Bath 47-14 Glasgow Warriors

A second-half blitz from Bath saw Glasgow Warriors fall to a 47-14 defeat at The Rec this afternoon, yet a youthful squad will leave the south-west of England with positives aplenty after their opening pre-season hit-out.

An energetic opening saw both sides searching for the early opening, on a perfect afternoon for running rugby. It was the hosts who would strike first, Harvey Cuckson making the final carry to get over the whitewash after swift phases within the Glasgow 22. Ciaran Donohue converted, and Bath had a 7-0 lead.

Franco Smith’s side immediately went in search of a response, with Jack Oliver and Matthew Urwin dictating play in the midfield. A slick combination between Urwin and Kerr Yule sent Ben Salmon racing into the Bath 22, forcing the hosts to concede a five-metre lineout. A clean take by Jare Oguntibeju set up a maul that was too powerful for the home side to stop legally, referee Adam Leal awarding a penalty try and dispatching Will Jeanes to the sin bin.

The game was increasingly being played between the 22s, with both sides stretching the opportunity at every opportunity. Once more it was Bath who would be next to take advantage, Thompson Cowan piling over on a secondary drive after a valiant defensive effort from Urwin and Yule to deny Arthur Green. The conversion from Donohue made it 14-7, a scoreline that would remain unchanged until the interval.

With a raft of changes to both teams at the break, it was Bath who claimed the upper hand the fastest after the restart. Swift handling from Donohue and Tom de Glanville released Henry Arundell out wide, the England winger riding the challenge of Cameron van Wyk to dive over in the corner. A successful conversion from the touchline made it 21-7, to the delight of the home support.

More was to come from Bath just moments later. A short-range lineout gave the home side front-foot ball, with the winger finding himself at the tail of the maul to splinter off and dive over. Donohue was on target once more, stretching his side’s lead to 28-7 with half an hour remaining.

A third intervention from Arundell was to follow almost immediately from the restart, as Bath made it three tries in 10 minutes. A kick ahead from Donohue ricocheted off the back of Sam Talakai and back into Bath hands, with the ball quickly whipped out to Arundell on the wing. Fergus Watson was able to get across and deny the winger, but was powerless to stop the offload inside to Will Butt, who beat the last defender to race over from 25 metres. Donohue’s conversion made it 35-7, as more changes took to the field.

Undeterred by the quickfire scores, the young Warriors continued to set about getting stuck into their opponents. Dylan Cockburn and Seb Stephen were both in the thick of the action off the bench, with Watson and van Wyk keen to get involved from the back-field at every opportunity.

The next try would belong to those in Glasgow black, and it was arguably the pick of the scores on the banks of the Avon. From first phase ball off a lineout, Dan Lancaster would send Angus Fraser charging through a gap on halfway, who in turn fed the supporting Brent Jackson. The academy prospect showed all of his pace and footwork to outwit the covering defender, diving over for a try that – converted by Lancaster – narrowed the deficit in style.

Two further tries were to follow in the final 10 minutes, both coming from the hands of the hosts. The first arrived with eight minutes to play, as Quinn Roux finished off a two-on-one, before Tom Carr-Smith dived over in the corner with less than a minute to play after repeat phases inside the Glasgow 22. Donohue’s conversion of the latter score made it 47-14, with the full-time whistle blowing shortly after to bring the curtain down on an entertaining affair.

A performance with plenty of positives in spite of the scoreline to open pre-season – the Warriors now return to Scotstoun on Friday, as Northampton Saints provide the test in The Famous Grouse Pre-Season Friendly.

Be there as we return to Scotstoun 👊

Grab your tickets for The Famous Grouse Friendly today! https://t.co/IRYon7RPTR #WhateverItTakes ⚔️🛡️ pic.twitter.com/kxtFB4yZz9

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) September 3, 2025