Barkley boosts Bath hopes

Bath kept their play-off hopes alive with a tense 21-20 success over second-placed Northampton at The Rec.

England internationals Lee Mears and Matt Banahan scored the tries and Olly Barkley kicked 11 points - the final three of which coming from a penalty that won the match six minutes from time.

Shane Geraghty kicked five penalties and Paul Diggin scored a try for a much-changed Saints side, who despite the loss picked up a losing bonus point to keep them just behind leaders Leicester and on target for a home semi-final.

Bath's second win in three days keeps their own Guinness Premiership play-off hopes alive, as they now sit just two points behind fourth-placed Wasps, who they meet at Twickenham on Saturday.

Bath, relegation candidates before Christmas, have now lost just one of their last 10 league games.

Barkley and Geraghty exchanged penalties inside the opening seven minutes as both sides sparred for territory, but Bath then saw Little sin-binned following a reckless high tackle on Diggin.

Missed kicked

Geraghty though, botched a simple penalty chance as Little trudged off, sending his kick wide.

It was a let-off for Bath, yet they were punished nine minutes later with Little waiting to return as Northampton went through the phases and created a well-worked try for Diggin.

It was a ferociously-intense contest, with scoring opportunities at a premium, but Barkley cut the deficit through his second penalty after Geraghty high-tackled home full-back Nick Abendanon.

Saints offered the hosts some assistance by mentally switching off on the stroke of half-time. Hooker Brett Sharman overthrew a lineout that almost led to a Bath score, and when he repeated his inaccuracy barely 60 seconds later, Saints suffered on the scoreboard.

Flanker Julian Salvi pilfered possession from Northampton lock James Cannon, and Mears was driven over by his fellow forwards to give Bath an 11-8 interval advantage.

Penalty

A Geraghty penalty brought Saints level early in the second period, but Bath began to assert dominance up front, notably at scrum time.

Bath then struck courtesy of a simple close-range move than ended with Banahan powering over. Barkley added the extras, only for two more Geraghty penalties during a four-minute spell to revive the possibility of an away win.

Geraghty's fifth successful strike then inched Saints ahead, and with the rampaging Tonga'uiha making his presence felt in open play, Northampton were revitalised.

But Best then collected a yellow card, Barkley slotted the resulting penalty and 14-man Saints could not climb back off the canvas as Geraghty rifled a drop-goal attempt agonisingly wide.