Bath Rugby were knocked out of the Challenge Cup as Edinburgh Rugby’s strong second-half saw them come out on top in a ding-dong battle at the DAM Health Stadium.

Sam Underhill and Emiliano Boffelli swapped tries before the latter clinched three points from the tee.

Bath flanker Underhill then added his second of the game ahead of a Blair Kinghorn score and Ben Spencer converted his own try to give the visitors the advantage at the interval.

Schoeman went over for the first points of the second half and further tries from Boffelli, Mark Bennett and Connor Boyle sealed the win for the hosts.

Team News

Ben Spencer made his 50^th Bath appearance from scrum-half with Taulupe Faletau and Semesa Rokoduguni the only new additions to the XV that started against Exeter Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership a fortnight ago.

Five Scotland internationals returned for Edinburgh with Hamish Watson the standout name for the Scottish side’s first-ever knockout match at their new home.

Edinburgh Rugby: 15 Henry Immelman, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 James Lang, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Blair Kinghorn, 9 Ben Vellacott; 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Stuart McInally, 3 Lee-Roy Atalifo, 4 Marshall Sykes, 5 Grant Gilchrist ©, 6 Ben Muncaster, 7 Hamish Watson, 8 Magnus Bradbury

Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Harrison Courtney, 18 Angus Williams, 19 Glen Young, 20 Connor Boyle, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Cammy Hutchison

Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Max Clark, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Orlando Bailey, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Valeriy Morozov, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Will Spencer, 5 Charlie Ewels ©, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Taulupe Faletau

Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Arthur Cordwell, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Mike Williams, 20 Ewan Richards, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Will Butt

First half

Bath set the tempo early on as Tom de Glanville made several hard yards to win a penalty inside his own half. From the kick to touch, it was all front-foot ball.

Jonathan Joseph cutely sent Underhill crashing through a hole and the flanker found a rampaging Valeriy Morozov in support. Captain Charlie Ewels muscled his way out of a difficult contest and Underhill followed up to sneak across the whitewash.

Edinburgh struggled to cope with Bath’s injection of pace with Ben Spencer dictating the play on his milestone outing. Underhill continued to be a nuisance with ball in hand and Joseph was enjoying himself in the playmaker role.

But the hosts made their own noise in attack. Kinghorn broke on an outside edge and executed a two-on-one to put Boffelli in.

At 7-5 to Bath, the game was very much in the balance and up for either side to grasp. Pierre Schoeman and Ben Spencer both traded turnovers before Max Clark and Joseph put grubbers into either corner in an attempt to pressurise the home outfit.

The Scots managed to repel Bath’s advances and edged their way up to a promising position on the field. Winning a breakdown penalty, Boffelli added a penalty to his earlier try to move Edinburgh into a slender lead.

It didn’t last long. Bailey’s penalty caused havoc as it cannoned against the upright and Edinburgh looked to have a simple exit. However, scrum-half Ben Vellacott lost his bearings and dragged the ball with his foot over his own line and Underhill was smart enough to understand the offside line was no more and dived on the free ball to score his second.

Such was the topsy-turvy nature of the game, the scoreline advantage changed hands twice in a matter of minutes.

First, Kinghorn goose-stepped out of a tackle and dotted down underneath the sticks before Spencer replied with a snipe from close range and his conversion made it 19-15 to Bath at the interval.

Second half

The Blue, Black and White galloped into the second period on a high as full-back de Glanville scythed through to threaten. Edinburgh had their moments too though were less successful in breaching the grey wall in front of them.

They did breach the Bath backline on 51 minutes to regain the lead and thereafter didn’t look back. Kinghorn released his arm in the tackle for Schoeman to canter on and after a number of phases, the loosehead burrowed over.

Boffelli converted and 10 minutes later had a further seven points to his name to put Edinburgh more than a score ahead. The wing collected a wide pass from Jaco van der Walt and finished smartly in the corner before stepping up and converting.

With the crowd ramping up the volume, Kinghorn kicked a 50:22 to keep the pressure on and it paid off moments later. Coming back on themselves, Bennett’s leg drive was strong enough to see him cross before Boyle's try sealed progression for the United Rugby Championship team.

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Match Report: Edinburgh Rugby 41-19 Bath Rugby

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