FIRST-TEAM coach Tabai Matson reckons Bath’s last-gasp win at Exeter Chiefs could be one of the pivotal results of their season.

Semesa Rokoduguni’s stoppage-time try snatched a 13-10 victory for Bath at Sandy Park as they made it six wins from their opening seven Aviva Premiership games and eight from nine in all competitions.

Bath are enjoying a buoyant honeymoon period under new director of rugby Todd Blackadder but if the going does start to get tough as the season heads into the winter months, Matson says the Rec side only need to look back at their Chiefs triumph to galvanise them.

“It didn’t look like we were going to do it. Nine minutes of overtime is definitely the longest I have ever been involved in,” said Matson.

“At times like that, you need people to stand up and Roko did exactly that, he was magnificent.

“We were very well matched and I think the fact that the score changed hands a couple of times proved that.

“It took a long time for us to find our feet and we made it hard for ourselves by leaving a few points out there but good teams will do that to you at home.

“If we fast forward to January or February time and we are closing the book on the first half of the season, I think it’s a result that we will look back on as being very important.

“I don’t think anyone would have thought this start would have been possible but the work we are doing and the way the guys have been playing has been fantastic.

“They’ve worked unbelievably hard and they deserve the results they have been getting.”

Bath turn their attentions to a third different competition in as many weeks tomorrow night when they welcome Leicester Tigers to the Rec in the Anglo Welsh Cup, with Richard Cockerill’s men the only side to beat them this season.

The competition is usually a breeding ground to blood young talent into teams but Bath’s hand has been forced in that regard already this term because of injuries and Matson has been impressed with how well they have stepped up.

“When you get a few injuries, it gives exposure to some of the other guys and if you are going to be a club that is a force for a number of years, the squad is vitally important,” said Matson.

“We have unearthed a few young guys this year and given them their opportunity to play and they’ve been fantastic. Hopefully we can see more of that on Friday night.

“We will prepare for Leicester the best way we can with the group we have. One of the things we will do is look at what we didn’t do so well the last time we played them and try to learn from that.”