MATT Garvey reckons a brave fightback at Harlequins last Friday proves there is still plenty of life left in Bath Rugby.

Trailing 35-6 as the game entered the final 15 minutes, Bath’s difficult season in the Aviva Premiership looked on course to deepen with a heavy defeat at the Stoop.

However, Mike Ford’s men rallied and three late tries brought them back to 35-28 before the final whistle to earn a losing bonus point.

Although frustrated with the overall result, back-row forward Garvey says Bath’s response in adversity shows they are not going to give up on their season without a fight.

“The last 20 minutes or so we showed how dangerous our back-line can be. We always try to play positively,” said Garvey.

“The character the boys showed was good. It could easily have gone away from us. To come back and get a losing bonus point is very good, although ultimately we’re disappointed as we wanted to win the game.

“We could have gone into our shells. At this stage of the season, a lot of teams who have had frustrating seasons would have surrendered but we didn’t do that and we will always keep fighting right until the end.”

Bath have another Friday night game when they welcome Newcastle Falcons to the Rec this evening.

Ford’s side were beaten 19-14 at Kingston Park in early January and Garvey says the team are hungry to put that result right.

“That was one of our most disappointing results of the season. That’s no disrespect to them, we were disappointed with the way we played,” he said.

“That’s not something we want to feel again when we come off the pitch.

“It’s crucial we put in a performance for our fans too. We have let them down this year.

“The Rec used to be a bit of fortress but so far this season we haven’t reached the levels we’d like there so we owe the fans a decent performance.”