Bath recovered from a poor first half to beat Saracens 31-22 at the Recreation Ground and book a Champions Cup quarter-final at home to Northampton Saints. Trailing 10-0 at the break after Charlie Bracken’s 14th-minute try and an Owen Farrell penalty, Bath’s England back line turned the game around after half-time. Henry Arundell scored early in the second half, Joe Cokanasiga finished a loose-ball counter, Ben Spencer completed a long-range move that began from Bath’s own try-line, and Ollie Lawrence powered over from close range. Arundell then sealed the win with a late score in the 80th minute. Spencer’s 59th-minute try briefly looked like the decisive score, but Saracens pressed until Arundell’s late finish confirmed Bath’s advantage.
Saracens had dominated large spells of the first half but squandered opportunities, including an early held-up try and a missed penalty from Fergus Burke. Guy Pepper was yellow-carded for cynically handling on the floor, and later Saracens were further disrupted by yellow cards including Harry Wilson’s for a dangerous tackle. Bath’s set-piece was under pressure early, but the introduction of prop Thomas du Toit steadied the scrum; the South African tighthead was later named man of the match. Beno Obano was sin-binned for repeated scrum penalties, a spell that helped shift momentum. Du Toit’s arrival forced a penalty that led to Cokanasiga’s try, and one of Bath’s defining moments came when they dislodged the ball from Andy Onyeama-Christie near the line, countered from their own 22 and finished through Spencer after Cokanasiga and Alfie Barbeary created the move.
Glasgow 25-21 Bulls
In a wet, windy tie Glasgow edged the Bulls 25-21. Max Williamson opened with a try converted by Dan Lancaster, and though Bulls responded through Johan Grobbelaar and penalties from Handre Pollard, Glasgow grabbed the initiative with tries from Jack Dempsey and Patrick Schickerling. Marco van Staden’s late converted score for the Bulls made it tense, but an Elrigh Louw yellow card allowed Adam Hastings to slot a decisive penalty.
Toulouse 59-26 Bristol
Six-time champions Toulouse ran in nine tries in a 59-26 rout of Bristol. Bristol started through Fritz Harding, but Toulouse struck back hard: Jack Willis, Peato Mauvaka (two), and Kalvin Gourgues crossed inside 20 minutes, with Matthis Lebel and another from Gourgues leaving it 40-7 at the break. Romain Ntamack was sin-binned early in the second half but Toulouse still extended their lead, Teddy Thomas grabbing a brace. Bristol’s late tries from James Williams and Noah Heward were consolations in a heavy defeat.
Sale 26-17 Harlequins
George Ford’s accurate boot proved decisive as Sale beat Harlequins 26-17 to reach the quarters. Ford scored 16 points with four penalties and two conversions, while Luke Cowan-Dickie touched down twice for Sale. Harlequins fought back with two tries from Alex Dombrandt and one from Chandler Cunningham-South, but Sale’s earlier 26-5 cushion was enough to see them through.