Bath thrash Pau to reach cup quarter-finals

European Challenge Cup

Pau: (10) 24

Tries: Tuipulotu, Brau-Boirie 2 Cons: Desperes 3 Pens: Desperes

Bath: (28) 49

Tries: Muir, Cokanasiga, Obano, Bayliss, Dunn, McConnochie, Reid Cons: Donoghue 7

Bath progressed to the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup with a convincing seven-try win against Pau despite having Sam Underhill sent off.

Will Muir, Joe Cokanasiga, Beno Obano and Josh Bayliss all scored in a dominant first 40 from the Premiership leaders, to one try from Pau's Carwyn Tuipulotu.

Tom Dunn and Ruaridh McConnochie extended Bath's advantage with Underhill shown red for a head-on-head tackle in between.

And while Fabien Brau-Boirie pulled two tries back for the French hosts it was too late to mount a comeback, and Miles Reid's score capped Bath's night inside the final 10 minutes.

This was Bath's first match in the competition after being knocked out of the Investec Champions Cup in January and they will now face Montpellier or Gloucester - who play on Saturday - in the last eight, as their hunt for three trophies this season continues.

Muir opened the scoring against the Top 14 side at the Stade du Hameau, collecting a kick through from Ben Spencer to touch down after only two minutes.

Axel Desperes put Pau on the board with a penalty, but Bath had their second try almost immediately after, as Muir again charged forward and Cokanasiga cut back inside and around a defender to run over.

The back-and-forth scoring continued as Pau's Tuipulotu, whose cousin Kepu sat watching on the Bath bench, split from a driving maul to power over and make it 10-14. But that was as close as the French side would ever get to Bath.

Fledgling Bath fly-half Ciaran Donoghue, one of seven changes to their starting XV, impressed on his European debut, not only from the kicking tee, as he sprinted from within his own 22 to within five metres before Obano crossed to stretch the lead to 21-10.

Bayliss added Bath's fourth try before the break, charging over two tacklers, and the traffic continued one way early in the second half, as Dunn slid over after another maul.

The only real blot on the sheet for Bath was the dismissal of Underhill midway through the second half for a high tackle.

The player disadvantage did not stunt their charge, and Bath quickly had a sixth try with a slick breakaway as McConnochie shrugged off a tackler and released Max Ojomoh, who in turn passed to Reid, before McConnochie capped the move himself.

The gaps eventually started to open for Pau, and centre Brau-Boirie first dived over from a line-out drive and then ran under the posts seven minutes later, however, Bath were already too far ahead and with a stacked bench had plenty of reinforcements to bring on.

With a penalty advantage behind them, Tom Carr-Smith passed inside to Reid and their seventh try sealed Bath's sixth consecutive win in all competitions.

Pau: Luc; Roudil (c), Klemenczak, Brau-Boirie, Grandidier Nkanang; Desperes, Souverbie; Calles, Dehommel, Williams, Jolmes, Tagitagivalu, Kpoku, Hamonou, C Tuipulotu.

Replacements: Ruffenach, Parrou, Tokolahi, Picquette, Maximin, Hewat, Robson, Manu.

Bath: McConnochie; Cokanasiga, Ojomoh, Butt, Muir; Donoghue, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Griffin Roux, Molony, Bayliss, Underhill, Red.

Replacements: K Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Verden, Richards, Hill, Carr-Smith, Bailey, Coetzee.

Red card: Underhill (55 mins).

Referee: Hollie Davidson.