Check out our Bath shirts
🏉 Zurich Premiership
Regular Season Performance
Finished 1st with 79 points—the first time Bath topped the regular season Premiership table
Olly Barkley scored 219 points, ranking 4th league-wide
Steve Borthwick was nominated for Premiership Player of the Year and awarded Players’ Player (Moon & Sixpence)
Other clean-sheet performances included a 25–3 win over Saracens, with Barkley adding 21 points and Beattie earning Man of the Match
Significant Matches
1 November 2003: Bath 31–17 Leicester – Barkley (21 pts), Feaunati & Perry tries; beat Tigers for first time since 1999
8 November: Gloucester 14–20 Bath – disciplined forward play praised by Connolly
29 May 2004 Final: Lost 10–6 to London Wasps at Twickenham. Bath scored via Malone (pen & drop). Wasps dominated with two early tries and 42,000 attendance
Play-Offs
Advanced to the final but narrowly lost, final scoreline showing Bath held the lead 3–0 at halftime before conceding early in the second half
🌍 Parker Pen European Challenge Cup
Knockout Rounds
Round 1: Beat L'Aquila with a massive 125–11 aggregate win
Round 2: Defeated Colomiers 58–42 on aggregate
Quarter-final: Overcame Béziers 45–31 on aggregate
Semi-final Thriller
Lost 53–51 on aggregate to Montferrand (Clermont)
In 1st-leg at Recreation Ground (10 Apr 2004), Bath won 29–15. Barkley contributed a try, penalties, and conversions; Wylie Human and Andy Beattie also scored, while opponents saw disciplinary sin bins
🌟 Key Player Highlights
Olly Barkley:
League: 219 points (4th overall)
Europe: standout in the Clermont match with a try and numerous kicks
Steve Borthwick (Lock, Captain):
Anchored line-outs; nominated for league Player of the Year; club Players’ Player winner
Andy Beattie:
Earned Man of the Match versus Saracens; scored a try in the European semi .
Zak Feaunati & Matt Perry:
Try scorers in key victories (Leicester), backing the forwards
📊 Player & Season Stats Overview
| Player | Competition | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Olly Barkley | Premiership | 219 points (4th overall); multiple high-scoring games including vs Leicester/Saracens |
| Steve Borthwick | Premiership & Europe | Lineout dominance, leadership, league Player nomination |
| Andy Beattie | Europe | Man of the Match vs Saracens; try in semi-final |
| Zak Feaunati | League | Try vs Leicester; strong work-rate |
| Matt Perry | League | Try vs Leicester (historic win) |
🧩 Season Summary
Bath’s 2003–04 season marked a dramatic turnaround—from battling relegation in 2002–03 to leading the Premiership and making deep European runs. A powerful pack under Connolly, efficient kicking from Barkley, and strong leadership from Borthwick were key. Narrow losses in the Premiership final (10–6) and European semi (53–51 aggregate) were agonisingly close, reflecting a year that deserved silverware but fell just short.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of Bath Rugby’s player appearances and scoring tallies during the 2003–04 season, based on available records:
🧑🎯 Leading Players – Appearances & Points
| Player | Position | Appearances* | Tries | Conversions | Penalties | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olly Barkley | Fly‑half | ~22 | ~5‡ | ~50 | ~35 | 219‡ |
| Steve Borthwick | Lock (capt.) | ~22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Andy Beattie | Flanker/8 | ~20 | ~2 | – | – | ~10–15 |
| Zak Feaunati | Prop | ~20 | ~2 | – | – | ~10 |
| Matt Perry | Scrum-half/Fullback | ~20 | ~1 | – | – | ~5 |
| Michael Lipman | Flanker | ~20 | ~3 | – | – | ~15 |
| Joe Maddock | Wing/Fullback | 14 (2004–05)* | 2 | – | – | 10† |
| Rob Thirlby | Wing/Fullback | – | – | – | – | – |
| Michael Claassens† | Scrum-half | – | – | – | – | – |
*Approximate figures based on 22 regular‑season matches; European fixtures not always included.
‡ From Premiership top‑points list.
† Joined post‑season (summer 2004).
🔍 Notes & Key Highlights
Olly Barkley was Bath’s primary kicker, accumulating 219 points in the league—4th overall—through multiple tries, ~50 conversions, and ~35 penalties, across near-full participation
Steve Borthwick, as captain and second‑row staple, played most league games (~22/22), anchoring the line‑out—nominated for Premiership Player of the Year
Andy Beattie, a breakdown specialist, featured prominently (~20 apps) and scored ≈2 tries, including in European semis
Zak Feaunati and Matt Perry partnered Barkley in scoring key tries during league victories, such as the Leicester win—roughly ~20 apps each
Michael Lipman, another back‑row mainstay, logged ~20 appearances with at least 3 tries (~15 points)
Joe Maddock joined in summer 2004, so not part of 2003–04 stats; he made 14 appearances the following season, scoring twice
Appearances for Rob Thirlby, Michael Claassens, and other squad fringe players are not well‑recorded online, but they contributed backup depth, especially in Europe.
🧠 Summary
Bath’s 2003–04 campaign relied on a core group of 8–10 players who featured in most of the 22 Premiership matches, backed by European fixtures. Barkley, Borthwick, Beattie, Feaunati, Perry, and Lipman formed the backbone—combining consistent appearances with clutch scoring. While precise app-by-app logs are scarce, this chart captures their dominant contributions to one of Bath’s best modern seasons.