Jorgensen adds the thrill after too many spills

Bath 29 Northampton 3

A Peter Jorgensen try in the 81st minute, converted by Paul Grayson, decided this Powergen Cup quarter-final in favour of last season's beaten finalists, Northampton Saints. That the outcome came down to a solitary point and desperate defence two minutes later when Mike Catt sliced an attempted drop goal was due to their own errors and some extraordinary decisions by the referee, Steve Lander.

However many times Bath killed the ball in the final stages close to their line, he refused to sin-bin anyone even though he had yellow carded Andy Beattie for the same offence in the first half, and Danny Grewcock and Mark Connors for a fire-and-brimstone rumpus in the second. The numerical advantage would have ensured an easier margin of victory, although if Matt Dawson had taken a quick tap penalty correctly Jorgensen would have scored to settle the match five minutes earlier.

Bath were desperate in defence and twice forced turnovers that they immediately gifted back, although an obvious Steve Thompson knock-on when lurking deep in Bath territory was inexplicably missed by both Lander and his assistant, even though they were within 10 metres of the incident.

Still, cup competitions thrive on controversy and tension, and this was a thrilling match in spite of the multitude of mistakes.

It did not start out so, as it took five minutes for the ball to leave the halfway line. A Bath runner was ahead of the kicker for the start, Tom Smith was penalised in the subsequent scrum and Olly Barkley kicked the penalty.

This inauspicious beginning hardly improved until Gareth Cooper scored in the 11th minute. Beattie collected at the back of the line-out and even though Saints defended the attempted drive, they did not tackle Adam Vander, who peeled off to the blind side and fed the supporting scrum-half. It roused the Bath supporters and broke the rhythm of trading penalties that had given Bath a 6-3 lead and, with both sides giving the ever-willing Lander plenty of opportunity to blow his whistle, it appeared that an 80-minute kicking contest would decide matters.

Instead, Bath started to bristle with attacking intent, with Catt dictating from fly-half and Matt Perry charging into the line from full-back. Catt is excellent at spotting gaps and, although not a young buck any more, still has enough speed to embarrass slack defending.

However, he and Bath lost their impetus as Saints discovered theirs and Ben Cohen scored two tries. The first in the 24th minute was from a Jorgensen break through the centre and the second, 10 minutes later, was their favourite trick of a big kick from a penalty to the unguarded left wing. American Football may be the hype, but it is from rugby league that Cohen scores a lot of his tries.

David Barnes regained the lead for Bath in the 36th minute, charging over from close after Cooper had broken the defence with a darting run from a line-out and fed the impressive Vander.

Back and forth the game went, with neither side dominating or capitulating and, despite 40 points being scored in the first half, only six separated them. Indeed, it should have been three but Grayson skewed a simple kick just before the break.

Ultimately, it was not costly but, with Bath still six points ahead after two penalties each had taken the action to the final, frenetic stages, it could have been.

Bath: M Perry (T Voyce, 72); S Danielli, K Maggs, M Tindall, O Barkley; M Catt, G Cooper; D Barnes (S Emms, 69), J Humphreys (L Mears, 78), J Mallett (A Galasso, 59), S Borthwick, D Grewcock (capt), A Beattie (G Thomas, 71), A Vander (J Scaysbrook, 78), N Thomas.

Northampton: N Beal; B Reihana, P Jorgensen, J Leslie, B Cohen; P Grayson, M Dawson; T Smith, D Richmond (S Thompson, 51), M Stewart (C Budgen, 64), R Hunter (S Williams, 24), M Lord, A Blowers (G Seely, 62), B Pountney (capt), M Connors.

Referee: S Lander (Wirral).