Montpellier fight back to beat Bath 32-14 at The Rec
Montpellier beat Bath 32-14 at The Rec on Saturday, 17 October 2026, to open their Investec Champions Cup Pool Four campaign with an away win. Bath led 14-10 at half-time. Montpellier then scored 22 points without reply after the break, according to BBC Sport.
The Investec Champions Cup is Europe's top club competition, starting with pool games before the knockout rounds. This Round 1 tie kicked off at 20:00 at Bath's home ground in Somerset, listed as The Rec in Bath Rugby's preview. Montpellier arrived in England as last season's Top 14 runners-up in France.
Bath struck first on the scoreboard through power and precision. Ollie Lawrence and Arthur Green both scored tries — five points for touching the ball down over the tryline — and Finn Russell added both conversions, the two-point kicks taken after a try. Montpellier's answer came from Stuart Hogg, who scored the opening try for the French side. That left Bath 14-10 ahead at the interval.
Then the game turned. Montpellier owned the second half. Winger Donovan Taofifenua scored twice after the restart to swing the lead. Replacement Alex Becognee added another try in the final minutes to pull clear. Fly-half Adam Hastings controlled the scoreboard, finishing with three conversions and two penalties, with a penalty worth three points from a placed kick.
The result gives Montpellier a strong start in a tight pool. Early standings listed the Vodacom Bulls top of Pool 4 on five points, with Montpellier second on four points and Bath fifth on nought after one match, according to EPCR. Bath face an uphill task, with no points and a minus-18 points difference from the opener.
What makes this stand out is the shift in momentum. Bath matched Montpellier for 40 minutes. After that, the visitors kept the ball, kept their shape and kept the points coming. Bath ran out of answers as fatigue set in.
