Exeter Chiefs secured the Gallagher PREM final after a major comeback in Bath
Exeter Chiefs reached the Gallagher PREM final after one of the most dramatic playoff matches of this season, defeating Bath Rugby 27:26 at The Rec stadium in Bath on Saturday, 13 June 2026. According to Bath Rugby's official match centre and the Exeter Chiefs report, the home team led 26:10 at half-time, but failed to score a single point after the break. Exeter scored 17 unanswered points after the interval, turned the match around and confirmed their place in the showpiece of English club rugby. In the closing stages, Bath had a long attack deep inside the opposition half, but the visitors' defence withstood the pressure and stopped the home players' final attempt. The victory is especially significant because Exeter entered the semi-final as the third-placed team from the regular season, while Bath, according to the table published on the club's official website, finished the league stage second and were defending the championship title.
Bath built a big lead in the first half
The match at the Recreation Ground began in a rhythm that suited Bath more. According to the official data from Bath's match centre, the hosts took advantage of Henry Slade's yellow card early in the contest and reached the first try through Ben Obano. Santi Carreras kicked the conversion, and the pressure from the home team continued through the scrum, where Bath had a clear physical advantage in the first half. Thomas du Toit added a second try, again with Carreras converting, as the hosts built a 14:3 lead. Exeter briefly reduced the deficit through a Harvey Skinner penalty, but during that period they struggled to find a stable exit from their own half.
According to the Exeter Chiefs report, the visitors' first real response came after a move by Christ Tshiunza, who broke through Bath's defence and brought the visitors their first try. Slade converted and reduced the score to 14:10, but that moment did not change the overall impression of the first half. Bath quickly replied through Joe Cokanasiga, after a move involving Tom de Glanville and Ollie Lawrence, and Carreras increased the home side's advantage with another conversion. Near the end of the first half, Ben Spencer found Henry Arundell with a precise kick across the width of the pitch, and Arundell grounded the ball in the in-goal area before going out of bounds. After four tries and three conversions, Bath went into the break leading 26:10, which, based on the course of the first 40 minutes, looked like the foundation for reaching the final.
A change in the scrum turned the dynamics of the match
The Exeter Chiefs comeback began immediately after the break, and the club's official report emphasises that a change in the front row of the scrum was crucial to shifting the balance of power. The introduction of Ethan Burger, Joseph Dweba and Bachuki Tchumbadze brought the visitors new energy in the area where Bath had been putting them under the greatest pressure until then. Exeter began winning scrum penalties, gaining better field position and forcing the hosts into defence instead of allowing them to continue the pressure from the first half. That change was reflected not only in possession and territory, but also in the psychological flow of the match. Bath, who had looked assured and direct in the first half, found it increasingly difficult to create structured attacks.
The first try after the break was scored by Ben Hammersley, and Slade's conversion reduced the deficit to 26:17. A few minutes later Exeter again exploited the growing uncertainty in the home defence, and Greg Fisilau found a way to the try line, bringing the visitors back to within only four points. According to the Sky Sports report, Exeter took control after the break and, with three unanswered tries, completely changed the picture of the match. Bath, meanwhile, remained scoreless throughout the entire second half, which in a match of this importance carried the same weight as Exeter's attacking efficiency. In such a rhythm, every mistake by the hosts became increasingly important, especially because the lead from the first half was disappearing minute by minute.
Burger's try brought a lead that Exeter defended until the end
The decisive moment came in the final quarter of the match. Joe Cokanasiga received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, and Exeter immediately turned the numerical advantage into renewed pressure close to Bath's line. After several phases and another entry deep into the home side's 22 metres, Ethan Burger broke over the line and scored the try with which the Chiefs led for the first time. Slade missed the conversion, so the lead remained minimal, 27:26, turning the last ten minutes or so into a tactical and mental contest under the greatest pressure. According to the official Exeter Chiefs report, the match was played in front of 14,509 spectators and was refereed by Christophe Ridley.
Bath had a chance to regain the lead in the closing stages, but they failed to turn a long attack into points. Exeter's report states that the home team built around 40 attacking phases in red time, while The Guardian particularly highlighted that Bath found neither a drop goal nor free space on the outside during that period. Instead, the hosts continued to attack close to the scrum and tried to force their way through the line. In the final action, the ball was held up over the line, and Exeter's defence withstood the final surge and waited for the final whistle. In a match that Bath had controlled for a long time, the visitors' defensive discipline, the change of rhythm after the break and their ability to punish a period of home indecision proved decisive.
Bath without Russell were left without solutions at key moments
One of the important contexts of the match was the absence of Finn Russell, the playmaker whose role in Bath's attack is especially important in moments when the closing stages need to be managed. Sky Sports stated in its report that Bath, even without Russell, managed to build a big lead in the first half, but his absence was felt in the final decisions. The Guardian also assessed that Bath lacked, in the final attack, the kind of solution that could have produced a drop-goal attempt or a quicker transfer of the ball toward the wide channels. Carreras was effective from the tee in the first half, but Bath did not create an equally clean scoring situation after the break. It was precisely the difference between early confidence and later restraint that marked the home defeat.
For Bath, the defeat is painful also because of the broader context of the season. According to Sky Sports, the club was seeking a third consecutive appearance in the final and the chance to defend the title, but after leading 26:10 at half-time, it failed to close out the match. Four tries in the first half showed how strong the team can be when it dominates contact and the scrum, but the second half raised questions about adaptation to the opponent's changes. Exeter, by bringing fresh players into the front row, stopped Bath's strongest weapon, and the hosts did not find an equally effective alternative. In the playoffs, where small changes in rhythm often decide an entire season, such a drop-off was too costly.
Exeter continued a special playoff tradition
For Exeter Chiefs, this victory has multiple meanings. According to the club report, the Chiefs continued their unbeaten run in playoff matches, although this time the weight of the achievement was greater because it came away from home. Sky Sports emphasised that Exeter reached the final for the first time since 2021, while The Guardian described the match as a rare away success in the English championship playoff. Rob Baxter's team in Bath did not merely overturn a 16-point deficit, but did so against the reigning champions and on a ground where the hosts had the advantage of atmosphere and scoreline. In sporting terms, it is a victory that changes the picture of Exeter's season and confirms that the team can cope with the hardest scenarios.
Rob Baxter, Exeter Chiefs' director of rugby, according to The Guardian's post-match report, highlighted the connection and resilience of his team as the decisive elements of the comeback. That assessment describes well the second half of the match, in which Exeter did not chase the result without structure, but gradually took control through the scrum, penalties, territory and patience in attack. Harvey Skinner, whom the official Exeter Chiefs report named player of the match, had an important role in controlling the rhythm, while Slade, Fisilau, Hammersley and Burger brought concrete change to the scoreboard through their actions. Particularly important was the defence in the final minutes, because just one mistake in discipline or contact height could have opened the way for Bath to a penalty or a try. It was precisely in that period that Exeter showed why the victory was more than an ordinary comeback on the scoreboard.
Final against Northampton at Allianz Stadium
Exeter will play in the final against Northampton Saints, who defeated Leicester Tigers in the other semi-final. According to Leicester Tigers' official announcement, Northampton won that match 45:31 at Franklin's Gardens, in a game that also brought a high tempo and a large number of points. This confirmed the final pairing of the Gallagher PREM for 2026, in which the first-placed and third-placed teams from the regular season will meet. According to the Premiership Rugby website and stadium information, the final is scheduled for 20 June 2026 at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. For Exeter, it will be an opportunity to turn the comeback from Bath into a title, while Northampton enter the finale from the position of the team that performed most successfully during the regular season.
The outcome in Bath further emphasised the unpredictability of the playoffs. Bath finished the regular season ahead of Exeter, and after the first half of the semi-final they also had a scoreline that looked convincing enough to control the match. Nevertheless, Exeter changed the logic of the contest through changes from the bench, better play in the scrum and exceptional final defence. Bath will remember the defeat for the lost lead and the closing stages in which they did not find the kick to win, while Exeter will take into the final the belief that they can survive even the hardest moments. Ahead of the final match of the season, precisely that resilience could be just as important as the tactical preparation for Northampton.
Scorers and key data
- Bath Rugby: tries by Beno Obano, Thomas du Toit, Joe Cokanasiga and Henry Arundell; conversions by Santi Carreras three times.
- Exeter Chiefs: tries by Christ Tshiunza, Ben Hammersley, Greg Fisilau and Ethan Burger; conversions by Henry Slade twice; penalty by Harvey Skinner.
- Half-time: Bath Rugby 26, Exeter Chiefs 10.
- Final score: Bath Rugby 26, Exeter Chiefs 27.
- Match venue: The Rec, Bath, England.
- Competition: Gallagher PREM, playoff semi-final.
Sources:
- Bath Rugby – official match centre for Bath Rugby 26:27 Exeter Chiefs, with the score, scorers and basic match data (link)
- Exeter Chiefs – official report and match flow for Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs, including half-time, key moments, referee and attendance (link)
- Sky Sports – report on Exeter Chiefs' 27:26 victory, the comeback after 26:10 and qualification for the final against Northampton (link)
- The Guardian – report from the Recreation Ground on the closing stages of the match, Bath's final attack and the context of Exeter's away success (link)
- Leicester Tigers – official report on the other semi-final, Northampton Saints 45:31 Leicester Tigers (link)
- Premiership Rugby – information on the 2026 Gallagher PREM final at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 20 June 2026 (link)