Bath beat Exeter Chiefs in 11-try Premiership thriller on 2 October 2026

Bath defeated Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership on 2 October 2026, winning an 11-try encounter and avenging last season’s semi-final defeat to the same opponents.

Bath made it two wins out of two in the new Prem season and gained a degree of revenge for losing to Exeter in last season’s semi-final in June; Finn Russell did not play in that semi-final.

The hosts scored four tries before half-time, with Cameron Redpath, Bernard van der Linde, Dan du Preez and Finn Russell all crossing to put Bath 26-10 ahead at the break.

Exeter’s first-half scores came from Stephen Varney and Jack Yeandle, and the visitors rallied after the interval through Josh Iosefa-Scott and two tries from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

Varney conceded a penalty try for a deliberate knock-on and Ted Hill’s try for Bath put the result beyond Exeter, while Harvey Skinner’s late penalty ensured Exeter left with two bonus points despite a second consecutive defeat.

Scoring summary: Tries — Bath: Redpath, van der Linde, du Preez, Russell, Penalty, Hill; Conversions — Russell 4. Tries — Exeter: Varney, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Feyi-Waboso 2; Conversions — Slade 3; Penalty — Skinner.

Bath: Donoghue; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, de Glanville; Russell, van der Linde; Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Roux, Ewels (capt), Richards, Pepper, du Preez. Replacements: Frost, Kirk, Griffin, Hill, Reid, Carr-Smith, Ojomoh, Coetzee.

Exeter: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Butt, Wyatt; Skinner, Varney; Burger, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Wilson, Jenkins (capt), E Roots, James, Fisilau. Replacements: Gulley, Goodrick-Clarke, Tchumbadze, Beckerleg, Worley Brady, Wolstenholme, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush.

The victory left Bath with two wins from two in the new Premiership season, while Exeter recorded a second straight defeat but secured two bonus points.