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The Bath update on Finn Russell after star injured in Exeter loss
By PA
Bath boss Johann van Graan was left to painfully reflect on injuries suffered by Scotland internationals Finn Russell and Cameron Redpath following his team’s 21-15 Investec Champions Cup defeat against Exeter.
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Fly-half playmaker Russell went off due to a suspected groin injury after just 15 minutes at a windswept Sandy Park.
Centre Redpath, meanwhile, departed during the third quarter because of an ankle problem, with Bath seeing a 15-7 lead wiped out as Exeter secured a quarter-final clash against Toulouse or Racing 92 next weekend.
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“It is a contact sport, a collision sport,” Bath head of rugby Van Graan said.
“It is not often you lose your 10, who is a very important player for us, in the first half, and then your 12 in the second-half.
“We were disrupted, but that’s the game. Obviously, the game is a lot easier if it doesn’t happen.
“We will take our time with Finn. It was a big moment in this game when he went off. It (injury) seems like somewhere in the groin area, and Cam looks like an ankle.”
Exeter, tournament winners in 2020, scored tries through number eight Ross Vintcent, replacement Greg Fisilau and flanker Ethan Roots, with Roots’ England colleague Henry Slade kicking three conversions.
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Bath claimed first-half touchdowns from prop Thomas du Toit and flanker Ted Hill, while captain Ben Spencer added a conversion and penalty, but they could not build on a healthy advantage early in the second period.
Van Graan added: “We came here to win. A European knockout game away from home comes down to small margins, and I think both teams found the conditions incredibly difficult with and without the ball.
“We are incredibly disappointed, and we will regroup. There are a lot of hurt men, but they are hurt because they care.
“It is a tough one to take, but that’s rugby. We win together and we lose together. It was a brilliant game played in the right spirit, and we came one score short.”
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England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was at the heart of Exeter’s best attacking moments, and Chiefs rugby director Rob Baxter hailed his performance.
“He is the closest replacement to a Jack Nowell we could have had, a guy who just gets you metres out of nowhere. And he is getting better at it,” Baxter said.
“He is only learning how to use those talents that he has. At least two of our tries came from momentum he gained almost on his own, at times when he didn’t deserve to get momentum. That shows his value.”
Exeter were crushed 41-5 by Gallagher Premiership opponents Sale Sharks last weekend, and Baxter added: “The guys have responded in the best way possible. Fair play to them.
“The one thing we had today was absolute full-blooded commitment, and we were in the game physically from the first minute.
“We got an awful lot of hard work done in the first half. The bits you do right from the start add up and actually win you the game.
“We were probably a bit more ambitious in the second half, which allowed us to create a couple of opportunities. We have won a very important game for the club.”
