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Henry Arundel sent Saracens As crashed to lose Bath emerged from the international break with a 36–29 win, taking them two points clear at the top of the Gallagher Premiership.
With the title rivals tied 29-29, Arundel took the lead by running in his second try in the 76th minute and also opened the scoring for the champions with an early interception.
The decisive moment was made possible by the wing’s England teammate Max Ojomoah, a last-quarter replacement who expertly caught finn russellA low pass and a charge forward before the final pass was taken to perfection.
Ojomoah was the match-winner in England’s win over Argentina a week ago and it was another impressive performance from the playmaker who is hoping to retain his Test place in the Six Nations.
It marked an impressive comeback from Bath, as they took the lead for the first time in only the 54th minute and had to respond after going 14–0 down after a poor start.
Saracens looked unstoppable as they plundered 22 tries in each of their first two visits, max mallins And Juan Martín González is producing precise and ambitious strikes.
After Noah Caluori won an aerial duel on the opposite wing, Malins went ahead after an interchange with Lucio Sinti on the left, stopping an attack from deep.
Tom Willis’ carry and off-load played a key role in Gonzalez’s try, but it was Owen Farrell’s flat pass to Ben Earl that made the score possible. After this Willis got injured and went out limping.
Any sense of Saracens going ashore vanished when Bath conceded a Russell penalty and Arundel attempted an interception from 80 metres.
Arundell struck when England teammate Kailuori made a brilliant catch after missing the ball in several stages, but the home wing gained partial revenge after beating Arundell on a high ball soon afterwards.
Saracens remained lethal in the opposition 22, however, as their next raid was paced by center Nick Tomkins, who made an effective, if unusual carry, and ended with a stroll by Malins.
Bath remained in the hunt with a line-out maul by Tom Dunn after a long-range Farrell drop goal and their power game continued to serve them well at the start of the second half.
For all the forward pick-and-go, it was a moment of deception that prevented Saracens from scoring with Ben Spencer giving away a tap penalty to Will Butt just as it looked as if his pack would move forward again.
When Arthur Green completed a comprehensive move that included strong supporting roles from Josh Bayliss, Arundell and Spencer, Bath were in full flight as they recorded a bonus point.
The rivals were proving difficult to separate after the score was tied 29-29 when Gonzalez finished a series of forward drives.
Elliot Daly, making his first appearance for Saracens since the British & Irish Lions tour, converted a long-range penalty attempt as a grandstand finish in north London.
The tension grew until Arundel scored the winning try with five minutes remaining.