Spencer sparkles as Bath put Lyon to sword

BATH won their first major trophy for 17 years with the biggest margin of victory in a Challenge Cup Final since Colomiers beat Agen 43-5 back in 1998.

- By ROGER PANTING

Bath easily justified their pre-match tag of 1/6 favourites as the result was rarely in doubt with their maestro, Finn Russell, never required to produce any moments of magic as Bath picked up a regulation victory.

This was achieved despite Lyon scoring the power of the West Country pack, with its intensity being increased by the introduction of their formidable bench.

This allowed scrum-half and captain Ben Spencer to run the show.

His well-judged kicking and game management were to the fore but possibly his defining contribution was to consistently harangue referee, Hollie Davidson.

It has to be said that this wasn’t Davidson's best night as she seemed tentative and to be regularly changing her decisions, many of them brought to her attention by the constant attention of Spencer, with his Lyon counterpart nowhere to be seen.

Jubilant skipper Spencer said: “Tonight's performance was something that’s been building for a very long time. To see the hunger, to see the fight of this group was unbelievable.