Bath climb to top of Prem table after claiming derby honours over Exeter

Bath defeated Exeter Chiefs 40-34 in an 11-try West Country derby at the Rec to climb to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table. The hosts led 26-10 at halftime through tries from Cam Redpath, Bernard van der Linde, Dan du Preez, and Finn Russell, before Exeter mounted a strong second-half fightback to briefly take a 33-31 lead.

A yellow card for Exeter scrum-half Stephen Varney alongside a penalty try shifted momentum back to Bath, with Ted Hill scoring to seal the win. Exeter earned two bonus points through two tries from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, additional scores from Varney, Jack Yeandle, and Josh Iosefa-Scott, and a late Harvey Skinner penalty.