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Henry Arundell settled this thrilling contest in Bath’s favour, crowning an individual performance that should make Steve Borthwick take notice with a second try to finally sink Saracens.
In a gripping match-up that could easily be repeated at Twickenham come June, Bath edged home thanks to their 23-year-old flyer, who was on hand to finish after Max Ojomoh’s telling break in the 76th minute. It was a statement win for Bath, founded on resilience and the power of their replacements, the visitors roaring back from 14-0 down to clinch victory.
Arundell’s performance was all the more eye-catching given he outshone Noah Caluori – another England hopeful and his direct opponent – and will give Borthwick food for thought after an autumn campaign in which he featured only fleetingly against Fiji.
Saracens, for their part, excelled for large parts. Owen Farrell looked back at home on his first appearance in the No 10 jersey since rejoining the club. Ben Earl, fresh from signing a new contract until 2029, continued his fine international form while Elliot Daly looked accomplished on his first club outing of the season. Ultimately, however, they paid the price for Tom Willis’s first-half injury and were given a painful reminder that while it used to be they who boasted the deepest squad, that accolade now firmly resides with Bath.
With Farrell pulling the strings from fly-half and Daly acting as a second playmaker from full-back, Saracens were in the early ascendancy. Much of it was as a result of Caluori’s aerial ability – Saracens kicked for the 19-year-old to chase four times inside the first eight minutes alone – and it paid immediate rewards. Max Malins, England’s forgotten winger, was the beneficiary, Saracens working the ball to the left for a comfortable finish.
A second reinforced Saracens’ early dominance, finished by Juan Martín González but owing everything to Earl’s delightful running line and Farrell’s ability to fizz a pass just where he wanted it. It was in the buildup that Willis suffered the injury that forced his premature exit just a few minutes later, however.
Saracens continued to seek out Caluori and, though there is a buzz of anticipation every time he sets off, they did so with limited impact. Indeed, this match goes down as part of the youngster’s learning curve. He will always keep defences interested but, to give him his due, Arundell stuck to the task manfully. Caluori gathered the restart after a Finn Russell penalty had got Bath on the scoreboard but Arundell picked off Ivan van Zyl’s pass near his own 22 to race away to the Saracens’ try line. Here were two England wing hopefuls each showcasing their very different x-factor attributes.
Arundell’s score gave Bath a foothold in the game and they might have taken the lead had Russell not inexplicably missed touch with a straightforward penalty before Malins had his second after a fierce burst up the middle from Theo Dan. A Farrell drop-goal, in front of his watching father, Andy, and brother Gabriel, cheered the StoneX crowd but Thomas du Toit’s try after a rumbling Bath driving maul ensured just a five-point deficit at the interval.
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The third quarter of the match belonged firmly to Bath. They battered away in the left-hand corner and while Saracens withstood the bludgeon, they succumbed to the blade when quick-thinking Ben Spencer put Will Butt over in the corner. And four minutes later they took the lead with the best try of the match, begun by Russell, finished by Arthur Green but owing everything to Josh Bayliss’s pace on the left and Arundell’s canny kick inside to Spencer.
Saracens levelled the scores again at 29-29 with González going over from close range and while both sides threatened to deliver the telling blow in a topsy-turvy finish, Ojomoh – a week after lighting up Twickenham on his home England debut – straightened and released Arundell for the decisive score.
