday night, it wasn't to be. At the scrum, he was able to put Eduardo Bello under all sorts of pressure. However, the Falcon prop gained revenge, winning the next two penalties as Beno Obano was forced into a mistake. With another two penalties coming against the prop in the second half, Obano was hooked with 25 minutes to go.

2 Tom Dunn - 5

A man in the wars today. Dunn was involved in a lot of the defensive work, making hit after hit. A cut on his ear did nothing to stop him. But as the game wore on, his effectiveness dipped as the Newcastle pack gained dominance.

3 Thomas du Toit - 6

Back in the starting lineup, the tank was back in the thick of the action once again, giving his side the lead after just a few minutes with another close-range score for his 11th of the season. However, at scrum time, it was not his night as Newcastle won four penalties at the set piece while du Toit was on the field.

4 Quinn Roux - 6

It was a solid start for Roux, but a silly offside penalty on halfway gave the hosts their first major chance to attack in the 22. The lock made up for it with a great steal at the following lineout.

5 Charlie Ewels - 6

It was a strong outing for Ewels, but he failed to hit the standards he has set himself this season as he struggled to find any answers to Newcastle's attacking lineouts

6 Ted Hill - 7

The flanker was enjoying the dry conditions, making some neat breaks in the wide 5m channels, but it perhaps wasn't his best game in defence, with a few slipped attempts while also catching Brett Connon high. As the game wore on, Hill looked much more at it, providing some crucial lineout steals.

7 Sam Underhill - 7

The England back row has been a turnover machine since the restart, and that continued again tonight as he was able to once again become a menace at the breakdown with a couple of key steals. An intercept in the second half, and Underhill was showing all parts of his defensive game.

8 Alfie Barbeary - 7

A hefty carry from kick-off showed his power game, but once again, his catching skills were not always spot on as after Bath's third try, he dropped the kick-off, which cost his side dear. He made up for it in parts with some work at the breakdown, but with the game opening up, he struggled and was replaced by Bayliss on 50 minutes.

Replacements:

16 Niall Annett - 7

An all-areas action game for Annett even if referee Tom Foley did not reward him for his breakdown work

17 Juan Schoeman - 6

Added some needed power off the bench with the Falcons dominating the set-piece.

18 Will Stuart - 6

For his high standards, Stuart has arguably been not at his best this season, but off the bench, he showed some venom in some big carries

19 Jacques du Plessis - 6

Came on and added power to the defensive lineout but was unable to change the tide of momentum

20 Miles Reid - 7

Gave Bath more power and breakdown skill off the bench, but it took until five minutes to go for a replacement to find the turnovers, which included a crucial strip with Newcastle banging on the door

21 Louis Schreuder, N/A

22 Orlando Bailey, N/A

23 Josh Bayliss - 7

Bayliss entered the fray with the game opening up, and his first involvement was pouching a loose ball at the breakdown.