From iffy to conclusive, Bath pushed through a difficult half hour to deliver an unmistakable statement. After dispatching Castres with six tries, marrying muscle and panache, they should be confident of delving deep into the Champions Cup.
From iffy to conclusive, Bath pushed through a difficult half hour to deliver an unmistakable statement. After dispatching Castres with six tries, marrying muscle and panache, they should be confident of delving deep into the Champions Cup.
At the end, Stade Pierre-Fabre fell silent. With a bonus-point victory in the bag, Bath had climbed to the top of the pool. Hosting Edinburgh next Friday, they are in a strong position to book themselves two knockout rounds at the Rec.
Alfie Barbeary and Ted Hill were outstanding in the back row as Vilikesa Sela, the 20-year-old tighthead with admirers in the England set-up, produced his best display at senior level. Though it was ultimately comfortable, thanks to late finishes from Will Muir and Tom Carr-Smith, this game resembled a problem-solving exercise.
Johann van Graan declared himself “delighted” afterwards, saluting “cohesiveness” as the decisive factor. “We stuck to the plan when we played into the wind in the second half and defended our line really well, only conceding two tries. Getting that bonus point is massive.”
🛁 @BathRugby's Johann van Graan speaks after a bonus point win over Castres
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 9, 2026
"Delighted with that. A real team effort." 🗣️#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/pn4vFkY4el
Bath have been unconvincing of late, losing to Toulon and Northampton Saints before suffering an almighty scare against Exeter Chiefs last weekend. Having lost Will Stuart to a long-term Achilles injury, they are also adapting to life without the inimitable Lee Blackett as their attack coach.
Here, at a ground with a fearsome reputation in tricky weather conditions, Van Graan’s side could hardly have devised a less auspicious start. They coughed up possession easily and were outmuscled at the maul, Teddy Durand scoring for the hosts.
Cam Repdath responded almost immediately, cutting an angle off Ben Spencer’s shoulder, but Beno Obano was sent to the sin-bin for a spinning clear-out at the ruck. Put frankly, Bath seemed intent on beating themselves. Spencer was charged down at the base of a breakdown, leading to a try for Nathanaël Hulleu.
Cameron Redpath delivers the @BathRugby response! 🛁
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 9, 2026
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Muir then made it a second yellow card, squandering good field position in the process. The rangy wing leapt to challenge for a Finn Russell cross-kick and dragged down Theo Chabouni, the Castres full-back. Amid handling errors and general clunkiness, Bath’s scrum was at least solid. Sela had the better of Quentin Walcker in those exchanges as Ross Molony gradually fixed a line-out that had been pressurised by Guillaume Ducat.
From one penalty earned by Sela, Bath struck. Barbeary burst the Castres line and Sela was one of several forwards to pick and go. Hill was slightly wider, and linked with Spencer to level matters. Now it was Castres conceding needless penalties and Bath rediscovered their close-range efficiency with Miles Reid another of their combative runners. A trademark maul allowed Tom Dunn to dot down and Durand became the third player to be sent to the sin-bin.
Tom Dunn goes over to give @BathRugby the lead approaching half time! 🛁
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Add in a Castres yellow card and that could prove to be a big moment for Johann van Graan's team 👀#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/kH6MP9D90B
Even if Castres cut the half-time deficit to 21-17 through the unerring boot of Jérémy Fernandez, Bath could be heartened that they were in front despite a slew of mistakes. The second period was far more convincing, with Obano’s try arriving six minutes after the resumption. Hill feigned to dart right from the foot of a breakdown and switched with Barbeary, who launched Obano. Cute yet uncompromising, this was far better.
A typically influential Bath bench featured centre Will Butt, who burrowed in for a crucial turnover after Fernandez and Russell had traded penalties. Muir benefited from another link-up between Barbeary and Hill, which allowed Max Ojomoh to escape and offload inside.
A fantastic team try from @BathRugby and that should seal the win! 🛁
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 9, 2026
Will Muir applies the finishing touch 👏#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/7mDJZM7kRe
Ducat clattered Kepu Tuipulotu to earn himself the fourth and final yellow card of the evening. Then Butt’s break, outside an axis of Russell and Santiago Carreras that is becoming more familiar with every outing, laid on the last Bath try for Tom Carr-Smith. The Prem champions had moved through the gears, demonstrating flashes of genuine quality. All this without Sam Underhill and Ollie Lawrence. Their depth is a major reason why they are capable of competing for this trophy.
“The second half has been a bit of an issue for us, that discipline,” Russell explained at full time. “We’re really happy with that today. When we had chances, we took them. We could have scored a couple more, but to be able to turn it on when we had to was good.”
Marked improvement with glimpses of how they can be even better; Bath will be more than satisfied with this cathartic French excursion.
Match details
Scoring 5-0 Durand try, 7-0 Fernandez conversion, 7-5 Redpath try, 7-7 Russell conversion, 12-7 Hulleu try, 14-7 Fernandez conversion, 14-12 Hill try, 14-14 Russell conversion, 14-19 Dunn try, 14-21 Russell conversion, 17-21 Fernandez penalty, 17-26 Obano try, 20-26 Fernandez penalty, 20-29 Russell penalty, 20-34 Muir try, 20-36 Russell conversion, 20-41 Carr-Smith try, 20-43 Russell conversion
Castres Olympique: T Chabouni; C Ambadiang, V Karawalevu, J Goodhue, N Hulleu (G Palis, 64); P Popelin (E Herve, 72), J Fernandez (G Doubere, 72); Q Walcker (A Sokobale, 61), T Durand (L Zarantonello, 67), W Collier (N Corato, 46), G Ducat, F Vanverberghe (S Meka, 66), B Delaporte, B Cope (L Zarantonello 42-46), T Ardron (T Staniforth, 52). Sin-bin Durand, Ducat.
Bath S Carreras;H Arundell, M Ojomoh, C Redpath (W Butt, 66), W Muir (J Cokanasiga, 72); F Russell, B Spencer (T Carr-Smith, 75); B Obano (F van Wyk, 66), T Dunn (K Tuipulotu, 72), V Sela (T du Toit, 54), Q Roux (J Bayliss, 66), R Molony, T Hill, M Reid (G Pepper, 54), A Barbeary (F van Wyk 13-22). Sin-bin Obano, Muir.
Referee E Cross (Ireland).
Full-time | Castres 20 Bath 43
That is that. Castres blow a chance at the end and Johann van Graan looks pleased on the touchline. Maximum points for Bath, who top pool 2. They will stay there all weekend as well, with a home game againat Edinburgh to round off the pool stage.
Try, Tom Carr-Smith! Castres 20 Bath 41
Bath have solved problems and found fluency. This is a lovely try. Butt, who has been excellent since coming on, bursts through and then turns to send Carr-Smith under the posts.
76 mins: Castres 20 Bath 36
Dogged stuff from Castres. They hold the ball up over the line.
Yellow card, Guillaume Ducat!
We are looking at some potential foul play. Ducat fired into a breakdown and smashed Kepu Tuipulotu.
It’s ruled as a shoulder charge to the body and Castres are going to finish this one with 14. They might concede 40 as well. Russell dinks to the corner.
75 mins: Castres 20 Bath 36
Oooh. Carreras cuts an angle off the shoulder of Russell but spills.
74 mins: Castres 20 Bath 36
Scrum free-kick to Bath. They go high and Cokanasiga recovers possession.
Try, Will Muir! Castres 20 Bath 36
Barbeary and Hill have been excellent in this game and those two combine for what will be the killer try, you would think.
Barbeary brushes off a tackle and feeds Hill after Bath move back to the blindside. Hill releases Ojomoh, who accelerates and then hooks a pass back inside to Muir.
Russell’s conversion is good and Bath, at long last, have breathing space.
70 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Ten minutes remain now. Kepu Tuipulotu and Joe Cokanasiga are ready to come on.
69 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Scrum penalty to Bath again. That has been an influential area for them tonight.
67 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Important intervention from Will Butt. The centre, who has just come on, pounces to win a breakdown penalty.
66 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Clumsy from Thomas du Toit. He clatters Fernandez from an offside position at the base of a ruck.
65 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Christian Ambadiang is frustrated with Carreras after a coming-together between the players. However, the Castres wing only concedes a penalty.
64 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Edgy moment for Bath as Carreras spills a high ball close to his own line. Russell is there to clean up, but his own kick only floats up to the 22 and Bath must absorb more pressure.
63 mins: Castres 20 Bath 29
Atunaisa Sokobale, a mountain of a loosehead prop, is on for Castres.
Penalty, Finn Russell! Castres 20 Bath 29
Easy kick for Russell. The gap is wider than a score again.
61 mins: Castres 20 Bath 26
Conflab between a few Bath leaders. Eventually, it is decided that the visitors will aim to add three.
59 mins: Castres 20 Bath 26
On the verge of the last quarter now as Santi Carreras smacks a clearance into touch.
Ted Hill steals the line-out and Barbeary goes on a rumble. Bath maybe just finding a bit of rhythm. They have a penalty advantage for a high tackle on Pepper, I think.
57 mins: Castres 20 Bath 26
Alfie Barbeary with another break, this time from the base of a ruck as Spencer was lining up a box-kick.
Bath spread it to their left but Muir’s offload back inside is spilled by Spencer and travelled forward anyway.
Penalty. Jeremy Fernandez! Castres 20 Bath 26
Castres are still in touch.
54 mins: Castres 17 Bath 26
Vuate Karawalevu bursts off in pursuit of a chip from Pierre Popelin but cannot quite haul in the ball.
Thomas du Toit replaces Sela, who has had perhaps his best game at senior level. Guy Pepper also replaces Reid.
Castres are given a scrum penalty and will look to add three points.
53 mins: Castres 17 Bath 26
A rare sighting of Henry Arundell on the ball. He scampers across his own 22 before losing his footing.
51 mins: Castres 17 Bath 26
Scrum free-kick to Bath now. They will clear out of their own 22 via Spencer.
50 mins: Castres 17 Bath 26
This is slowly turning into a cathartic game for Bath. They have just bullied the Castres maul, winning a turnover. Sela was right in the thick of that.
49 mins: Castres 17 Bath 26
Barbeary is unlucky there. He makes a strong, upright tackle with Redpath and rips the ball away, but Cross had called for a tackle rather than a maul just beforehand. Penalty to Castres.
Try, Beno Obano! Castres 17 Bath 26
Decisive from Bath. They tap again and Barbeary hits the blindside to launch Obano over the whitewash. Russell’s conversion attempt hits the post. It’s a bonus point nevertheless, and that is huge.
46 mins: Castres 17 Bath 21
Eoghan Cross is losing patience. Castres think they have a turnover after a Barbeary carry, but the tackler had not rolled away. Another penalty, and a talking to for Castres.
45 mins: Castres 17 Bath 21
Bath move the ball from coast to coast and win a breakdown penalty. They may have been slightly fortunate there, because the attack was pretty ragged. Either way, they are in the corner again.
44 mins: Castres 17 Bath 21
Carries from Barbeary and Hill precede a cute grubber from Russell. Castres look to have cleaned it up but Spencer is through to pressure Fernandez, his opposite man, and there is a knock-on.
43 mins: Castres 17 Bath 21
Vilikesa Sela is giving Quentin Walcker a torrid time. The latter has conceded another penalty.
42 mins: Castres 17 Bath 21
Forward pass from Castres in the back-field. Scrum put-in to Bath close to halfway.
Second half
We are underway again in Castres, with the hosts in posession inside the Bath half.
Meanwhile in Edinburgh...
Gloucester are leading 18-5.
Another try for @gloucesterrugby just before the half-time break! 🍒
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 9, 2026
Charlie Atkinson touches down for the visiting side and extends their lead 👏#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/SlC8OmPqSO
Half-time | Castres 17 Bath 21
A suitably manic passage before half-time ends with one of the Castres forwards booting the ball out.
Bath, in all honesty, have been bad. For much of the opening half hour, they looked intent on beating themselves and suffered two yellow cards. But they are ahead, and will have about five minutes against 14 to open the second period.
Penalty, Jeremy Fernandez! Castres 17 Bath 21
Fernandez cuts the deficit. Bath should be annoyed with that. There is time before the break to take the restart.
38 mins: Castres 14 Bath 21
Bath are under pressure here, having conceded a couple of penalties themselves. They do not seem keen to make this easy for themselves.
Try, Tom Dunn! Yellow card, Teddy Durand! Castres 14 Bath 21
The Bath maul has enough to edge over. Molony has done well to fix this set piece. It was his take from the initial line-out.
Russell adds the extras from wide on the Bath right and referee Cross brandishes a yellow card at Durand. How momentum has swung.
Tom Dunn goes over to give @BathRugby the lead approaching half time! 🛁
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Add in a Castres yellow card and that could prove to be a big moment for Johann van Graan's team 👀#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/kH6MP9D90B
34 mins: Castres 14 Bath 14
Reid peels around a throw to Hill at the tail and carries strongly. Cope is over the ball, but illegally - there wasn’t enough of a release and the tackler had not rolled. Bath go to the corner again.
33 mins: Castres 14 Bath 14
Now it is Castres committing the brain fades. They creep offside as Spencer goes to clear and, all of a sudden, Bath are in the opposition 22 again.
Try, Ted Hill! Castres 14 Bath 14
Down to 14, Bath are back level. Barbeary surges through the defensive line and Sela is one of several forwards to pick and shunt at the whitewash. Spencer goes one wider and Hill can spear over.
Cross checks the grounding, which is good, and Russell converts. The Scotland fly-half took his time with the kick to ensure that Muir would be able to return from the sin bin. Smart.
30 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Impressive stuff from young Vilikesa Sela on the Bath tighthead. He earns a scrum penalty and Bath go to the corner. Redpath carries in midfield..
26 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Ross Molony is taking charge of the Bath line-out but there’s another error a phase or so later as Dunn passes off the floor to an unsuspecting Hill. This has been really, really poor from Bath so far.
25 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Christian Ambadiang has a run down the Castres right but Miles Reid retreats to win a breakdown penalty.
24 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Excellent clearance from Fernandez. He has started brilliantly.
23 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Good moments for Bath in the aerial game. Carreras claims a high ball before Arundell wins back a Spencer box-kick. The ball is worked to Russell, who skips the ball into touch inside the opposition 22.
Yellow card, Will Muir! Castres 14 Bath 7
More needless stuff from Bath. They eke out a penalty advantage with their maul but that is wiped up when Muir chases a cross-kick and drags down Theo Chabouni, the Castres full-back.
Beno Obano comes back, but only to restore Bath to 14. They remain a man down.
19 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Better line-out from Bath as Molony gathers. Max Ojomoh gets a floated pass from Spencer but does very well in traffic and Castres concede a penalty. Spencer nudges into the corner.
18 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Just three minutes left on the Obano yellow card but that is a big moment. Will Collier is penalised for stepping left. Collier doesn’t look sure.
17 mins: Castres 14 Bath 7
Guillaume Ducat gets up to steal a line-out and Arundell spills a box-kick from Fernandez. Bath are getting squeezed here, and they need to find a foothold quickly.
Try, Nathanael Hulleu! Castres 14 Bath 7
Poor from Bath, again. Ben Spencer is charged down at the base of the ruck by Tyler Ardron following a strong carry from Miles Reid. Will Collier has a trundle before Nathanael Hulleu escapes.
Jeremy Fernandez bisects the posts once more.
13 mins: Castres 7 Bath 7
Big maul defence from Bath forces the turnover. Mile Reid, Hill and Alfie Barbeary were all in the thick of that.
Francois van Wyk is on for Barbeary for the scrum.
Yellow card, Beno Obano!
More trouble for Bath. They have conceded a penalty from the retart, with Ted Hill rolling on the floor, and referee Cross wants to look at a croc roll from Beno Obano. It is going to be a yellow card. Delaporte was the jackaller.
Try, Cam Redpath! Castres 7 Bath 7
That is an important response. Bath should have scored through their backline, with Russell wrapping Santiago Carreras, but had a penalty to come back to.
Tom Dunn taps the penalty and Redpath cuts an angle off the shoulder of Spencer. Russell converts and we are level.
Cameron Redpath delivers the @BathRugby response! 🛁
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It's been a lively start to this game 🔥#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/lwxjNDHOe8
9 mins: Castres 7 Bath 0
Promising for Bath. They force a penalty with their attack and go to the corner...
8 mins: Castres 7 Bath 0
Bath have a foothold, in the shape of a scrum inside Castres territory, after a trademark chase from Will Muir forces a fumble.
Try, Teddy Durand! Castres 7 Bath 0
Well that is comprehensive. Teddy Durand finds Guillaume Ducat and the maul is set quickly and tidily. When the power comes on, Bath have no answer.
The conversion, from Fernandez, is good. Horrible start for Bath, an impeccable from the hosts.
3 mins: Castres 0 Bath 0
Fernandez catches Bath asleep and scurries down the short side. Miles Reid creeps offside, so Castres are playing under advantage. Nothing doing, back for the penalty. Castres go to the corner...
2 mins: Castres 0 Bath 0
Jack Goodhue carries in midfield from the line-out and Castres bounce back to the short side. Bath hold firm until Castres go to the air. Russell spills, so it’ll be a put in for the hosts between the 22 and the 10-metre line.
I don’t think the rain is actually too bad out there. The wind might be tricky.
1 minute: Castres 0 Bath 0
Tom Dunn finds Ross Molony and Bath’s maul earns a bit of momentum before collapsing and Baptiste Delaporte pounces to force a penalty.
Kick-off
After a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the tragic fire in Crans-Montana, Finn Russell starts us off. Henry Arundell challenges in the air but Castres gather and Jeremy Fernandez clears to touch.
Man in the middle
Eoghan Cross of Ireland is looking after this one.
Lawrence and Underhill
It seems these two were, in fact, injured during the Exeter game.
Players heading out
Here we go.
Less than 10 minutes to go
We’re in for a slippery slugfest, it seems. Bath were outstanding in the wet against Munster. They will be keen for a repeat of that performance, which was founded on smart kicking and set-piece muscle.
Castres defence coach Steven Setephano
“They’re a team that’s really precise in what they do. The focus is on us, looking after our own back yard.
“Under these conditions, it’s really important that we start well and our forwards impose themselves, and also that we pressure [Ben] Spencer and [Finn] Russell.”
Max Ojomoh at 13
This is an interesting little wrinkle. Ojomoh is comfortable in either midfield position. It’ll be fascinating to see how he and Cam Redpath combine.
Johan van Graan’s preview
“It’s the south of France. You don’t just rock up here and get points. We’ve got to earn it tonight.
“They have a very proud home record. They have a strong set piece and they’re lethal on the counter. They can punish you.
“It’s very wet and very windy. Penalties will play a big part in the middle of the week. From a set-piece point of view, it’s a big battle.”
Around the grounds
Our game tonight is an intriguing one, but there are a few crackers this weekend.
It is probably fair to say that Northampton Saints’ visit to Bordeaux, for a re-run of last season’s final, is the tie of the round. Then another past decider, as La Rochelle visit Leinster, is huge.
Leinster have Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong and Rabah Slimani all out injured. La Rochelle, meanwhile, have loaded Uini Atonio and Will Skelton into their starting side. Ronan O’Gara would love nothing more than to disrupt Leinster’s season.
Glasgow Warriors can continue their bid for a pool-stage clean sweep in Clermont and there is a Sharks derby up in Sale.
Finally, a Toulouse trip to Saracens pits the Willis brothers, Tom and Jack, against one another. Toulouse lost to Glasgow last time out, and will be itching to win to avoid a tough knockout run. Saracens, meanwhile, were extremely disappointing in a Prem defeat by Leicester Tigers. Who will blink first?
Administration stations
Dom McKay, the EPCR chief executive, has been chatting to Premier Sports and says that smaller squads are mitigating teams rotating their line-ups. Bilbao in late May for the final does seem a long way away weather wise.
"The first couple of rounds have just been box office" 🗣️
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 9, 2026
EPCR Chief Executive Dominic McKay on the opening two matchdays in the #InvestecChampionsCup and #ChallengeCupRugby this season, and what makes the competitions so special 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pkIDI7dLLP
Stage set
Checking in at the Stade Pierre-Fabre! 🇫🇷
— Bath Rugby (@BathRugby) January 9, 2026
What a place! 😍 pic.twitter.com/22C6FmV9Jy
Last time out
Castres pumped a rotated Edinburgh 33-0. Here are some highlights. They possess power and dynamism and will have their moments tonight, one suspects.
Less than 45 minutes until kick-off
Let’s have some predictions in the comments section if you are keeping me company...
Bath are eight-point favourites with the bookies, it seems.
Top 14 form book
Castres are sitting 10th on the Top 14 ladder after 14 rounds, having won seven and lost seven of their league games this season.
They lost 33-15 to Stade Français in Paris last time out. Like most French clubs, they pride themselves on home form. Pau and Union Bordeaux-Bègles have won here this season, though.
Bath have hit a slightly unconvincing patch, headlined by a 41-21 loss to Northampton Saints, yet will back themselves tonight.
England men missing
Sam Underhill and Ollie Lawrence are conspicuous by their absence from that Bath line-up, as strong as Van Graan’s squad is. They have been said to have picked up knocks.
After the 33-26 win over Exeter on Saturday, Van Graan explained how this would be a slightly compromised week for Bath because of England’s alignment camp at the start of the week. That might be a reason that Guy Pepper is only on the bench. Hopefully Underhill and Lawrence were not injured on England time...
Good evening
Hello everyone and welcome to our coverage of Bath’s visit to Castres on what is an extremely important night for their Champions Cup prospects. After thrashing Munster in round one back in December, they were overpowered in Toulon and now need to win their remaining two group matches to stand a chance of topping pool 2.
Last season, Johann van Graan’s charges lost three out of four fixtures at this stage. That sent them across to the Challenge Cup, which they promptly won as part of a treble. Surely, though, they want a crack at the elite competition this term.
Working in their favour is the fact that every team in pool 2 – Bath, Castres, Munster, Toulon, Gloucester and Edinburgh – has one victory and one defeat after their opening two matches. Remember that topping the group is handy for seeding and assures home knockout games.
The weather forecast is for gusty winds and showers at Stade Pierre-Fabre. Here are the teams. Will Collier starts at tighthead prop for the hosts, who also have All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue in their backline. The latter has been in France since the last World Cup.
Castres Olympique: T Chabouni; C Ambadiang, V Karawalevu, J Goodhue, N Hulleu; P Popelin, J Fernandez; Q Walcker, T Durand-Pradere, W Collier, G Ducat, F Vanverberghe, B Delaporte, B Cope, T Ardron
Replacements: L Zarantonello, A Sokobale, N Corato, T Staniforth, S Meka, G Doubrere, E Herve, G Palis
Van Graan, interestingly, has diverted away from a six-two bench split. Tom Carr-Smith, Will Butt and Joe Cokansiga are covering the backline. Bath do not have their customary bomb squad for this mission.
Bath: S Carreras; H Arundell, M Ojomoh, C Redpath, W Muir; F Russell, B Spencer; B Obano, T Dunn, V Sela, Q Roux, R Molony, T Hill, M Reid, A Barbeary
Replacements: K Tuipulotu, F van Wyk, T du Toit, J Bayliss, G Pepper, T Carr-Smith, W Butt, J Cokanasiga
Category: General Sports