The Sunday TimesThe secondary competition in Europe has not always been marked by epic matches and epic occasions Bath are way ahead at the top of the Premiership and now they are in the European Challenge Cup final and so could end the season with silverware But they had to work like crazy on the back pitch at Murrayfield had something of a coming of age because it was packed sometimes hysterically loud and supportive and when Edinburgh led early in the second half and held out quite magnificently against wave after wave of Bath attacks in the third quarter there was even the chance of a rampaging upset Bath and Lyon will contest the 2024/25 Challenge Cup final at the Principality Stadium after the pair beat Edinburgh and Racing 92 respectively in their semi-finals The West Country outfit outmuscled their Scottish opponents at Hive Stadium on Saturday to book the first spot in the final Scores from Sam Underhill, Tom Dunn (2), Alfie Barbeary, Niall Annett and Guy Pepper as well as nine points from the boot of Finn Russell saw Bath to an away win Mosese Tuipulotu and Ali Price would cross for Edinburgh in a disappointing effort from the United Rugby Championship outfit after recent solid outings in that league Bath were worthy winners of the fixture and are enjoying a wonderful season to date having already won the Premiership Rugby Cup and sit atop the Premiership table Edinburgh v Bath: Five takeaways as Finn Russell ‘rubber-stamps’ his Lions selection while Bomb Squad does its job Therefore they are on track for a possible treble trophy haul in 2024/25 under Johann van Graan but there are still a few obstacles to bypass for Bath’s head of rugby their opponents in the May 23 final in Cardiff will be Lyon after they overcame Racing 92 29-15 in the second semi which took place in Lyon on Sunday Tries from Vincent Rattez and Beka Saginadze were added to by 19 points off the tee from Leo Berdeu who kicked two conversions and five penalties in the victory The Challenge Cup final will kick off at 20:00 BST on that Friday with the match officials to be confirmed by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) at a later date The Sharks won last year’s Challenge Cup after beating Gloucester 36-22 in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so there will be fresh hands on the trophy in 2025 READ MORE: Bath player ratings: Scotland star helps Bath progress to Challenge Cup final Bath became popular as a spa town thanks to hot springs(Image: Getty Images)Ruby Granger When she is not writing she shares vlogs and videos about books and history on her YouTube channel including “I tried eating like a Victorian child” Ruby had only been to Bath once before but recently she “had a few days” off so decided to take a trip back She described it as a “wonderful Georgian city filled with the most beautiful buildings Her video - titled “I went to Bath… and it felt like an Austen novel” - starts off by her travelling on an open-top bus to her hotel, the luxury 5-star Bath Priory hotel, which starts at £195 a night. The 25-year-old grinned at the camera saying: “The whole of this hotel is just steeped in history and character.” Taking a spanning shot of marble busts, warm coloured sofas and walls full of oil painting, she says: ‘’I'm in the drawing room and its so beautifully decorated.” Early morning mist and low cloud creates patches of light, as the sun begins to shine through, over the Royal Crescent in the city of Bath(Image: PA)Ruby also visited Royal Victoria park. Bordered by blossom trees Ruby tells her vlog: “Spring is the season of Jane Austen. Like Spring is the season, the regency period of the Georgians. She added: “Spring was definitely the best season to visit Bath. There were just so many green spaces so many gardens, so many flower beds- that Bath seemed to come alive.” For Ruby, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and preserved golden-coloured Bath stone was one of her biggest takeaways. She said: “I felt like every corner you turned round there was something new - there was a wonderful Georgian building just waiting there for you.” The Youtuber also took a day trip to Lacock - home to many famous filming locations. She said the village was full of “such beautiful cottages”. Showing a grand, domineering home she said: “This house ahead is the house where Professor Slughorn stayed …like the muggle house when he was hiding.” The historic and well preserved village of Lacock, in Wiltshire, is popular tourist stop.Lacock was also used to shoot scenes in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice’s “Merseyside”. She also took a trip to Lacock Abbey, saying: “Wow we can’t even see the abbey yet and I’m impressed”, adding that the flocks of sheep and rolling fields made the locale feel “very atmospheric.” Explaining that some Harry Potter scenes were filmed in the cloisters, she said the Abbey has “such a rich history”. She also visited the museum of astronomy and expressed her excitement at spotting an orrery, which she said she loves because they use clockwork. Orreries are typically driven by a clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the centre, and with a planet at the end of each of a series of arms. Edinburgh have shown an ability to raise their game against their best opponents and a tendency to lower their standards when playing more modest opposition if they are to make it into the URC play-offs they will have to avoid that latter flaw when playing Connacht and Ulster and instead hit the heights that they have reached against sides such as the Bulls losing by a point to Sharks a couple of weeks ago and then by 15 in Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Bath while Connacht and Ulster are currently 14th and 12th respectively in the URC no-one expects them to simply roll over against Sean Everitt’s side the fact remains that an Edinburgh team playing at the height of their powers should be good enough to win both those remaining games A lot will depend on how well they recover from Saturday’s 24-39 defeat by Bath – and the good news for supporters is that Ross Thompson is confident that they can do so quickly and comprehensively Challenge Cup: Bath power game proves too strong for Edinburgh to seal semi-final win Breadalbane Finance Community Rugby Story Of The Month … Dalziel Premier Sports to live broadcast final stages of 2025 Howden Melrose Sevens “I don’t think it’s hard to pick ourselves up at all,” the stand-off said after a match in which he contributed seven points through two conversions and a penalty “It’s a fresh competition to go into and we’ve got to get into that top eight so we get into the play-offs We’ve got too good quality in our team not to be making that play-off We’ve got to make sure we deliver a performance then we’ve got to be able to beat some of the best teams.” All of Bath’s six tries came from forwards and if you had to identify the single biggest reason why the visitors ended up on top the sheer quality in depth of their bench would surely be your choice while Bath won the game more than it could be said that Edinburgh lost it Thompson highlighted some areas in which his team had been found lacking allowed them far too easy access into our 22,” he continued “When you give them access to the 22 time and time again it’s difficult to put that amount of effort in “We had a great defensive set with Ali [Price] in the second half – it’s hard to hold off a team with that sort of power in their forward pack “That’s probably where the game was lost but we were just a little bit sloppy in our exits and there was a little bit of ill-discipline as well “We probably didn’t get a great amount of phase attack and set-piece attack to launch off in the first half “I thought we defended really well in the first half We had a few good snippets of rugby on turnover attack but we didn’t get too much “We managed to stay in the game in the first half and then we stayed in the game early on in the second half even though we gave them too many entries into our 22 “[Bath have quality] but we’ve got lots of quality as well They’re obviously top of the Prem and going well but that’s where we want to be and we think we can be.” Finn Russell did not have a vintage performance for Bath and an early drop-goal attempt was certainly a moment to forget but he did enough to keep the attack ticking over and chipped in with nine points from three conversions and a penalty After the last game before the British & Irish Lions squad is announced on Thursday Bath captain and scrum-half Ben Spencer was asked how his half-back partner had been in light of all the chat about the possible negative effect on Russell’s selection chances that the inclusion of Johnny Sexton as an assistant coach might have “He’s one of them guys who … It’s sometimes a little bit of a rollercoaster playing with him He never seems to play with any pressure on his shoulders he just goes out there and enjoys the game And I think that’s also really good for the other boys around him I know it’s helped me massively over the last two years playing with him and rugby doesn’t define you as a person or a player It’s really good to have someone who probably doesn’t take the game too seriously next to you “I played my whole career with … not fear I guess living off mistakes and trying to not make mistakes be a big thing And I think Finn has taught me that mistakes don’t really matter as long as our intent is right and our attitude is right And hopefully he gets a spot on that plane.”  Our Edinburgh-based experts advise both individuals and businesses across a range of sectors Saffery is the 15th largest accountancy firm in the UK by turnover and has had a presence in Edinburgh for over 30 years Website: www.saffery.com Breadalbane Finance Community Rugby Story Of The Month … Dalziel The 1st positive Edinburgh play of the game was a line out secured by a good Thompson touch finder around the Bath 22 perfect start to the game and a real opportunity to set the tone for the game Outcome – an unfathomable over throw by Ashman and Bath clearing to safety There were lots of positives from the weekend Few bad mistakes ( Ritchie’s bad knock on Thompson’s bad miss penalty) that are sort of one offs However if the lineout and scrum isn’t fixed it’s very hard compete with decent sides I don’t see the scrum getting better with our current squad Line out wise we all go mental if a 7 gets 3 turnovers a game Not sure how many lineouts we lost but it must have been more then 3 So all in all the performance at the weekend was pretty much as good as could be expected don’t they have one of the strongest scrums around I think they are near the top of the URC stats and held their own against the Bulls and Sharks for the most part Hill is our strongest scrum prop but unfortunately out at the moment Hoping OBL makes a breakthrough next season to further boost that area It’s the lineout which has undoubtedly cost Edinburgh every close game we have been in this half of the season I am always a bit sceptical when coaches are relatively positive in defeat However I think in this case I can see why Edinburghs defence was at times very very good and arguably better than we’ve seen across much of the URC I thought our attacked showed some real pragmatism at times snatching chances when they were presented That being said there was a real sense Bath werr not on song and had they been this could have been a more difficult relfection We were also a little ill-disciplined and inaccurate which I would say has been a key theme in Scottish rugby Their pack was dominant throughout and I felt like it was inevitable they would get the tries if they kept plugging which they did – all 6 tries through the forwards I really rate the backs for Edinburgh especially in terms of versatility 4 minutes in and you get a forced change – didn’t seem to be a problem but the shuffle highlighted the skills available All in a solid 80 minutes with patches of ill-discipline and light flurry of sh***housery Sione Tuipulotu plays for Glasgow Warriors That was his brother Mosese who has been playing off the bench for Edinburgh for the last 3+ weeks and website in this browser for the next time I comment Stuart Hogg facing lengthy lay-off and … “If Langholm proves anything, we have to stay focused. As far as the title race goes, it was huge for us that Kelso got only three points at Earlston.” … “We did well to fight back at times, but we gave away some silly penalties, allowed them far too easy access into our 22. When you give them access to the 22 time and time again, it’s difficult to put that amount of effort in.” … Enjoyed this article? Quality journalism like ours is made possible by readers like you. If you value our in-depth coverage of Scottish rugby at all levels and want to see more, please consider supporting us with a subscription or donation It helps us keep delivering the news you love Thank you for being a part of The Offside Line community independent and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of Scottish rugby photographers and business minds bring their talents and enthusiasm to our unrivalled coverage of the game © 2016-2025 Scottish Rugby News from The Offside Line | Kept onside by webporty so that's an achievement that won't be missed by us but we know we've got three more games to keep building on that." Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027 Edinburgh player ratings: Edinburgh’s hopes of reaching a second European Challenge Cup final, 10 years after their first, ultimately ended in dispiriting fashion as they succumbed to a 39-24 defeat against Bath at Hive Stadium The hosts showed plenty of spirit in defence led 17-12 after being awarded a penalty try early in the second half and only trailed 27-24 with 15 minutes left But the power and impact of Bath’s bench ultimately told as two late tries in the last five minutes embellished the visitors’ winning margin Here is how the Edinburgh players fared: 15. Wes Goosen – 5.5Returning to the side after missing the last two games with a back issue Struggled at times under the high ball and rarely able to escape in attack 14. Darcy Graham – 6Always trying to get himself into the game but limited chances to further his Lions credentials One vital cover tackle on Muir denied the Bath wing a try in the left corner 13. Matt Currie – 7Switched to left wing early on after Paterson’s departure and quickly made his presence felt Intercepted a Russell pass to stem one Bath attack before taking a quick lineout to Thompson and collecting a return pass to send Tuipulotu over for a try 12. James Lang – 5Struggled to make much headway conceding a penalty for holding on when isolated Showed his attacking elan with a high-stepping break on the counter late in the first half 11. Harry Paterson – 4Had just sparked a counter-attack with a lovely piece of skill to keep the ball in play and race up to halfway but his miserable luck with injuries continued when he was forced off moments later 10. Ross Thompson – 6.5A poor miss from an early penalty shot at goal nailing his next three and kicking well from hand Happy to take the ball to the line and sparked several good counter attacks 9. Ali Price – 7.5Might have claimed an early try when he got his toe to a loose ball and kicked on but stopped when he thought the ball was going out Felt the full force of a thumping Underhill hit Superb supporting run to finish off Edinburgh’s third try 1. Pierre Schoeman – 6.5Early greeting for Russell with a thumping hit and some strong early carries but thereafter did most of his best work in defence getting through 15 tackles before being replaced by Venter 2. Ewan Ashman – 5.5His first lineout in the opening minute drifted over everybody Struggled to make his usual impact with ball in hand before departing before the hour Darcy Rae – 5Evidently relished the scrap against his former team-mates and just about held on at scrum-time against Obano 4. Sam Skinner – 6Another right at home in the trench warfare of the tight exchanges Sin-binned after 48 minutes as Edinburgh’s penalty count rose under the physical bombardment Bath scoring twice in his absence before Sykes replaced him 5. Grant Gilchrist – 7Embodied his side’s resilience under heavy fire topping the hosts’ tackle count with a whopping 28 and one nifty pass through the legs to keep an attack going 6. Jamie Ritchie – 6Plenty of fire and brimstone and at the centre of a couple of feisty confrontations another with Underhill in the third quarter But couldn’t bring his influence to bear enough at the breakdown 7. Hamish Watson – 7The old warrior fresh from extending his Edinburgh contract into a 15th season was another to put in a big defensive shift making 14 tackles in the first half-hour alone and 21 in all Also won a couple of turnovers before trooping off on the hour 8. Magnus Bradbury – 6.5The No.8 had a good record against Bath as a Bristol player but couldn’t quite get his side on the front foot here despite being their leading carrier with nine Weighed in with 24 tackles as part of a belligerent defensive display Paddy Harrison – 5Took over from Ashman before the hour and thought he had scored a late consolation try 17. Boan Venter – 5Replaced Schoeman after 53 minutes and a few rumbles with ball in hand 18. Javan Sebastian – 5.5Came on for Rae early in the second half and contributed a dozen tackles to the effort 19. Marshall Sykes – 4Added his bulk to proceedings when replacing Skinner just before the hour but sent backwards by a thumping double-tackle by Pepper and Muir 20. Ben Muncaster – 5Took over from Watson for the final quarter and brought plenty of endeavour but struggled to exert any great influence 21. Charlie Shiel – N/AReplaced Price for the final few minutes 22. Ben Healy – N/ACame on for barely a minute in the final knockings 23. Mosese Tuipulotu – 6Into the action after just four minutes when Paterson was forced off One early spilled pass didn’t bode well but up in support to claim Currie’s pass for Edinburgh’s first try Brought a physical edge to Edinburgh’s midfield Bath player ratings: Bath ultimately had too much power for Edinburgh as they reached their fifth European Challenge Cup final Watch The Rugby Championship U20s live and for FREE on the RugbyPass app Kicking off Thursday 1.5 at 1pm BST with New Zealand U20 vs Australia U20 Geo-blocked in: All South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Join free and tell us what you really think Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward Northampton Saints found a way of beating the fabled Jacques Nienaber blitz and inflicting another 'horrific' Champions Cup loss on the Leinster giants Warren Gatland forged a sense of togetherness in his 2013 Lions but faced personal 'vitriol' after leaving out a legend I remember the moment clearly staring at my empty wallet It had vanished into the digital void after I mistakenly clicked on a convincing phishing link I tried everything contacted my wallet provider Everyone told me the same thing: “Once it’s gone it’s gone.”  I was on the verge of giving up when I came across a thread mentioning NanoAethosCoinRecovery It sounded too good to be true like every other so called “recovery service” but something about the way people described their professionalism gave me a sliver of hope and traced the stolen coins through layers of obfuscation and mixing NanoAethosCoinRecovery didn’t just recover my Bitcoin they restored my faith in justice in the crypto world but I also know who to turn to if things go south again Whatsapp: +1 (570) 229-9724 Telegram:https://t.me/NanoAethos Email:  (NanoAethosCoinRecovery@engineer.com) I was able to recover all of my money from this fraudulent binary options company after losing over $300,000 to binary options in this fake investment platform Now that is something I can agree with My apologies A hard read this time Nick but as always backed by observations One of the big problems in coaching Australia seems to be speaking nicely but carry a big stick I think Les will do the nicely bit and add some variation to play but the Wallabies can easily slip back into old habits unless they are held to account Schmidt has a reputation that anyone in rugby could appreciate Not sure the current players will give Les that understanding when tough decisions need to be taken I suspect he will be a bit like Ewen McKenzie The saving grace will be that the ARU are not the soft and useless bunch Ewen had to deal with Les will also have the support of Qld and the hatred of NSW and since NSW seem to heading in their standard direction of failure BTW he needs to dramatically improve Qld D and not just Ryan Not shutting the Drua down early by utilising an umbrella(?) D and letting them run is always a recipe for disaster Wasn’t the 3 option a 50/50 hard for a breakout season 10 to go all the way and claim the title for his team Let them/him build over the next few seasons Noting the scrum too after you said that JGP did have a bit of a quite game for his standards Can Les give the Wallabies the Kiss of Life?',1);"> The very predictable and inevitable let’s bag Less Kiss article from the hasbeen Welsh analyst trying to get his other mate and employer the failed pommie Lancaster a job in Australia so that the hasbeen welshman can score some employment off him Try and spend more time trying to help your own country instead of constantly undermining them by supporting your former employer NZ rugby Yeap nip them in the bud that’s just one guys opinion which I’m sure would have been more widely known if true (points by quarter) that they just need to run these guys into the ground and cross their fingers they get through Is that how they started off winning Champs do you know This is the same line up they’ve gone with in previous games right Surely because he doesn’t have the same cohesion Sam and Jordie seemed to have a good combo going though I doubt it would have looked any different than when Jordie was on the park myself To think that the best in Europe will not be able to keep up with Aus because Aus play in SRP This is the B & I Lions we are talking about playing against Aus the #8 team on the rankings I suppose upsets do happen but how can anyone see anything less than a 3-0 to the Lions No national team made up of SRP players will be able to match the Lions on a rugby field imho If they were playing basketball maybe but not rugby They didn’t seem to have any trouble accruing points in the second half GD Sorry to hear this In the end it all came down to whether Leinster could convert that penalty to points and then Pollock pilfered the ball after going to ground lol Yes it is possible to recover your lost Bitcoin with the assistance of professional recovery experts Regardless of how long your Bitcoin has been stolen or the circumstances surrounding its loss they can help you retrieve it all just like they helped me recover my scammed $624,000 USD back to me within 48 hours they has the expertise to assist you in recovering your lost funds contact them on: Recoveryeagles009@gmail.com READ MORE Millions of tourists visiting paradise island set to be whacked with new tax One life-long Bath resident, Benjamin Head, told the Express that the main issue with Bath's high levels of tourism is the amount of properties becoming Airbnbs. Eight years ago, he was buying his first home in the city and was up against two cash offers who wanted to buy the small house to turn it into an Airbnb He said: "I paid a lot of money for a relatively small starter home not in the centre. That's a problem." Benjamin believes that it's time for Bath to introduce a tourist tax, similar to cities in Europe such as Venice and Vienna He added: "Right now we have all the downsides of high council tax with specific services being weighted towards tourism We have to put a lot more effort into bins and all that sort of stuff." he also recognises the benefits that tourism brings to the city you will lose a lot of the restaurants and things we residents get to enjoy." We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy The issue of Airbnbs and tourist tax in the city of Bath has been brought up multiple times before, most recently at a hustings on housing issues. Liberal Democrat candidate Oli Henman argued: "Many houses have been taken out of rent because they are being made into Airbnbs and short term lets. That's taking away from our housing stock in the heart of our city centres." However, Green candidate Mary Page said that she would hesitate to impose a tourist tax on hotels because the industry is "squeezed" and it might encourage more people to opt for Airbnbs instead.  Benjam was not alone in seeing both the good and the bad when it comes to tourism levels in Bath. Another resident told the Express: "The tourists are a pain. They're slow walkers, they're quite rude to locals and they do crowd the city centre. "However, the tourists are the reason we get to have such a lovely quality of life in Bath. I manage a restaurant and my partner works in money exchange - both os us see tourists everyday and they keep our business alive." She added: "I believe existing with tourists is part of the core Bath lifestyle." Another person in the Facebook group 'Born & Bred or Live in the City of Bath', Linda Skuse, said that she believes there should be a tourist tax added to each night stay in a hotel or other holiday accommodation. However, she admitted that "tourists and students alike bring a vibrancy to the city." Jenny Power, who has been living in Bath for five years, explianed how the weekends can be difficult whjen trying to get anywhere because the centre is jammed with tourists. She told the Express: "It's definitely a different city Monday to Friday than it is on Saturday and Sunday. "All year round it's full of hen dos and stags as well. I try to avoid town if I can at the weekend. It's lovely to see the atmosphere but when you're trying to actually get somewhere it can be a bit annoying." While tourists certainly pose some difficulties for those who live in Bath, there are certian benefits they bring in as well, and there are some extra perks for residents, Jenny said, like how she gets free access to attractions like the Roman Baths because she lives there, an experience that tourists have to pay for.  "Tourism is undeniably vital to Bath's economy and heritage. However, the challenges associated with high visitor numbers need to be addressed proactively to ensure a sustainable future for the city, benefiting both its residents and visitors. A balanced approach that focuses on quality, sustainability, and effective management is essential rather than simply continuing to encourage ever-increasing numbers without considering the consequences." While recognising the difficulties that high levels of tourism brings to those who live in Bath, it seems as though many opf them have accepted this as a reality and some appreciate the benefits it brings.  order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive Daily Express uses notifications to keep you updated The Woods at the top of Park Street is closed, with windows boarded up on Wednesday, April 30(Image: Paul Gillis/Reach Plc)Bristol is new stranger to comings and goings on the food and drink scene And so we at BristolLive have decided to shine a regular spotlight - and wave a final farewell - to the foodie spots and others that have closed their doors for the last time over the past month This month has seen much heartbreak from locals who have lost some of their favourite haunts for a bite to eat In amongst the list for April is a seafront cafe, a beloved Bristol bar a pizzeria and some of Bristolians' favourite restaurants Which of this are you going to miss most - and which would you campaign to bring back immediately The Bay at Weston-super-Mare is closing soon to make way for the new Tropicana.(Image: Phoebe Hobbs)Article continues belowAddress: Marine Parade BristolLive reported that The Bay Cafe in Weston-super-Mare had written a farewell letter which it displayed in its window on April 15 The Bay, which was located on Weston-super-Mare's famous seafront announced it would be closing to make way for the newly-renovated Tropicana events venue Work on The Tropicana, which has received £8.7 million from the government's levelling up fund, is set to finish by March 2026 It is hoped that the 5,000 seater venue will put the town back on the map In early 2022, The Food Hub (Passion and Soul Food) was selected by North Somerset Council to operate The Bay Café as a concession in preparation for the exciting SEEMonster installation at the Tropicana It had originally been planned as a six month venture, but was extended to three years in the end. Read the full story here Dough Heads(Image: Google Maps)‌Address: 86 Whitehall Road On April 19, BristolLive reported how devastated locals were of the announcement that Dough Heads on Whitehall Road would be closing According to the official Dough Heads website the independent pizzeria - which serves up Neapolitan-style pizzas using its own four-day ferment dough - will be closing in June with its last trading day falling on Friday the team said: "Espensen Spirit our landlords and friends are selling 86 Whitehall Road this year to move into a new space and we have made the difficult decision not to move on to a new premises of our own "For the past five years, we've had an amazing time serving up pizza and cocktails to the brilliant people of Easton But as is the case with many small businesses at the moment rising costs and an uncertain financial future for the hospitality industry have applied many pressures over the years."We're proud to have survived the lockdowns and the difficult years afterwards and we truly have our customers and incredible staff to thank for this." Read the full story here The Turtle Bay restaurant in Cheltenham Road closed in April 2025(Image: Google)Address: 221-223 Cheltenham Road On April 5, BristolLive reported the sudden closure of a Turtle Bay restaurant in Bristol whose headquarters are reportedly in Bristol The website said: “Turtle Bay Cheltenham Road has served up its last round of jerk chicken and rum cocktails “You can still find us bringing the island spirit in our other Turtle Bay restaurant in Bristol Broad Quay.” Four Wise Monkeys on Clare Street(Image: Four Wise Monkeys)Address: 30 Clare Street On April 15, BristolLive reported that an Asian 'super diner' in Bristol's Old City would be closing its doors for good that very same night The team behind Four Wise Monkeys, which is one of several venues from the Bristol-based Hyde and Co Group will be starting a new chapter as it moves out of number 30 Clare Street told BristolLive that they weren't able to "meet the landlords demands for a rent increase of 25 per cent" and so found a buyer for the building It's not the end for the popular food spot though as Nathan said fans will still be able to get their hands on some of the delicious dishes on the menu online before it moves to a new physical location Read the full story here The Woods at the top of Park Street is closed April 30(Image: Paul Gillis/Reach Plc)‌Address: 1 Park Street Avenue At the end of April (April 30), BristolLive reported the shock closure of a beloved Bristol bar described as a 'Bristol institution and a mecca for whisky lovers' The owners put the reason behind the closure down to its landlord which was located at the top of Park Street It said: "Due to the landlord aggressive stance and the serving of a demand for Covid rent arrears it has pushed business over the edge of viability "We'd like to thank you all for your loyal custom over the years with many great memories created at The Woods." Read the full story here Nook Cafe(Image: Nook)Address: 24 North Street, Southville/Bedminster North Street cafe Nook announced towards the end of April that it would be closing the doors to its remaining Bristol site posted a message to its social media pages on April 22 to say: "Nook will be closing on May 4 after 2.5 years of service in the Bedminster community "Unfortunately with the current economy ever rising costs for hospitality businesses and super tight profit margins the cafe is simply not financially viable to continue trading "I'd like to thank our local Bedminster customers and our super amazing team at the Bristol cafe "The current team will be transferring to our Bath cafe and pursuing their own new adventures. "Our Bath cafe is thriving and will be extending its opening hours until 5pm from May. So that's 8.30am-5pm Monday-Sunday. "We will also be having summer residency in Frome at Station Approach from May-September in our horse trailer/smoothie box." Bath defeated Edinburgh 24-39 on Saturday afternoon to progress to the final of the 2024/25 European Rugby Challenge Cup Here’s how we rated the English side 15 Tom de Glanville: Despite playing solidly De Glanville was guilty of knocking the ball deliberately down early in the second half leading to an automatic penalty try and a yellow card He was fortunate that his teammates weren’t affected too poorly whilst he was in the bin 14 Joe Cokanasiga: A very quiet match for the big man one that will have frustrated a normally important member of the side He lost 3 turnovers and found himself pushed into touch after a promising line break late into the second half 13 Cameron Redpath: Perhaps rather lucky to stay on the field after what looked like a high hit on an Edinburgh player in the opening stages He made the most of his good fortune by delivering a performance worthy of Lions selection it was his defensive display that set him apart today getting himself involved in multiple turnover attempts and sitting second only to Sam Underhill in tackles made Most notable interaction was when Redpath chased down an Edinburgh attacker from behind before winning the turnover in the subsequent ruck Caused a penalty to the opposition when he was caught offside due to lazy running 11 Will Muir: He cynically kicked the ball out of attackers hands in the first half There was the argument to be had that a ruck hadn’t been formed He didn’t play well for much of the game and later being dragged into touch during a clear try scoring opportunity his day changed drastically in the second half Firstly when he saved a certain try when he got in the way of the Edinburgh passing channel and later brilliantly taking high ball to heap the pressure on the hosts in their 22 To top it all off he set up the final try with an incredible charge down the left wing Edinburgh v Bath: Winners and losers as Underhill boosts Lions hopes 10 Finn Russell: Fortunate not to punished for intercepted pass in the early stages Passes just weren’t always going to hand and his kicks weren’t landed as pinpoint as normal But often we expect too much from the Scottish Messi – he is human after all 9 Ben Spencer: He started the match strongly with a tremendous early kick to the corner eventually leading to Underhill’s early try His day could later have unraveled when he popped up an awful pass to no-one on the Edinburgh try line but he used his experience to keep his head as he regained control of his forwards 8 Miles Reid: He justified his selection at number 8 getting his hands on the ball more than any other Bath player during the match and making the heavy tackles when needed 7 Sam Underhill: He gave away a cheap early penalty when he put out his leg to disrupt the ball at the breakdown but this was the only negative from a game that truly suited Underhill’s skillset He scored Bath’s first try after being heavily involved in the build up getting involved in all factions of the match One late mistake did occur when he let the ball slip through his fingers and into opposition hands at a line out but this proved not to have an effect on the match 6 Guy Pepper: One dodgy moment when he found himself faltering under the high ball at full-back but he quickly won the ball back with a terrific ruck clear out Otherwise it was a typically lively performance from the former Falcon as he continues to hope for silverware at his new club 5 Charlie Ewels: Provided a highly efficient blitz defence early on when he found himself defending in the Bath midfield with the giant lock orchestrating an almost perfect lineout operation 4 Quinn Roux: Besides being reliable in the lineout it was an uncharacteristically quiet game for the veteran for Irish international 3 Will Stuart: The England international would have wanted to impress today what with the British and Irish Lions squad announcement set to take place within the week but he also provided a powerful running option which helped Bath to gain some all-important extra metres in the opposition half 2 Tom Dunn: Bath’s star man at the Stoop scoring two tries from the back of the subsequent mauls Notably he also had a important role in creating the first try with a powerful charge to put the hosts on the back foot 1 Beno Obano: Ten years with the Bath senior squad this year and you can see what the club means to him Consistently throwing himself into the contact area with increased physicality each time the 30-year-old looked like he could do a job in the centres at one stage Replacements: The bench was initially altered due to prop Francois van Wyk pulling up with an injury prior to the match Arguably still the strongest bench in Europe the men that emerged from the touchline provided the much-needed energy and power to tip the scales in favour of Bath Big note to Alfie Barbery and Thomas Du Toit who made a visible difference to the second half events READ MORE: Blues star Cameron Suafoa recieves major surgery to remove tumour Stuart Barnes has claimed that Sam Underhill’s “brutal hit” last Saturday on Ali Price in Edinburgh has made him fall in love with rugby all over again Following a 39-24 victory for Bath over Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup semi-final here's our five takeaways from the game at Hive Stadium on Saturday Finn Russell heads into his final audition for British & Irish Lions selection hailed for his ability to bring calmness and control England are blessed with some talented wingers right now but who will Steve Borthwick turn to ths summer Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker They will meet Edinburgh in the Scottish capital in early May and will start as clear favourites. Get the job done up north and they will face either Lyon or Racing 92 in the final a week before the league playoffs get going. There is a lot of rugby still to be played, but a team full of confidence, one stacked with superstar talent and strength in depth, have given their fans enough evidence to be hopeful of adding more silverware before the summer. Read more“I’m just glad it’s finished,” the Bath head coach “Gloucester are tough to beat and we know the game is never done We keep saying to each other that it’s the best defence against the best attack “It’s the seventh game in a row where we’ve scored 40 points or more But the most important thing is can we keep the opposition down Our attack and our defence are working pretty well at the moment.” This one was never in doubt and had the feel of an exhibition match Under warm sunshine and with the stands not quite full it did not match the gravitas of the French derby between Toulon and Toulouse in the Champions Cup quarters a few hours earlier Eight first-half tries underlined the lighthearted tone Some came off the back of well‑worked plays such as Bath’s opener from Tom de Glanville who put the finishing touches on a move sparked by Finn Russell’s spiralling pass to Ciaran Donoghue as well as Gloucester’s immediate response where Gareth Anscombe’s inch‑perfect cross-kick found a leaping Santiago Carreras in the corner ShowThomas Ramos sent Toulouse into the semi-finals of the Champions Cup with a last-gasp penalty to down Toulon 21-18. Ramos had a mixed day from the tee and had already missed three kicks when he took the chance to break the deadlock and send his side through at the expense of their Top 14 rivals The boot of Melvyn Jaminet was responsible for all of the home side’s points while Toulouse clawed back a 12-3 first-half deficit courtesy of tries from the Englishman Jack Willis and Pita Ahki Leinster meet Northampton in the other semi-final Thank you for your feedback.Gloucester’s lack of heft up front led them to ship a rolling maul try to Tom Dunn and cough up possession at the back of their own lineout before Ross Molony set up tighthead Archie Griffin for a simple run-in Then Donoghue was too easily stepped by Gloucester’s hooker Jack Singleton before shambolic organisation from the visitors made it too easy for Ben Spencer to round off a blindside move Even elite operators were succumbing to mistakes An inept kick from Russell gifted away possession that ended with a Jacob Morris try in the left corner before Anscombe’s boot returned the favour merely handing the initiative back to Bath who duly obliged with Alfie Barbeary scampering on to his own hack ahead to dot down on the stroke of half-time Jaco Coetzee surges clear to touch down Bath’s seventh try Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesGloucester’s head of rugby promised before the match that his team had “something up their sleeve” and he unloaded six forwards off the bench four minutes after the restart The visitors lost a lineout and missed three tackles as Barbeary cantered over for his second kept the scoreboard ticking by scything through the line and brushing off two tacklers under the poles Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis Before the close Ted Hill’s try took Bath past 50 one from Lewis Ludlow nudged the game’s tally past 80 and a final score from Tom Carr‑Smith emphasised the gulf between the neighbours “Our depth in the squad is so competitive,” a smiling Barbeary said “The boys add so much energy off the bench and I don’t think anyone can compete with us.” Van Graan revealed that he had “three full teams training against each other” on Friday His starting full-back in this game has yet to make his league debut Much is made of the might of French clubs and how their English counterparts cannot match them here is one outfit carrying the flag across multiple fronts IT provided the outcome many had forecast and the stronger team in Bath but that only tells part of the story of a compelling Challenge Cup semi-final played in front of a new record attendance at Hive Stadium Edinburgh can have no regrets or complaints at bowing out at this stage of the competition given Bath’s overall dominance in the second half especially when their bench emptied and stellar talent like Thomas du Toit entered the fray were sloppy at times and ill-disciplined and with just five minutes left to play the Premiership leaders were only ahead by three points Hamish Watson to return for at least one more season Premier Sports to live broadcast final stages of 2025 Howden Melrose Sevens A late Edinburgh penalty could have taken the tie to extra-time – and few inside the ground would have complained about that – but instead Bath again turned to their forwards to grind their way through for an additional two scores All six of their tries were claimed by their pack Finn Russell had one of his quieter afternoons with the ball in hand while his kicking was often erratic but it was Bath’s forwards and not their backline that would cause Edinburgh the biggest headache all afternoon Their dream of reaching a second Challenge Cup final a decade after the last one is now over their focus returning to their final two URC matches and a late push for the playoffs Edinburgh will take heart from how they played here in patches but won’t harbour any lingering grievance about the outcome “We showed a lot of fight and a lot of pride in the jersey but unfortunately we fell just a little bit short,” said head coach Sean Everitt afterwards “I’m proud of how we defended our goal line with so much energy and passion But we knew it was always going to be difficult against a Bath team who can put you under so much pressure in that area “We weren’t accurate enough in the middle third of the field our discipline also wasn’t what it needed to be We allowed Bath too many easy entries into our 22 “Bath are one of the most efficient teams in Europe in that area and they can really punish you They put us under pressure and really kept us pinned in our own 22 for a lot of the second half we put ourselves into a good position early in the second half and got ourselves into the lead It’s disappointing that we weren’t able to capitalise on that The guys are absolutely gutted but we need to pick ourselves up now There are a lot of positives we can take from this and we’re going to need that over the next few weeks in the URC.” Ali Price botched a chance to land an early score when he stopped running thinking his over-hit kick forward was going to dribble out of touch before Ross Thompson struck a makable penalty against the post That looked costly when Bath made ground up the pitch after Jamie Ritchie spilled the 22-metre drop-out leading to a scrum penalty that concluded with Sam Underhill squeezing over for the first try of the game Will Muir then became the first of three players sent to the sin-bin his offence kicking the ball out of Matt Currie’s hands as the Edinburgh centre lay on the ground a quick line-out concluding with Currie haring down the line to feed Mosese Tuipulotu an early replacement for Harry Paterson who failed his HIA Then came more of the Bath power show with Tom Dunn scoring the first of his two tries after the maul got motoring although a Thompson penalty meant Bath’s lead was only two points by the end of a frenetic first half Bath indiscipline proved costly again at the start of the second half when Tom de Glanville struck out a hand to prevent Wes Goosen’s pass from reaching Darcy Graham The punishment was a yellow card for the full-back and a penalty try for Edinburgh giving them the lead for the first time in the contest were never going to go away quietly as they turned to their replacements to give them fresh impetus Edinburgh did brilliantly to hold up Ben Obano on the line but after Sam Skinner had been shown a yellow card for repeat offences Bath added two quick scores when first Dunn and then replacement Alfie Barbeary crept over after persistent forward play A Russell penalty looked to have ended any doubts over the outcome with 63 minutes played but a rare Edinburgh second-half attack led to a brilliant try Thompson burst through a gap and turned to find Price on his shoulder who did well to get the ball grounded That gave the home crowd some belated hope but Bath snuffed it out as Neill Annett and then Guy Pepper crossed to put daylight between Bath and their vanquished hosts A Price (C Shiel 76); P Schoeman (B Venter 53) B Spencer (L Schreuder 76); B Obano (T du Toit 49) Scoring sequence (Edinburgh first): 0-5; 0-7; 5-7; 7-7; 7-12; 10-12 (h-t) 17-12; 17-17; 17-19; 17-24; 17-27; 22-27; 24-27; 24-32; 24-34; 24-39 I thought Edinburgh gave it a very good shot and could have won that Up against a big bunch of forward bruisers the scrum came off second best but didn’t get annihilated Is is said by some that we don’t have an attack strategy but I thought the backs did very well hitting the gaps I was a bit critical.of the 9-13 capability previously but thought Lang was again much improved and Thompson is growing in confidence that kick bouncing back is just one of those things Felt Matt Currie looks happier and poses a bigger threat on the wing has mastered FB well… but his great breaks seem to leave him isolated and turned over too often but would love to see him play at O/C for a one-off a sort of Brian O’Driscoll lookalike young Tuipulotu is certainly looking good and can cover both 12 and 13 The line out still looks a bit of a muddle not sure it’s all Ashman’s fault The boys were not getting up high enough and the ball was being nicked by the Bath locks some of the throws seemed to surprise the catcher the line out codes ain’t working too successfully it all looked better when Paddy Harrison was throwing in Edinburgh can build on that showing for the last 2 URC games Hope Hill will be back fit to boost the front line Thought Gilchrist was outstanding on Saturday just understated excellence at close quarters despite Ashman’s yippy Arrows What a shambles Ashman’s throwing is I suspect Graham and Ritchie lost their Lions chances in this final audition.Schoeman may still make it though (and hopefully VDM will make the selection on Thursday despite his injury) (and watching the Dublin match later have to say Pollock looked an absolutely superb athlete and every inch a Lion so no qualms if he gets in ahead of Ritchie.) much more physical in defence than Townsend credits him with Schoeman has featured in the majority of Lions squads I’ve seen hard to argue against Freeman when he scores a hat trick against the team that were supposed to be unbeatably strong in defence Duhan really could have done with playing and putting in some strong performances to secure his place but at least he did have a strong Six Nations to draw on Edinburgh representation might be sparse (and to be honest Glasgow probably not too much better) I was back home in time to watch the (absolutely marvellous) Leinster/Saints match.Got rid of my disappointment partly as the rugby was so good but also concdentrated on a potential Lions watch.As said above all of Freeman,Smith,Mitchell and Pollock looked to book threir places and could easily all be in a Test 23 In contrast I’m afraid neither Darcy or Ritchie did anything in their final audition to suggest they will make the final squad in light of the huge competition (particularly for the back row spots) Schoeman likely to just make it even though he was under pressure against a massive Bath front five.Given just about every other Scottish serious candidate-apart from Russell) for the Lions is currently injured we may need him in their to keep our numbers up nice to see a record attendance of 7989 at the Hive via some additional standing spaces created in the corners – hopefully they can make use of those in future Watched the game always like watching Finn Edinburgh were in it till the 75th minute at 24 -27 Their defense was heroic they just lost the chance of a win one after Price’s terrible kick and lack off chase and the last 5 minutes where Bath pulled clear against a very tired Edinburgh with a couple of power tries I think if Edinburgh got rid of Thompson and Gregor’s man crush Ashman they might fair better Post seems to have gone missing again so in summary – too many mistakes at key moments to win the game – particularly the phase of play when RT hits the post – they drop out – Ritchie drops the kick off – scrum – penalty – score Basic unforced errors – how do you coach these out the system Gave away a penalty straight from the kick off after the penalty try when they had 14 men Positive was that we did look threatening when we could keep the ball for a few phases and our defence in the backs was good Aye Ross I agree I was strangely analytical and noted from outset – Ashman rubbish throw Thompson may be OK but needs better at 9 and 12 (Redpath and Dobie would “sort it”) Really missed big Duhan I’d not play Ashman at 2 again this season Redpath and Dobie is like saying Glasgow would improve with Malcolm Marx and Eben Etzebeth it’s true but not realistic signings Why would either of them leave teams where they play a key part in the challenge to win trophies to sign for Edinburgh Edinburgh aren’t going to transform with a different 9 and 12 It makes no sense to have 2 (maybe 3 or 4) international class 9s at Glasgow and 0 at Edinburgh Yes it’s probably unlikely the 2 boys will end up at Edinburgh but this is a discussion forum after all Makes no sense for Edinburgh to have three international hookers next season or five international capped locks if you want to do that And it’s a poor argument when all three get good game time at Glasgow (more than Shiel at Edinburgh) never mind why would any of the three want to go to Edinburgh And it’s the comments section not a fantasy XV chat I’ll compose my contributions more carefully in the future so not to get your “dander” up Fairly condescending tone to take to someone pointing out your contribution was more fantasy than reality wouldn’t you say John Perhaps more sarcastic than condescending? Ashman has some positive contributions to make which Surely there is someone in the team with a skill set to do the throw ins better than Ashman without compromising general play whether the lineout is won or lost You could use someone else but you’ve got to hope he can improve his throwing Its hard to tell if its all down to the thrower as its a combined effort but there was one shocker where he threw it straight to their prop at the front of the line – clearly some confusion with the call We need a solution however because losing 3 or 4 line outs makes a huge difference to the game My understanding (happy to be corrected) is that neither Edinburgh nor Scotland actually has a dedicated lineout coach A dedicated resource shared between the three would seem like a good investment given all the issues it always gives us Completely agree it’s baffling that we don’t have a lineout when our lineout has been a verging on a shambles pretty much the entire time for more than a decade Still feel like surely someone other than the hooker can throw if the hooker doesn’t have it nailed My biggest Scotland/Edinburgh/Glasgow complaint with the lineout is when it’s going badly why do we always insist on overly complicated routines or trying to be clever surely something to be said for just keep it ultra simple Looks like a guy who’s been dressed up for his stag doo Pretty good performance when you consider how bad our scrum and line out was Upon reflection lack of a kicking option outside 10 was very evident Edinburgh (and Scotland) play way to much in the wrong areas this plays into the hands of savvy physical opponents I still think a Healy at 15 boots the ball In behind Bath’s brutal forwards denying them (at least temporarily) what they want – the chance to batter the Edinburgh defence in Edinburghs 22 It’s evident that there isn’t a strong tactical kicking threat from 15 we would lose some of the running threat that Wes brings doesn’t stay on the pitch long enough There aren’t many Kinghorns in the world Yes lots of effort but to achieve what purpose if any attacking strategy we had and I don’t think the players did either I guess so many folks are used to the gallant losers title that anything less than a 20 point loss was going to be great players and spectators need to remove their rose tinted glassses and face rerality In the URC and in this game we were sadly not good enough A team with a budget beyond many in the URC The only way to improve is to honestly face up to where we are Or do we want to be gallant losers forever When your line out and scrum are terrible you can’t expect to be anything like competitive mate An enjoyable game and the players gave everything and the crowd really got behind the team Baths statistics tell you exactly their game plan High level turnovers and high efficiency in red zone with secure set piece That’s is exactly what transpired boring predictable power rugby by well drilled pack Edinburgh game plan – I do not have a clue in attack seemed very reliant on quick thinking individual excellence In defence critical against Bath chop them down early at legs to stop metres made post contact we did that well but Bath support quicker than our jackel so they still retained ball Also close to line chop tackle less effective as you can reach for line But it was the number of penalties and errors that allowed Bath into red zone That’s the determining factor because in defence they are vulnerable Re the line out the contrast was interesting ours complex nervous But thing that stood out to me was their jumpers got really high with no competition Our lineout jumper lower and much more vulnerable even although it looked like we had taller jumpers So it’s not all down to hooker it’s the whole process that needs an overhaul Lots of learning as they say but we desperately need a DNA a way of playing that suits our strengths wins games That sits with the head coach and in my opinion we should be seeing more signs of a defined reliable repeating game plan by now A strange game the sort of few I think envisaged full of daft wee errors and some brilliant work – kinda sums up Edinburghs’ seriously mixed up season if highs (Munster for one) and lows (dropping 10 silly points at home) All in all there’s no spontaneity in the side Only Darcy G and (since his transfer announced) JR A game today that could’ve been one but dare I say it The club needs coaches to fire the player’s imagination and get them looking excited to play especially when lots of press predictions had the team getting wiped out by Bath (somewhat understandably given they are even more dominant in the Prem than Leinster are in the URC!) Ultimately Bath’s strength up front won it for them but Edinburgh held up pretty well for a long time Too many bad mistakes early on – Ali Price absolutely messing up a prime try-scoring opportunity being a particularly notable one Ross Thompson missing a sitter wasn’t great either but he pulled himself together well after that to be fair to him The Scottish line-out issues continue – we just he can’t be having these kinds of disastrous misses so often but equally the lineout routines are stupidly complex compared to more success teams – that doesn’t help anyone Paddy Harrison did a good job from the bench at least Neither Ritchie nor Darcy were at their best Schoeman at least put in a very solid stint seeing the Northampton performance against Leinster should act as a big wake up call for Glasgow They’ve had great attitude towards the Champions Cup from the off Mitchell and Pollock all very much playing themselves onto that plane (and for some of them There must be a silent G at the start of Ashman More throws going astray when under little pressure and the momentum was lost I think Bath were there for the taking as they were clearly having an off day but apart from the stout defence of their 5m line Edinburgh offered little Good performance for the most part from Edinburgh Sub standard players making very costly errors at key times; Sabastian today Glen Young has done it a couple of times recently too Freddy Douglas gaining great experience watching the game too – meanwhile he’s probably just watched Henry Pollock star vs Leinster Barring Glasgow doing what they did last season in the URC it’s been a poor season for Scottish rugby really Just watched Henry Pollock play for Northampton as they knocked out Leinster disappointing Freddy Douglas wasn’t even on the bench today Scotland and to a lesser extent Glasgow against the very best sides We’re in the game for 60 mins or so and then can’t match the greater depth of the opposition bench Can’t fault the effort of the players today who gave it their all Were they even in their Leinster match for 60 second Yeah I’m thinking Glasgow over the past couple of seasons rather than their current scenario with injuries It’s hard to win with 25% possession a few decisions and a full roster (Paul Hill and Luke Crosbie in a 6:2) split may have made a difference No shame in this lot as we were gutsy and led Bath close If we can keep this effort for URC I will be proud Firstly Harry Paterson is the unluckiest player I’ve ever seen just after a thrilling intervention- off HIA 😞 Excellent effort by Edinburgh but 1 I noted 7 unforced errors in 1st half – Ashman for all his attributes is rubbish at throwing in I reckon simply Edinburgh lack the quality 9 10 12 to be competitive with the big boys I still contend I’d have played Muncaster and Douglas from the start I thought Ali Price had his best game in an Edinburgh shirt except for giving up on chasing the try after his flopped kick Ross Thompson played his part also – I do agree we are lacking a genuine 12 option… what I’d give to have Rory Hutchinson or Cam Redpath in that 12 jersey unleashing Matt Currie and the back 3 options His last HIA ended up with him out for three months Following a 39-24 win for Bath over Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup semi-final here’s our five takeaways from the game at Hive Stadium on Saturday Finn Russell returned to Scotland to steer Bath into their first European final for 11 years and rubber-stamp his British and Irish Lions selection ahead of Thursday’s squad announcement in London Bath, without a European trophy since Steve Borthwick captained them to the Challenge Cup in 2008 scored five tries for a come-from-behind win described as “workmanlike” by their director of rugby Johann van Graan Russell kicked nine points to set up a Friday night date against either Racing 92 or Lyon in Cardiff on May 23 – and keep alive his club’s hopes of a trophy treble The West Countrymen have already won the Premiership Rugby Cup and guaranteed themselves a home semi-final in the league courtesy of a 15-point lead at the top with three rounds remaining after tries by man of the match Sam Underhill they are 80 minutes from Challenge Cup glory To have any chance against Bath your set-piece has to function. The lineout that Edinburgh brought with them to work was unfit for purpose Everyone knows the English trailblazers are masters in that area The opening try by Underhill came from the touchline so too the second by Tom Dunn after the hooker hit Charlie Ewels joined the back of the maul to regather possession and drive over the line Gloucester were poor at lineout time in the quarter-finals at the Rec and paid a heavy price Edinburgh had much to be proud of in their defensive effort But the lineout remained their Achilles heel throughout once again originated from the same set-piece Bath made hard work of putting away a side languishing 10th in the United Rugby Championship a decade on from their only appearance in a European final blowing two golden chances to open a 10-point lead before the visitors were even off the mark It could have been so different had the bounce fallen for the home scrum-half rather than former flatmate Russell chasing what he thought was a hopeless cause But Edinburgh didn’t see the funny side of what happened next Ross Thompson missed an easy penalty kick at goal Jamie Ritchie then dropped the restart and Edinburgh conceded a penalty at the scrum Ewels offloading for Underhill to go over and a forgettable passage of play cost the home side seven points cheered on by Hollywood actor Gerard Butler capitalised on two Bath yellow cards and a quick piece of thinking to lead 17-12 soon after half-time Barbeary and Ted Hill were sent on together 49 minutes into this semi-final Bath’s hopes of a trophy treble hung by a thread A tie which they appeared to have control over got away from them in the middle third with Moses Tuipulotu pulling the scores level with a smart Edinburgh try on 19 minutes Tom de Glanville then followed Will Muir into the sin bin shortly after half-time conceding a penalty try in the process to put the home side ahead for the first time in front of a raucous sell-out crowd Enter Bath’s mini Bomb Squad and cue four tries to muscle the contest away from the Scots Barbeary claimed the second of those and had a hand in Bath’s fifth “There’s a huge emphasis we put on the guys coming on,” captain Ben Spencer said proudly “They know their role within the team and I thought they added huge impetus when they came on today Cam Redpath was two years old when Sale Sharks won the Challenge Cup in 2002 under the captaincy of his father The Scotland scrum-half wore a beaming smile as he lifted the trophy in Oxford after a 25-22 win over Pontypridd Three years later Redpath snr was back at the Kassam Stadium to help the Cream of Manchester win it again He would come to learn of them as his rugby education began Cam moved to within 80 minutes of joining his dad on the tournament’s roll of honour In only the fifth minute Nika Amashukeli looked long and hard at slow-mo replays of the Bath centre’s shoulder making contact with the upper end of Hamish Watson The ever-impressive Georgian referee concluded first contact was with the chest of the Edinburgh openside and Redpath stayed the distance One more game to complete the family hat-trick The final could also bring up a notable European double for another Bath family Twenty seven years after Phil de Glanville won the Champions Cup with the Blue his fullback son Tom is an integral part of the Class of 2025 READ MORE: Edinburgh v Bath: Winners and losers as flanker’s ‘personal vendetta’ boosts Lions hopes while Scottish centres ‘steal the show’ Bath defeated Edinburgh 24-39 on Saturday afternoon to progress to the final of the 2024/25 Challenge Cup Our five takeways from Bath's victory over Newcastle Bath boss Johann van Graan has given his verdict on Finn Russell’s British and Irish Lions chances now that Johnny Sexton has joined Andy Farrell’s staff Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt was proud of the spirit his side showed as their hopes of reaching a first European final in a decade were extinguished by Bath’s powerful pack The United Rugby Championship strugglers eventually lost 39-24 to the Gallagher Premiership leaders in Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final at The Hive with all of the visitors’ six tries scored by forwards Despite the disappointment of failing to get to the final in Cardiff later this month Edinburgh were heartened by the way they fronted up to Johann van Graan’s much-vaunted side briefly threatening an upset as they led 17-12 in the third quarter “We showed a lot of fight and a lot of pride in the jersey but unfortunately we fell just a little bit short,” said Everitt “I’m proud of how we defended our goal-line with so much energy and passion. But we knew it was always going to be difficult against a Bath team who can put you under so much pressure in that area The guys are absolutely gutted but we need to pick ourselves up now.” The Premiership leaders will face the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between French sides Lyon and Racing 92 in the final in Cardiff on May 23 two very good teams,” said Bath director of rugby Van Graan “We’ve just won a European semi-final away from home We’re looking forward to the next few weeks.” Half the team are current Scottish internationals This ‘plucky little underdogs’ cobblers doesn’t wash Following Bath’s 39-24 win over Edinburgh in the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final here are our key winners and losers from the Hive Stadium so a performance like this against fellow competitors will really help his cause to make Gregor Townsend’s squad Just looked a consistent threat whenever he touched the ball Ross Thompson and Ali Price to make some proper dents into the Bath line He might be seen as just Sione’s brother by many but he looks a real talent and will likely be in the Scotland squad again this summer Super physical outing from the imperious forward He just rolled his sleeves up and got stuck into the battle up front You feel his side wouldn’t have been in the contest as much as they were if not for the Scotland lock’s efforts Brilliant, simply brilliant. The England star seemed on a personal vendetta to destroy Price at every turn, which the Scotland nine reacted to in good jest to his credit, and that fuelled a breathtaking performance on the eve of the Lions squad announcement. He just took names with every tackle, and complemented that with some nice carries and grabbed a try for his efforts. Just superb, again, from Underhill A really classy display from the ever-consistent Dunn Provided his side with a lovely platform at the set-piece put in the hard graft in the tight and fittingly notched two tries for his efforts He probably hasn’t won as many Test caps as he deserves but he’s been at the heart of Bath’s rise under Johann van Graan and he yet again showed his value to the team Cruelly picked up a knock at the end of his shift ‘Leadership not fit for purpose’ – World Rugby accused of ‘Machiavellian’ behaviour with latest Sevens revamp A lot of the focus pre-game was on Bath’s other Scot The centre always seemed to be around the action be it with some back-rower-esque turnovers decent carries or just linking Bath’s attack together well and he managed to leave his mark on proceedings as a result and he carried that on today with a great display off the bench His power helped Bath turn the tide of the battle up front and his desire to carry gave them a consistent battering ram to boot Something that was nice to see was his ball-playing skills too as he found himself involved in virtually all of Bath’s tries upon his arrival the Challenge Cup continues to deliver under the radar and this was yet another fine match in the competition This is what European competitions should be about both teams gunning for glory in a fire and brimstone affair Unfortunately came off after just four minutes with a head knock and didn’t return to the pitch Leinster vs Northampton Saints: How to watch, TV channel and live stream Copped a yellow card in the second-half after numerous team warnings which Bath took full advantage of with two tries These two tries ultimately sealed the win for Bath as well The South African prop was set to feature in Bath’s 23 this weekend but illness ruled him out at the 11th hour Given the depth available in the Bath front-row too missing out on game time will be a gutting blow for the prop Will Muir and Tom de Glanville both copped incredibly cheap yellow cards today which resulted in Bath conceding 14 points but nonetheless they gifted Edinburgh a lifeline in the contest Couldn’t quite replicate the work of the other centres on the pitch which is a shame considering he is a serious talent He was well-managed by the Edinburgh defence and showed glimpses of what he can do when given clean ball but on the whole wasn’t his best outing READ MORE: Leinster v Northampton Saints, LIVE: Follow the Champions Cup semi-final via our blog Underhill and Dunn tries give Bath 12-10 half-time lead; replacement Tuipulotu replies for Edinburgh in first half Dunn restores Bath's lead after penalty try put hosts in front; Barbeary extends visitors' advantage but Price hits back That was a pretty compelling way to start the European semi-final weekend Many people's favourites Leinster are minutes away from kicking off against Northampton Saints in a repeat of last year's European Champions Cup semi-final You can follow it here 91Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRussell v Farrell in final?published at 17:18 British Summer Time 3 May17:18 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath Andy NicolFormer Scotland and Bath scrum-half on BBC Radio Somerset Lyon have had a slightly better season but I think we would all like to see Racing and Finn Russell going up against Owen Farrell I don't think Bath will care who they play in the final but there would be a nice little narrative around Farrell against Russell 255Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'That was a battle'published at 17:17 British Summer Time 3 May17:17 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath Bath lock Charlie Ewels told Premier Sports: Europe is always more of a contest around the breakdown and the set-piece and we felt that today "I'm delighted we played our game stuck to our game and came out with the result." 203Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Semi-finals are about winning'published at 17:14 British Summer Time 3 May17:14 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath It got a bit tight when Ali Price scored and it became a three-point game but what did after that was really impressive Away from home you need to get that momentum back and Bath did that very well Johann van Graan won't be happy with some of the discipline and they will be disappointed they weren't as accurate as they have been but semi-finals are about winning and they did it in the end 243Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'It was a proper match'published at 17:10 British Summer Time 3 May17:10 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath Player of the match Sam Underhill told Premier Sports: I don't think the scoreline reflected how competitive it was "Edinburgh were brilliant on their goalline Their defence was very hard to break down and it was a proper match "I'm also very proud of out lads for finding a way." 484Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Bath will be very pleased'published at 17:07 British Summer Time 3 May17:07 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath They weren't at their best for maybe 60 minutes of that game but when Edinburgh scored that try through Ali Price they scored two tries and nullified anything Edinburgh had In the end they will be very pleased they have got to another final winning trophies is what this club is all about and they have got another chance to do that in Cardiff 437Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBath set for first European final since 2014published at 17:03 British Summer Time 3 May17:03 BST 3 MayFT: Edinburgh 24-39 Bath Bath will now be able to put their feet up and see who they will face at the Principality Stadium in the final on 23 May The other semi-final will be an all-French affair between Lyon and Racing 92 tomorrow 504Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFull-timepublished at 16:59 British Summer Time 3 May16:59 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 24-39 Bath The treble remains on for Bath as they head to the European Challenge Cup final but a powerful second-half display ultimately proved too much.# The hosts were right in the game for all but the last five minutes with some unbelievable defence 14020Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNo trypublished at 79 mins79 minsEdinburgh 24-39 Bath Paddy Harrison is sent away to the line for a consolation score But there's a knock on in the build-up and the home cheers are cut short 5529Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:57 British Summer Time 3 May16:57 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 17-39 Bath I was critical of Bath earlier for not being clinical enough but what they have done in the last 10 minutes has been so clinical They have taken this game away from Edinburgh when Edinburgh had a sniff 9914Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTry: Edinburgh 24-39 Bathpublished at 78 mins78 minsGuy Pepper A devastating run down the left touchline from Will Muir and a one-handed offload allows Guy Pepper to touch down in the left corner 27349Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted try: Edinburgh 24-34 Bathpublished at 75 mins75 minsNiall Annett (con Finn Russell) Bath pile on with a series of powerful carries hammering away for a chink in the Edinburgh line They hold out but the visitors have the penalty advantage And the replacement hooker Niall Annett burrows his way over near the posts Finn Russell kicks the conversion and that might well be that 22364Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 72 mins72 minsEdinburgh 24-27 Bath Edinburgh do well to field an awkward bouncing kick from Finn Russell in front of their line but a great chase from Alfie Barbeary earns a penalty 12139Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGrandstand finalepublished at 70 mins70 minsEdinburgh 24-27 Bath but again they have been pegged back by a bit of sloppiness and more quick-thinking from the Scottish side 8935Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:42 British Summer Time 3 May16:42 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 24-27 Bath When you get two scores up you think the next score wins it for you but then the converse is so true as well That came out of nothing for Edinburgh but it was good play 7244Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted try: Edinburgh 24-27 Bathpublished at 65 mins65 minsAli Price Bath seem to switch off again after they're pinged for a high tackle Edinburgh again take the penalty quickly and Ali Price is sent away and takes two tacklers over the line with him 12493Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:40 British Summer Time 3 May16:40 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 17-27 Bath That two-point margin that Bath did have is now a two-score margin 3616Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPenaltypublished at 16:39 British Summer Time 3 May16:39 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 17-27 Bath Edinburgh are struggling to get out of their own 22 The replacements have really turned the screw as Bath force another penalty Finn Russell takes the points and it's a two-score game 5031Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:37 British Summer Time 3 May16:37 BST 3 MayEdinburgh 17-24 Bath as has Ted Hill but Alfie Barbeary carried the ball a number of times in those phases close to the line and then made a good decision to come away from it He wasn't just going for the one-yard peel around the side - it was good decision-making 4213Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTry: Edinburgh 17-24 Bathpublished at 59 mins59 minsAlfie Barbeary Bath have unleashed the power game after the break and go seven points clear after another immense show of strength in the Edinburgh 22 Bath move the ball out of the left where Alfie Barbeary twists Bath player ratings: Bath ultimately had too much power for Edinburgh as they reached their fifth European Challenge Cup final The Premiership leaders have lost three of their four previous Challenge Cup finals, including their last one against Northampton in 2014 But they will return to the Welsh capital to face either Lyon or Racing 92 in the final on 23 May looking well set for the second trophy of a possible treble this season Here is how the Bath players rated: Tom de Glanville – 6A composed presence at the back for the most part bringing the ball out of defence with purpose but his deliberate knock-on of Goosen’s probable try-scoring pass to Graham cost him 10 minutes in the bin and his side a penalty try 14. Joe Cokanasiga – 5.5A major threat in the air chasing Spencer’s box-kicks effectively and using his height to get above Edinburgh’s smaller back three But not really seen as an attacking threat with ball in hand 13. Cameron Redpath – 6Escaped any sanction for a marginally high hit on Watson but showed his defensive savvy to win a first-half penalty over the ball Incisive with his passing when Bath used their backs 12. Will Butt – 5.5A fairly muted presence in midfield until smashing back Sykes in a thumping double-tackle with Pepper in the final quarter 11. Will Muir – 6Yellow-carded for a ruck infringement after 13 minutes and Bath conceded seven points in his absence Seemed determined to make up for it with some big hits in defence and escaped down the left to send Pepper in for a try late on 10. Finn Russell – 6.5A mixed back from the maestro. Denied his old Glasgow flatmate Price an early try by covering back and some pinpoint passing to get Bath on the front foot missed a rare drop-goal attempt and landed four from seven at goal 9. Ben Spencer – 7Composed head in the heat of battle directing his forwards around the pitch and some well-directed box-kicks to change the point of attack Ben Obano – 7.5Plenty of power and punishing carries from the loosehead who was an influential presence in the loose and at the set-piece Had a second-half try ruled out by the TMO after Price got his arm underneath the ball 2. Tom Dunn – 8A totemic presence for the visitors Forced his way over for Bath’s second try from a driving maul as Bath’s weight of first-half pressure belatedly told and claimed another – his eighth try of the season – to put Bath back in the ascendancy before trooping off after 57 minutes 3. Will Stuart – 6.5Drafted into the starting team in a late front-row reshuffle, the England prop was part of a powerful Bath tight five that turned the screw with some punishing mauls Not too much of his fancy footwork with ball in hand 4. Quinn Roux – 7A bruising presence who brought belligerence and a ruthless streak to Bath’s pack helping establish a set-piece platform and some big hits in defence 5. Charlie Ewels – 7.5Showed his soft skills with a lovely one-handed offload to put Underhill over for the opening try graft and set-piece prowess in the second row 6. Guy Pepper – 8Capped off a thunderous high-energy display by finishing off Bath’s sixth try late on having brought plenty to the party with his carrying and industry at the breakdown 7. Sam Underhill – 9The most influential man on the field taking the lineout and then finishing smartly from Ewels’ offload A fumbled lineout with eight minutes left was perhaps his only blemish in a highly accomplished display featuring 14 carries and 13 tackles 8. Miles Reid – 7Carried strongly from the base of the scrum on several occasions and always on hand to take a pass with 16 carries in all before being replaced by Barbeary 16. Niall Annett – 7Helped himself to a try as Bath’s forward dominance continued with a strong impact from their bench 17. Thomas du Toit – 6.5Originally due to start at tighthead but a late switch saw him move to the bench Kept the power ratio high when he replaced Obano for final half-hour 18. Archie Griffin – 6Plenty of energy from the young Welsh tighthead 19. Ross Molony – 5Came on for Ewels for the last 16 minutes; plenty of industry 20. Ted Hill – 6Replaced Roux for the final half-hour 21. Louis Schreuder – N/AOnly on for the last few minutes 22. Ciaran Donoghue – 5Replaced Cokanasiga for the last 10 minutes A surge of pace helped create the final try 23. Alfie Barbeary – 7Tremendous impact from the No.8 after taking over from Reid barrelling over for a decisive try and winning an important penalty late on Owen Farrell will line up at inside centre for Racing 92 in Sunday’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final against Lyon — the first time this season he’ll wear the No I cannot thank CyberPoint enough for their incredible assistance in recovering my stolen Bitcoin I felt utterly defeated and never thought I would see my funds again after reaching out to CyberPoint Recovery Company I was amazed at their professionalism and dedication They successfully helped me recover my stolen funds and I am forever grateful for their support I highly encourage you to contact CyberPoint Recovery Company E.m.a.i.l: support(@)cyberpointrecovery(.)com Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final turned out to be a huge disappointment for Edinburgh as the Scottish club surrendered an early 17-12 second-half lead at home to lose 39-24 to Bath Here is how we rated Sean Everitt’s beaten team his most influential moment came when his early second-half pass to Darcy Graham was illegally slapped down resulting in a yellow card for Tom de Glanville and a penalty try 14 Darcy Graham: Made try-saving tackles in the opening half on Sam Underhill and Will Muir either side of his downfield hack becoming the genesis for Edinburgh’s opening try when Finn Russell’s clearance led to sub Mosese Tuipulotu scoring 13 Matt Currie: Announced himself with his steal of a Russell pass, leading to the yellow-carded penalty against Muir at a critical stage after a slow Edinburgh start Was excellent in taking the quick lineout that led to Tuipulotu’s try 12 James Lang: Saved his best moment until the last moment of the first half when he attacked off an edge in his 22 and then glided past Muir with a crafty dummy Battled hard but the pressure became too much as evidenced by the way he couldn’t stop the Muir offload for the final Bath try 11 Harry Paterson: Sadly lasted less than three minutes He made a clever intercept in his 22 to pierce Bath’s initial pressure and followed it with a sweet offload in the tackle his head smacked off the ground after he released the ball and the resulting failed HIA ended his involvement Leinster v Northampton Saints, LIVE: Follow the Champions Cup semi-final via our blog 10 Ross Thompson: Edinburgh’s early jitters were encapsulated by him hitting the upright with a straightforward seventh-minute penalty Eventually settled and played vital parts in a couple of tries His acceleration to exploit space for the 65th-minute Ali Price score was impressive 9 Ali Price: Another who endured an underwhelming start – he shanked a fourth-minute kick ahead to ruin a try chance he too bounced back influentially and despite some punishment from the clattering Underhill he can take pride in how he denied Beno Obano a 49th-minute try before then handing Edinburgh a lifeline with his own score 15 minutes from time 8 Magnus Bradbury: Had his work cut out with Bath starting three opensides in Underhill but his defiant impacts gradually got Edinburgh into the contest after a sluggish opening Will be disappointed he couldn’t get low enough to prevent Tom Dunn from scoring one of his two tries 7 Hamish Watson: Produced a couple of trademark moments such as driving Muir back with Bradbury on 29 minutes and then winning a 50th-minute penalty turnover on the Edinburgh line with Dunn threatening but ran out of steam and exited 19 minutes before the end 6 Jamie Ritchie: Another reliable player who had a shaky start, fumbling a Russell kick and then tackling Underhill without the ball in the lead-up to the opening Bath try Rebounded from there to help his team take a deserved early second-half lead but he will rue the penalty he conceded for tackling de Glanville in the air near halfway on 71 minutes with the score poised at 24-27 That was the beginning of the end for his team 5 Grant Gilchrist: An afternoon where his gritty impacts counted for a lot in making his team so competitive for so long against the Premiership leaders His intelligence was seen in a fleeting carry near halfway five minutes before the break and his team finished the half some minutes later with a score 4 Sam Skinner: The foreman of the breakdown his excellence was illustrated by the 24th-minute penalty-winning turnover near his team’s posts His contribution was cruelly ended though as the pressure ignited by sub Javan Sebastian’s silly penalty led to the lock getting sin-binned on 49 minutes with the infringements mounting 3 D’arcy Rae: Not an outing for the tighthead to reflect with fondness on as a couple of scrum penalties under pressure from Obano blotted the report card for his 44-minute contribution 2 Ewan Ashman: Had to shoulder significant blame for a misfiring lineout during his 56 minutes as the regrets even included a rash decision to throw low to the front and lose possession midway through the opening half in sucking Bath in for the penalty try on the other side of the field 1 Pierre Schoeman: Showed well in the early exchanges with his appetite to carry but his engine had slowed down by the time he was hooked 14 minutes into the second half can feel pleased with his try but subs such as props Sebastian and Boan Venter made costly errors was illegal blocking at the restart after his team had just gone in front This lack of pep from the bench then ended with Ben Muncaster not getting low enough to prevent Niall Annett from scoring READ MORE: Edinburgh v Bath: Winners and losers as flanker’s ‘personal vendetta’ boosts Lions hopes while Scottish centres ‘steal the show’ Our winners and losers from the Six Nations epic between England and Scotland at Twickenham Scotland have issued a major squad announcement ahead of their clash with England this weekend Scotland talisman Finn Russell enjoyed a fruitful return to his homeland as Bath eventually wore down spirited Edinburgh to reach their first European final in 11 years with a 39-24 EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final victory The runaway Gallagher Premiership leaders – undermined by losing players to untimely yellow cards in each half – trailed 17-12 in the third quarter as the United Rugby Championship strugglers threatened an upset at The Hive But Bath’s power ultimately paid off, with all six of their tries scored by forwards, as they set up a showdown with the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between Top 14 sides Lyon and Racing 92 in the final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday Edinburgh – bidding to reach a European final for the first time in a decade – started strongly and Ali Price spurned an early chance to burst over on the right before Ross Thompson saw a close-range penalty come back off the post The hosts were made to pay when Bath went ahead in the 10th minute as Sam Underhill pushed over from close range The visitors’ hopes of building on their lead were dented when wing Will Muir was yellow-carded in the 13th minute for an infringement in the ruck Edinburgh capitalised on the extra-man advantage in the 19th minute as Mosese Tuipulotu – an early replacement for the injured Harry Paterson – finished off on the left after Bath were caught out by a quickly-taken lineout With Muir returning to the fray, Bath started to reassert themselves and they went back in front in the 31st minute when Tom Dunn scored off the back of a lineout maul Russell was off target with his conversion attempt The Scots had a let-off when Beno Obano’s try was deemed to have been held up following a TMO review. But Edinburgh lock Sam Skinner was yellow-carded to even things up at 14 v 14 and Bath edged themselves back in front in the 54th minute when Dunn got his second of the match off a lineout maul Replacement Alfie Barbeary tightened Bath’s grip with a score just before the hour Russell was on target a few minutes later with a penalty to open up a 10-point advantage having spent a sustained period on the back foot suddenly sparked back to life and Price bolted over in the 65th minute But substitute hooker Niall Annett took the game beyond the hosts with a close-range finish, converted by Russell, before Guy Pepper completed the scoring in the dying moments A REDUCTION in the number of players unavailable this week to 14 has allowed Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt to bolster his match-day squad with international experience ahead of tomorrow [Saturday] afternoon’s eagerly anticipated EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final versus Bath Every member of the starting XV apart from West Goosen has been capped by Scotland Charlie Shiel and Mosese Tuipulotu are the only uncapped players on the bench with Finn Russell returning to the starting XV at stand-off while his Scotland midfield team-mate Cam Redpath is at outside-centre while Joe Cokanasiga returns from injury to add some pace and power to the wing Scotland back -row Josh Bayliss is not involved Hamish Watson to return for at least one more season TOL Pod Episode 39: Bath time with Duncan Hodge Pierre Schoeman and Jamie Ritchie return from rest week’s to start at loose-head prop and blindside flanker while Grant Gilchrist comes back into the frontline to captain the side from the second-row having started last weekend’s draw away to Zebre on the bench Ritchie’s return means that Ben Muncaster shifts to the bench and wunderkind Freddy Douglas drops out of the match-day 23 while Marshall Sykes has recovered from the foot injury he suffered at the end of March to add his bulk to the squad as second-row replacement Ewan Ashman swaps in at hooker with Patrick Harrison dropping to the bencg The only change in the starting backline is the return from a back injury of Goosen at full-back meaning Harry Paterson – who signed a new contract with the club this week – moves to the left wing and teenager Jack Brown misses out Ben Healy comes in as stand-off cover and is set to make his first appearance since suffering a knee injury in mi-February, taking over the No 22 jersey from Cammy Scott, who is out with a groin injury following that last-gasp conversion which secured that draw in Italy last weekend. back-row Luke Crosbie (who has a pec injury)  full-back Emiliano Boffelli (who is still out with a hamstring injury) and tight-head prop Paul Hill (who has a back issue) Everitt acknowledged the magnitude of the occasion for a club desperate to build on some positive recent performance and to shed the ‘underachievers’ tag which has followed them around for several seasons now – but the south African stressed that calm and clear heads will be key to upsetting the current English Premiership top-dogs who will have Finn Russell lining up at stand-off “I think it’s more about composure during the week and preparing as per normal They’re all aware of the magnitude of the game anyway and fortunately we’ve had a few weeks of practice with regards to that but obviously no motivation needed when you get to the semi-final,” said Everitt This game presents Edinburgh with an opportunity to reach a final for the first time since 2015, when they fell to Gloucester at the final hurdle of the Challenge Cup (with openside flanker Hamish Watson and win trophies and win big competitions,” added Everitt “When I came in we had one-on-one introductory meetings with the players and it was something that they were all wanting to achieve And they’ve got an opportunity now to get into a final These opportunities don’t come around that often That’s why when you get to semi-finals and finals they can be 50-50 affairs.” We know that Bath are the form team in the Premiership by some way They’ve put to bed a lot of good teams in the Premiership they get stronger as the game goes on – they were able to score quite a few tries in the last 20 minutes in the game against Newcastle we’ve got experienced players within our group so we’re not daunted by the task ahead of us It’s just going to be a great challenge to measure ourselves with the best in England Edinburgh Rugby (versus Bath @ Hive Stadium on Saturday @ 3pm – live on Premier Sports): W Goosen; D Graham Unavailable for Edinburgh: Emiliano Boffellli (hamstring) Challenge Cup: Edinburgh v Bath: Finn Russell unfazed by Lions furore, says Johann van Graan Quite a decent side out despite the injury list which thankly doesnt impact the starting 15 too much Also some decent changes on the bench up front so can bring some fresh legs I hear the comments about Freddy but he will get plenty chances in the future and this is the best side for the day Despite Baths form we have every right to believe we can win this one if we play to our best – home advantage with a full house at the Hive and a bit of luck Vellacott,Cherry and Hill would be likely starters and Boff under other circumstances would make game a very different proposition I’m optimistic we have a good chance here Personally I’d have Douglas and Muncaster starting but it’s easy for me to say from my beanbag in the 🌞 in my Jarrow garden Congratulations to Wes Goosen on his hitherto unannounced Scotland cap Can’t believe you kept that one quiet until now I do think Edinburgh will miss Vellacott though – and what a pity to see Cammy Scott join the injury list after only a few minutes play given they’re clearly going all out with their squad and already have the Prem sewn up But hopefully they can make a decent game of it in front of the home support Could just do with Finn having one of his off days for this one… Freddy Douglas getting some good experience in the stands with the fans Is there somebody obvious you would drop to give him a place though but Edinburgh aren’t really flexible enough with their backs to do a 6-2 Not something to try for the remaining games but I think a 6-2 split could suit Edinburgh next season Our forward depth is very strong to support a 6/2 with rotating Bradbury/Watson and Muncaster/Douglas between starters and bench It would give Carmichael and McConnell more opportunities for game time as well Goosen played 130 for the Hurricanes and covers the rest of the back-three It would ultimately come down to how well Lang and Scott can adjust to their alternative positions I expect Scott to mature more next season and step up And I think Lang could do a job as 10 cover (when needed) as he has done for Harlequins and (I think) Scotland in the past He’s never going to get the same development opportunities as Pollock down south or some of the French U20s and that’s due to the limitations of having only two professional teams Pollock only plays for one team as does each of the French U20s The diff is they consistently pick the best players irrespective of age Those are the tough decisions that are going to have to be made otherwise it’s going to be very difficult to let players reach their potential Edinburgh need a totally different way of thinking about youth The lesson of losing Darge hasn’t been taken on Darge is the most over hyped player of all time Another reason Everitt needs to go at the end of the season The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response The West of England has elected its new mayor: Labour’s Helen Godwin She received 51,197 votes from across the region leaving Reform UK's Arron Banks a close second place with 45,252 votes Ms Godwin said: "It genuinely is the honour of my life to be your new West of England Mayor." But the West of England is a politically diverse region and the story was dramatically different across the three council areas: Bath and North East Somerset Each different area was won by a different political party Although only the overall vote count is what matters here is how your area voted for the West of England Mayor yesterday: The Liberal Democrats held their heartlands in Bath and North East Somerset with Oli Heman — a Liberal Democrat councillor on Bath and North East Somerset — getting more than a thousand votes more than next closest Labour A local Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “This shows continued support for the Lib Dems in B&NES and the policies they are delivering The Lib Dems are best placed to withstand the national Reform surge.” The result in Bath and North East Somerset had three parties neck and neck for second place and the Conservative all within 250 votes of each other Bristol was the only council that overall winner Labour won at the council level — with the Green Party close behind The Greens hoped to ride a wave of recent electoral success in Bristol, where last year the Green Party won the council and its co-leader Carla Denyer won Bristol Central in the general election. But Green Party candidate Mary Page said she was “absolutely stoked” by the fact the Greens came second in Bristol She said: “Our campaign was run on a shoestring It was pulled together last minute because I had to be that replacement candidate and needs must and I stepped up they have worked their shoe leather off and we have run something from scratch and it just shows what we can do.” Bristol is the most populous area in the combined authority and makes up just under half of all the people who live (and vote) in the West of England Arron Banks won a clear victory in his local South Gloucestershire. Despite not winning overall, the Brexit donor who owns Old Down Court, described Reform’s performance in the West of England as “pretty epic.” He said: “Bristol and Bath should not be natural Reform territory and we aced it.” He told the count: "There is a tidal wave going on in the UK at the moment We have seen Reform victory after Reform victory." Ms Godwin told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It was always going to be close; we knew that." As West of England Metro Mayor, she will now head the West of England Combined Authority putting her in control of transport and allocating millions of pounds of investment across Bath and North East Somerset Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge is set to bring his signature smoky flavours to Bath as part of this year’s Bath Restaurant Week sharing expert tips on outdoor cooking in a special live appearance The Michelin-starred chef will take centre stage at St Swithin’s Church in Walcot on Thursday where he will showcase recipes from his latest release The event is hosted by Bath Festivals and promises to be a highlight for food enthusiasts keen to master the grill this summer Tickets for the evening cost £30 and include a copy of the book which features 80 recipes designed for fire and coals from harissa mayonnaise-laced prawns to sticky glazed chipolatas Standard tickets without the book are also available for £14 Tom offers insight into cooking techniques that deliver flavour and texture without fuss including how to grill fish without it breaking up and how to bring smoky depth to vegetables such as aubergines and potatoes The event is part of the inaugural Bath Restaurant Week the initiative sees eateries across the city offering discounts and special menus to encourage diners to explore the local food scene Participating venues include a mix of pubs Full event and offer details are available at www.bathrestaurantweek.com Bath Festivals, the arts charity behind the Bath Literature Festival and Bath Music Festival, is organising the event. Both festivals open on Saturday, May 17 and offer ten days of literary and musical performances. Further information is at bathfestivals.org.uk and tickets are available via Bath Box Office on 01225 463362 Also appearing in Bath this May are broadcaster Jeremy Vine who will present his debut murder mystery Murder on Line One at Waterstones on Wednesday May 24 about her latest novel By Your Side MATCH REPORT: Bath outscored Edinburgh by six tries to three at Edinburgh Stadium on Saturday to book their place in the Challenge Cup Final The scoreline may flatter Bath as Edinburgh stayed in the fight throughout the match but Bath capitalised better of the two sides when afforded the opportunity Bath applied the pressure early with their ball-in-hand approach but Harry Patterson intercepted the ball five metres from Edinburgh’s line as Bath looked set to score and worked his side into Bath’s half Ali Price squandered a scoring opportunity by kicking a loose ball too deep with no one ahead of him but the try line in the opening five minutes The first penalty of the match went the way of the hosts Flyhalf Ross Thompson hit the posts from right in front Jamie Ritchie dropped a high ball cold which gifted Bath an attacking scrum The visitors earned the penalty and opted for the line-out inside Edinburgh’s 22-metre area Bath had a free play with a penalty advantage but it wasn’t required as flanker Sam Underhill ran a strong line to take a crash ball from Ben Spencer and dived over for the opening try Finn Russell converted the score in the 10th minute Finn Russell who controlled matters well for most of the match had his pass intercepted by Matt Currie before Will Muir kicked the ball back to Bath’s side from a ruck it was deemed to be cynical play as he came from an offside position after a line break and Muir was sent to the sin-bin in the 13th minute An opportunistic piece of play by Edinburgh saw a quick line-out throw-in taken by Matt Currie which led to Mosese Tuipulotu opening Edinburgh’s account in the 19th minute Bath looked to strike back but a desperate cover tackle saved the day for the hosts Edinburgh’s defensive line-out that followed was sloppy and taken back onto their in-goal area effectively gifting Bath an attacking scrum The visitors bashed away at Edinburgh’s line after Reid broke away from the back of the scrum but the hosts’ defensive work paid dividends as Bath ended up knocking the ball on when they opted to go wide on attack had another attacking opportunity thanks to Sam Underhill’s breakdown work when Edinburgh tried to play from deep The visitors set the rolling maul and scored their second try in the 31st minute courtesy of hooker Tom Dunn A penalty to Edinburgh for not rolling away gave the hosts an attacking line-out maul Another penalty went the way of the hosts on attack for offside play before a scuffle broke out between the two sides Edinburgh opted for the shot at goal which Thompson slotted in the 38th minute to close the gap to two points That proved to be the final scoring in the first half The second half started with drama three minutes into the match Glasgow attacked out wide before Wes Goosen’s pass was deliberately knocked on by his opposite number Tom de Glanville as the Bath fullback was yellow-carded and the hosts earned a penalty try Bath didn’t lie down as they earned a penalty for obstruction after the restart The visitors attacked and earned another penalty for offside The visitors took the quick tap penalty and earned another penalty that saw the inevitable double blast by the referee who warned the hosts to clean up their behaviour Bath took the quick tap penalty again and bashed away at Edinburgh’s line for multiple phases until the dam wall broke when Ben Obano crashed over and touched down Following a lengthy TMO consultation the try was chalked off as the ball had been viewed to be held up over the line by Ali Price Moments later Edinburgh conceded another red zone penalty and Sam Skinner was given a yellow card in the 48th minute Bath went to the line and formed a powerful rolling maul which went down centimetres from Edinburgh’s line before Hamish Watson went in over the ball and won a crucial breakdown penalty to save the day The visitors had multiple scoring opportunities but Edinburgh managed to keep them at bay for the majority of the time Tom Dunn got the ball down for a brace off a rolling maul in the 53rd minute to draw the scores level Finn Russell added the extras to reclaim the lead for his side The momentum shifted immediately to Bath following Dunn’s second score Edinburgh conceded another penalty inside their half as Bath went for the five-metre line-out Bath kept things tight with the forwards and replacement Alfie Barbeary dotted the ball down to extend the lead in the 60th minute which Russell failed to convert A post shared by EPCR Challenge Cup (@epcr_challengecup) Another penalty to Bath saw Russell make it a 10-point match with 16 minutes remaining in the match Edinburgh refused to lie down when their halfback combination made some magic Ross Thompson made a line break and got his pass away to Ali Price who dotted down in the 65th minute Play went back and forth between the two sides but Finn Russell showed his class with clever kicks in behind the Edinburgh backfield defence The hosts outside backs found themselves isolated and conceded a penalty for holding on Bath opted for the corner in the 73rd minute Edinburgh sacked the maul successfully from the outset as Bath kept matters tight with their forwards as they did throughout the match before Edinburgh conceded a penalty for offside Bath took a quick tap penalty and it paid off when replacement hooker Niall Annett dotted down next to the posts which Russel converted to make it a 10-point match with less than four minutes of playing time left The visitors put the cherry on the cake when Tom de Glanville scooped up a loose ball and got it wide as Guy Pepper sealed the deal with a minute to go Paddy Harrison thought he had scored off the restart but there was a knock on before the play Bath had one final scrum inside their half as the clock ticked into the red and the visitors earned a penalty which Russell tapped and kicked out to end proceedings Penalty try does not require a conversionCons: Thompson 2Pens: Thompson Yellow cards: Will Muir (Bath: Cynical play – kicking the ball out of the breakdown after a line break 13′) Tom de Glanville (Bath: Cynical play – deliberate knock on with a line break opportunity) Sam Skinner (Edinburgh: Team warning – repeated infringements 48′) 1 Pierre Schoeman.Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison 1 Beno Obano.Replacements: 16 Niall Annett Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GeorgiaAssistant referee: Ludovic Cayre (France) Craig Evans (Wales)TMO: Eric Gauzins (France) Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players and let us know what you think!  Get weekly Rugby Updates direct to your inbox All the Rugby365 articles and news you love ODD Down (Bath) Development continued their brilliant form this season by winning the Mid Somerset Football League’s Moorland Cup. In the final played at Glastonbury, Odd Down were 3-1 winners against Chilcompton United in an entertaining game. Comments Tel: 01761 258030[email protected]Follow us Further Links Owned or licensed to Tindle Newspapers Ltd | Independent Family-Owned Newspapers | Copyright & Trade Mark Notice & 2013 - 2025 Edinburgh Rugby’s hopes of reaching a second EPCR Challenge Cup final were extinguished on Saturday as Bath left Hive Stadium with a 39–24 win — a scoreline that tells only part of the story on a compelling afternoon in the Scottish capital Edinburgh matched the English Premiership leaders for large spells and even led early in the second half but the power of Bath’s pack and the influence of their bench proved decisive All six of Bath’s tries came through their forwards as they eventually wore down the home side in the closing minutes The first points nearly went Edinburgh’s way when Ross Thompson struck the post with an early penalty Bath capitalised when Jamie Ritchie spilled a drop-out A scrum penalty led to Sam Underhill crashing over for the opening try Will Muir was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball out of Matt Currie’s hands on the floor and Edinburgh responded while Bath were a man down A quick line-out released Currie down the left and he fed Mosese Tuipulotu — an early replacement for Harry Paterson who failed his HIA — for the levelling try Bath retook the lead when Tom Dunn scored the first of two nearly identical tries from powerful mauls Thompson slotted a penalty to keep it tight at the break Edinburgh flew out of the blocks after half-time A flowing move wide saw Wes Goosen attempt to put Darcy Graham away only for Tom de Glanville to deliberately knock on Referee Nika Amashukeli awarded a penalty try and sent the Bath full-back to the bin Beno Obano was held up over the line after a strong carry and then Edinburgh lost Sam Skinner to a yellow card for repeated infringements Bath struck through Dunn again before Alfie Barbeary added another from close range A Finn Russell penalty extended Bath’s lead to ten Thompson ghosted through a midfield gap and timed his pass perfectly to Ali Price who finished well to make it 29–24 with 15 minutes to play it remained a one-score game — and a late Edinburgh penalty might have taken the tie to extra time — but Bath’s pack had the final word Niall Annett and then Guy Pepper crossed in the final minutes to settle the outcome and send Bath to the final in London Edinburgh now turn their attention back to the URC and a final push for the playoffs they will take encouragement from the resilience shown in patches against one of the continent’s strongest sides Subscribe to the SCRUM digital magazine for the must-know rugby stories The UK’s largest free celebration of the natural world is returning for its 22nd year — and in 2025 Bath will play host to the opening weekend of a festival now focused on water the city will be awash with events highlighting the role of rivers and streams in sustaining both people and wildlife This year’s Festival of Nature is diving into its theme by celebrating the newly launched Bath Riverline a riverside trail connecting green spaces through the heart of the city Activities will take place across nine days with most events free and open to all ages Attendees can expect paddleboarding on the River Avon all aimed at deepening public appreciation of the natural importance of water Organisers are encouraging participants to engage with the river not just as a backdrop The event’s launch weekend in Bath will include a Family Day at SouthGate on Saturday, June 7, with parades, stalls, crafts and entertainment for all ages. On Sunday, June 8, attendees can try kayaking and paddleboarding, led by outdoor experts Original Wild or watch an outdoor screening of River (2021) at Bath Quays followed by a Q&A session on local waterway protection Other highlights include a panel discussion on nature and wellbeing at Mission Theatre on Tuesday a late-night photography exhibition created by Bath Spa University students on Wednesday and a guided wildlife walk led by Lucy Starling along the riverside on Thursday the Bath Artists Studio will host One Drop an interactive art installation exploring community care for water Savita Willmott, chief executive of the Natural History Consortium said: “We’re so excited to unveil this year’s Festival of Nature our most ambitious programme yet kicking off in Bath with a celebration of the city’s iconic river “We decided to focus on the theme of water this year both in response to concerning recent news and in celebration of the local river restoration projects and new Bath Riverline so this year’s programme gives festival goers the opportunity to discover the importance of water spaces and water journeys in supporting nature "The festival has grown so much over 22 years but it remains rooted in the idea that nature should be accessible But we know that many of them will get booked up so we urge people to check out the programme now and book their tickets to ensure they do not miss out.” BATH pulled the plug on Edinburgh’s European dream after a dominant second half saw the English side book their place in the Challenge Cup final Associated Newspapers Limited is a company registered in England and Wales (Company No By continuing you agree that your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy This monumental fixture was made all the better for both teams as they fought for their first final in over ten years The two teams opened the game with good intensity but Edinburgh did well to repel any Bath efforts Bath seemed to lack accuracy for the first half and did not look like themselves in the early stages Harry Paterson unfortunately exited the field early in the first half for a HIA This is concerning for Paterson as this will be his second head injury this season Cameron Redpath then luckily avoided ten minutes on the sidelines after a big hit on Hamish Watson in the fifth minute The first real scoring opportunity came from an excellent break by Ali Price who stormed past Russell After an unlucky kick of the ball he failed to regather it Edinburgh had the chance to to put themselves in the lead just six minutes in but a lapse in concentration for Thompson meant the ball hit the right-hand side post and went out for a Bath 22m drop out dropped ball from Jamie Ritchie allowed Bath to set themselves up in the corner and Sam Underhill barrelled over for the opening score but it was intercepted and eventually lead to a yellow card for inform winger Will Muir – leaving his side with 14 men for the next ten minutes Pressure through Goosen and then a nice kick into the Bath 22 meant Russell incorrectly struck a clearance kick Bath switched off for a second and Edinburgh didn’t need a second invitation They took the quick lineout and a couple two on ones put substitute Tuipulotu in bring it to seven points each Only twenty minutes in the momentum had not quite settled yet with some impressive attacking awareness by the Edinburgh backs and dominate scrummaging from the Bath pack It was a matter of who could keep the other out for the longest at this point With Bath dominating possession and territory they were able to pin Edinburgh on their line with Edinburgh initially holding strong led to hooker Tom Dunn smashing his way over Bath now had control on the pitch and the scoreboard as Bath gave up another unnecessary penalty but Thompson did convert for another three points with inaccuracy being Bath’s downfall and missed opportunities from Edinburgh In the end though Finn Russell and his side edged out the home team with a try and some excellent control across the pitch Bath continued to cause themselves problems as just 3 minutes into the second half De Glanville slapped the ball down during a scoring opportunity for Darcy Graham The fullback received Bath’s second yellow card and a penalty try was awarded for Edinburgh The Hive was erupting every chance they could and it was no different upon the ref going against his on-field decision to deny Bath a try This felt like the wind had been taken out of Bath’s sails slightly as they had another chance in the same spot Bath quickly patched themselves up though and the third time was the charm; Bath finally got something for their efforts A strong driving maul got Dunn his second of the match and pull Bath in front Bath was magnetised to the top left corner after a few phases Barbeary managed to spin his way over the line putting a big hole in Edinburgh’s chances of finding their way back into the game Bath opted for the posts instead of the corner only once following another unsuccessful attempt at the line Finn Russell twisted the knife further as he scored another three points Edinburgh continued to show they will not sit down as some electric phases led to Thompson spotting a gap to dart through Price was waiting on his shoulder and was able to wrestle it down even after being met with a strong resistance The intensity of the game skyrocketed in the final 15 minutes with both teams fighting for everything A big cause of that was Bath’s bench coming on and making an instant impact An obvious one of note being Alfie Barbeary It wasn’t long before Edinburgh found themselves defending on their line again and just as they did all game they defended with pride after several phases replacement hooker Niall Annett burrowed over beside the posts Will Muir showed the Hive why he is on form as he galloped down the left side touchline only to be stopped at the try line and give a one-handed offload to Guy Pepper who dived over Bath had shut the game down long before this but their final try was the cherry on top that broke Edinburgh fans hearts at home once again Paddy Harrison nearly picked up a consolation try in the dying embers of the game Nothing more coming from Edinburgh for the remainder of the time Edinburgh – P.Schoemann(B.Venter 53”) Log in to leave a comment This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Edinburgh Reporter brings you news all about Edinburgh by Frank Nickson  Saturday 3 May 2025 Bath Rugby delivered a commanding performance to defeat Edinburgh 39–24 in the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final at Hive Stadium booking their place in the final in Cardiff later this month In a match where forward dominance proved decisive Bath’s pack scored all six of their tries in a statement of intent against a resilient but outmatched Edinburgh side Bath wasted little time asserting themselves flanker Sam Underhill crashed over from close range setting the tone for a physically imposing performance Finn Russell added the conversion to make it 7–0 Edinburgh responded in the 19th minute when centre Mosese Tuipulotu broke through Bath’s defence to touch down with Ross Thompson slotting the extras to level the scores But Bath’s rolling maul soon proved too much for the hosts hooker Tom Dunn drove over from a well-controlled maul Edinburgh continued to fight and narrowed the gap before the break with a well-struck penalty from Thompson making it 12–10 at halftime in Bath's favour Edinburgh were awarded a penalty try in the 43rd minute after a deliberate knock-on by Tom de Glanville near the line and Edinburgh briefly snatched a 17–12 lead Tom Dunn scored his second try of the match in the 53rd minute and this time Russell added the conversion to put Bath back in front The English side extended their lead in the 60th minute through Alfie Barbeary who powered over following sustained pressure Russell soon added a penalty to stretch the advantage Edinburgh showed spirit with Ali Price darting over in the 65th minute and Thompson’s conversion reduced the deficit to 27–24 But Bath's forwards had more left in the tank replacement hooker Niall Annett crossed in the 76th minute following another dominant maul Guy Pepper dotted down to cap off a remarkable display by Bath's pack The first ever Big Day Out will see Bears host Bath in a huge derby clash at Principality Stadium on Saturday May 10th (3.05pm KO) – here’s everything you need to know The blockbuster derby clash IS included in your 2024/25 Season Ticket as Bear Country takes over Cardiff for this historic showdown at one of the world’s greatest rugby arenas Season Ticket holders can still claim their free ticket as well as receiving a 10% discount to buy additional tickets for friends and family Tickets are available from £25 for adults and £10 for Under-12s while there’s also a 20% discount for groups of eight or more and even bigger discounts for large groups Your Big Day Out tickets will be emailed to you as PDF tickets and you should expect to receive them no later than 7 days before the fixture They will be sent by ‘tickets@bristol-sport.co.uk’ and please check your junk/spam folders The tickets can either be printed out or scanned directly from a phone to gain entry on the day if you have booked tickets in multiple transactions you will receive your tickets in separate emails that could be sent on different days Check our full matchday schedule to plan your Big Day Out Bristol Bears Community Foundation is hosting an Under-8s Rugby Festival for our local clubs at Cardiff Arms Park ahead of the inaugural Big Day Out on Saturday The Tag Rugby Festival will see 30 community clubs from the Foundation’s Club Connexion programme take to the pitch inspiring the next generation of young players before what promises to be a world-class event next door at Principality Stadium Youngsters who take part in the festival will be able to enjoy an action-packed morning of rugby at the Cardiff Arms Park giving them the chance to develop their skills Dance groups and schools will kick off Big Day Out in style in front of a bumper crowd at Principality Stadium with a special Join the Momentum Flashdance from 2.25pm Join the Momentum is a Nationwide programme which since 2014 has brought together thousands of children and young people to perform at iconic stadia across the UK at exciting sports events offering unique dance performance opportunities Get the Big Day Out party started with a live pre-match set from the critically-acclaimed global DJ star Eats Everything from 2.30pm as he brings his productions combining house garage and techno to one of the world’s leading rugby arenas Bristolian Eats Everything (AKA Daniel Pearce) will warm-up the West Country crowd with a unique 30-minute set following on from his appearances at Glastonbury Mercury Prize-nominated British alternative rock band Maxïmo Park will take centre stage at Big Day Out with an epic half-time performance at Principality Stadium Since releasing their breakthrough debut album ‘A Certain Trigger’ in 2005 the multi-platinum selling trio have been a staple of the British music scene thanks to their killer indie anthems such as ‘Apply Some Pressure’ “We love being asked to perform in unusual places or at unique events and the Big Day Out give us another opportunity to do that I’ve always wanted to visit the stadium but wasn’t expecting to sing on my first visit” said Maxïmo Park “We’re looking forward to entertaining this huge crowd while they consume their half-time refreshments and perhaps we’ll pick up a few new fans in the process.” Here’s everything you need to know about getting to Principality Stadium in Cardiff for Big Day Out as Bristol Bears host Bath Rugby on Saturday Our away fan coaches are an easy and direct way to reach the Principality Stadium A return seat costs just £20 with Season Ticket holders receiving a £5 discount Coaches will depart Nationwide at 11.15am and arrive in Cardiff at approximately 12.30pm on Museum Avenue a 15-minute walk from the Principality Stadium – plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere ahead of the 3.05pm kick-off Coaches will return from Museum Avenue 60 minutes after the final whistle There will be an accessible coach for supporters with disabilities and limited mobility dropping off at Fitzhamon Embankment near the Principality Stadium THERE WILL BE NO COACH TICKETS SOLD ON THE DAY OF THE MATCH Parking charges at Ashton Gate will apply except for supporters who have seasonal parking Many coach services that operate out of Bristol and Bath travel to Cardiff Megabus and Flixbus all operate from Bristol with journeys into central Cardiff Please check their individual websites to check journey options and book tickets Bristol Temple Meads Station will become Bear Country on Saturday May 10th with almost 10,000 extra train seats for fans heading to Cardiff for the hotly anticipated Big Day Out Cardiff Central Station is next to the Principality Stadium so take the train to ease the strain with eight additional services from Bristol Temple Meads Bath supporters can take advantage of five extra trains from Bath Spa and Chippenham to Cardiff (not calling at Bristol Temple Meads) GWR continues to operate connecting services to Temple Meads from surrounding areas Reservations will be required on journeys to Cardiff from Bristol Temple Meads Fans are strongly encouraged to book for the earliest service possible and allow plenty of time for their journey A queuing system will be in place on a first-come-first served service basis for the return trip and supporters should consider delaying their return from Cardiff Central to avoid waiting Fans who get on at Bristol Parkway can easily change at Bristol Temple Meads as there will be no direct train to Cardiff on matchday Principality is well connected to Cardiff and surrounding areas by an extensive public bus network The easiest way to plan your route is the Cardiffbus Journey Planner Many services across Cardiff are operated by Cardiffbus – you can find more information on their routes, timetables and fares here Bus routes may be impacted by road closures near the stadium, please check diversion routes and temporary bus stops by visiting Major City Centre Events – Cardiff Bus road closures and a high volume of fans travelling from the South West to Cardiff we recommend starting your journey to the Principality as early as possible to accommodate long journey times Many road closures will be in operation around The Principality stadium on matchday. Please visit Travel advice for major events closer to the fixture to check updates on any road closures planned engineering work or disruptions to car travel Road closures will be in operation near the Stadium, please check the Cardiff Council website for details The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closures between 11am-9pm: Cardiff has many taxi operating services including Uber and Bolt Fans can use these services to reach the Stadium as well as to depart post-match A suggested drop-off and pick-up point would be at Callaghan Square which is approximately a 10-minute walk to the Stadium For more information on taxi services in Cardiff, please visit Taxi Passengers.  the Principality Stadium reserve parking for blue badge holders To book this parking on a first-come, first-served basis, please email customercare@wru.wales Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks please see the Parking section for more information There are no dedicated spectator parking options at or immediately near the Stadium there is plenty of parking options in the city centre which fans can book in advance Some options available for NCP parking include: Fans can also use Just Park to find parking locations around Cardiff – please click here to discover more on this option Pre-booking parking in advance of the match is advised to avoid disappointment closer to the time If you have arranged a private mini-bus or shared transport to the stadium it is possible to park at the Civic Centre for £30. This service is run on a first-come-first-served basis and can be paid for in advance or on the day.To book a space, please email Claire Moggridge c.moggridge@cardiff.gov.uk The easiest way to get to the Principality Stadium once in Cardiff is on foot The Principality Stadium is a short walk from many central points in Cardiff For further information on attractions and places to see in Cardiff, please check out Visit Cardiff For further information, please visit the Principality Stadium travel page here: Principality Stadium | Getting Here Ashton Gate StadiumAshton RoadBristolBS3 2EJ To continue please log in with your personal details Logging in will give you access to ticketing If you have not yet set up a Bristol Bears account just click Create Account below a semi-final clash is coming to our home - Hive Stadium and you will not want to miss out FUEL THE FINAL PUSH: GET TO YOUR SPOT EARLY FOR THE SEMI-FINAL Hive Stadium plays host to a huge EPCR Challenge Cup Semi-Final as Edinburgh Rugby lock horns with Bath and we need YOU to be part of something truly special Forget the frantic dash to your seat just before kick-off whether you’re in the stands or on the terraces to be in your place by 2.45pm ahead of a 3pm kick-off Because you won’t want to miss a pre-match ‘hype moment’ designed to ignite the atmosphere and create a cauldron of noise as your capital club runs out onto the pitch The club will once again have free flags for fans in seats and in standing areas so let’s transform our home into a vibrant wall of orange that will help fuel our players With the stirring sounds of the Penicuik & District Pipe Band filling the air and the energy of stadium host Bruce Aitchison leading the charge the pre-match build-up promises to be huge If have any enquiries please contact the Customer Services team: For the full terms of entry, please read our Ticket Terms and Conditions. Please also take the time to read the full list of safety measures and to find out more about what you can expect on matchdays, visit the ASK Scottish Rugby section Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates Edinburgh Rugby's hopes of European glory were dashed at Hive Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Bath secured their place in the EPCR Challenge Cup Final with a 39-24 victory The capital side trailed 10-12 at the break with Mosese Tuipulotu finishing a well worked first half score and then lead after the interval after the referee awarded a penalty try It was just a three-point game with 15 minutes to play as Ali Price wrestled over however Bath eventually powered to the win in the Scottish capital with two late tries The match started in frantic fashion with Ross Thompson then sending a penalty attempt crashing off the post and moments later Bath struck the first blow when Underhill crashed over from close range The visitors looked like they were settling into their stride until they were caught out by a quick line-out which led to Tuipulotu going over and Thompson converting to level things up The home side were having to do most of the defending and the Bath power started to show They were gaining ascendency in the scrum and hooker Dunn regained the lead when he dotted down after a strong rolling line-out maul Thompson kicked a penalty to keep Edinburgh within two at the break and they got their noses in front early in the second half They engineered an overlap out wide and Wes Goosen looked set to put Darcy Graham over in the corner until a cynical knock-on by Tom de Glanville Bath went back down the other end and hammered at the Edinburgh line They went over through Beno Obano but a TMO intervention showed he had been held up and the try was ruled out The home side were under immense pressure and it was only a matter of time before their defence was breached Dunn eventually went over for his second try a carbon copy of his first after a powerful line-out maul The Premiership leaders were well on top now and substitute Barbeary dived over for their fourth try to give them a one-score cushion on the scoreboard Russell kicked three points to put Bath 10 points to the good but just as the match appeared to be drifting away from the home side Thompson ghosted through a gap in the midfield and found Price running a great support line to beat the cover defence and scored to bring his side back within three The push to snatch a dramatic victory did not materialise from Edinburgh and Bath ultimately made their superiority count with late tries from substitute Annett and back-row Pepper to seal their spot in the Final The Edinburgh and Bath teams for the Challenge Cup semi-finals have been named with both teams bolstered by the return of international stars The Premiership outfit are bidding to secure a place in their first European final since 2014, while Edinburgh last featured in a Challenge Cup finale in 2015 Edinburgh Head Coach Sean Everitt has welcomed Scotland trio Pierre Schoeman Ewan Ashman and Jamie Ritchie back into the starting XV with captain Grant Gilchrist and Wes Goosen added to the run-on team after cameos off the bench last week Schoeman and Ashman start alongside D’arcy Rae in the front row with Gilchrist leading the side from the second row Hamish Watson and Magnus Bradbury round out the pack starting at blindside Ross Thompson again starts with Ali Price in the halfbacks with James Lang and Matt Currie continuing their centre partnership Goosen slots in at full-back as Harry Paterson switches to wing with Darcy Graham rounding out the starting backline Everitt has opted for the traditional 5-3 split on the bench Marshall Sykes and Ben Muncaster (44) as well as backs Charlie Shiel Leinster v Northampton Saints teams: RG Snyman returns but Jordie Barrett benched as British and Irish Lions hopefuls collide in Champions Cup semi-final ‘I need to perform’ – Fin Smith raring for Leinster ‘Test match’ in final British and Irish Lions audition Meanwhile, Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan has also reinforced his team with internationals Beno Obano returns at loosehead forming a powerful front row with hooker Tom Dunn and Beno Obano while Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels combine in the second row Miles Reid shifts to the number eight jumper with Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper named on the flanks Ben Spencer skippers the side from scrum-half combining with Finn Russell at number ten while Will Butt and Cameron Redpath in the centres Will Muir and Joe Cokanasiga have recovered from a head knock and injury respectively to start on the wings as Tom de Glanville completes the starting XV at fullback Van Graan has selected a 6-2 split on the bench featuring forwards Niall Annett Louis Schreuder and Ciaran Donoghue provide backline cover READ MORE: Leinster legend warns Henry Pollock over putting ‘target on his own back’ as Northampton eye ‘greatest win’ in their history Edinburgh Rugby welcome the return of several Scotland internationals for tomorrow’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final showdown against Bath Rugby at Hive Stadium (3 May Head Coach Sean Everitt can call upon Scotland trio Pierre Schoeman while captain Grant Gilchrist and Wes Goosen return to the starting line-up from last week’s replacements Edinburgh have a chance to make a European finale for the first time since facing Gloucester in the 2015 EPCR Challenge Cup Final and Everitt has called on his side to make the city proud “Every time we run out at Hive Stadium we want to make Edinburgh proud It’s a huge day for everyone connected to the club,” said Everitt “It will be a special moment for all our players running out in front of a packed-out Hive Stadium We are incredibly grateful for the sacrifices our supporters make every weekend and their support will be crucial in driving us for the full 80 minutes.” He continued: “We have immense respect for the quality Bath bring and they’ll arrive in Edinburgh with every right to feel confident This is the kind of contest that demands our absolute best from the first moment to the final whistle.” Goosen returns to the side at full-back as Scotland international Harry Paterson – who penned a new two-year deal earlier this week – shifts to the wing alongside Darcy Graham James Lang and Matt Currie continue their midfield partnership at inside and outside centre respectively while stand-off Ross Thompson again starts with Ali Price in the halves Tighthead prop D’arcy Rae starts against his former side alongside the returning Ashman (hooker) and Schoeman (loosehead) in the front row running out with fellow Scotland international Sam Skinner The back row boasts significant experience with Everitt selecting a trio of club centurions with Hamish Watson at openside and Magnus Bradbury at number eight Adding to the positive news for the club this week British & Irish Lion Watson another player to extended terms Unavailable: Emiliano Boffellli (hamstring) Check out how to watch Edinburgh v Bath in the Challenge Cup semi-finals Bath are aiming to bring their Premiership form to the continental table as the Challenge Cup semi-finals kick off this weekend Black and Whites have been magnificent in the Premiership this term and will hope their form translates onto the European stage They lead the Premiership by 15 points with a points difference of 238 in their favour after 16 games Their European displays haven't been quite so dominant Edinburgh are having no such luck on the domestic front having been unable to make a dent in the top half of the United Rugby Championship They will see this European contest as a piece of sweet respite after already rounding up the Lions and dispatching the Bulls on the way to the semi-finals so far in this tournament RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Edinburgh v Bath on TV and online Edinburgh v Bath will take place on Saturday 3rd May 2025 Edinburgh v Bath will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 2 Viewers can add Premier Sports to their Sky or Virgin Media TV packages or watch via the Amazon Prime Video add-on The service costs £15.99 on a monthly basis on a rolling 30-day subscription. You can save money by signing up for an annual subscription at £10.99 per month, or pay for a full year up front at £120 You can also watch matches on a range of mobile devices on Premier Sports Player Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices including laptops What channel is Edinburgh v Bath Challenge Cup semi-final on live stream and kick-off timeCheck out how to watch Edinburgh v Bath in the Challenge Cup semi-finals Their European displays haven't been quite so dominant RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Edinburgh v Bath on TV and online Edinburgh v Bath will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 2 The service costs £15.99 on a monthly basis on a rolling 30-day subscription. You can save money by signing up for an annual subscription at £10.99 per month, or pay for a full year up front at £120 You can also watch matches on a range of mobile devices on Premier Sports Player By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Michael PottsSport EditorMichael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014 you are agreeing to site title privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribe to RT!Subscribe to Radio Times magazine and get £10 issues for £10! 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Holiday brochuresNeed inspiration of where to go next Request a free brochure and start your journey Edinburgh vs Bath will take place at the Edinburgh Rugby Stadium at 3pm on Saturday Bath were almost showing off by making wholesale changes for last weekend's 55-19 win over Newcastle but the big names are back for Saturday's European Challenge Cup semi-final at Edinburgh Top of the Premiership and with the Premiership Rugby Cup already secured Johann van Graan's side are on course for a treble and should prove too strong for their hosts in the Scottish capital Edinburgh have endured an average URC campaign and are currently outside the top eight they have beaten the Bulls and the Lions in the last two rounds of this competition and always get the crowd behind them at their current home in the shadows of Murrayfield Captain Grant Gilchrist is one of five changes from last weekend's draw at Zebre and has called on his colleagues "to write our own story" as the club chases its first piece of European silverware having lost to Gloucester in the 2015 final of this tournament Bath blitzed the Cherry & Whites 61-26 in the quarter-finals and fly-half Finn Russell is back in their team and ready to showcase his skills in his homeland His head-to-head with Ross Thompson is one of several positional duels where Bath have an obvious advantage and Van Graan's visitors can continue their quest for a second Challenge Cup with a victory by a double-digit margin Leinster vs Northampton predictions: Irish hosts have another European final in their sights  Super League Magic Weekend: Day One predictions, betting tips and odds  from the Racing PostCommercial notice: This article contains affiliate links Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting Published on 2 May 2025inRugby Union tips Copyright © 2025 Spotlight Sports Group Limited or its licensors, all rights reserved United KingdomChevron EnglandChevron BathChevron Courtesy Plum GuideSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links The photos revealed a stunner of a Georgian flat—spacious airy and a mere 15-minute walk to the Roman Baths I wasted no time in booking it for a weekend in September We arrived on a sunny, brisk Friday morning, ready to live out our Bridgerton dreams We parked at the Charlotte Street Parking lot (seven minutes away) before walking through the leafy streets of Bath to our beautiful weekend home discovering how much of a gem this homestay is High ceilings and tall sash windows let light flow throughout the space—this created a true sense of openness and movement within the apartment ArrowThe interiors lean into that 18th-century glamour this decor was exactly what we wanted out of this holiday old-timey design—think beaded fringe lamps cast-iron fireplaces—I’m sure you get the idea I love discovering the objects of ages past Sweeping windows overlooking Bath’s famous Royal Crescent and watching the activity on the green in front of the Royal Crescent I particularly loved basking in the morning sun with a cup of tea This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from The rental's location made exploring so convenient and allowed us to thoroughly enjoy the space as it was easy to go to and from the city center We so enjoyed staying at Through the Ages that we’re considering making this a yearly trip—and no doubt I’ll happily pander to my friends' need to experience this side of the UK every year…but only if I get to stay here This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world