Bath 11 Biarritz 12: Yachvili puts boot in to leave Bath in great pain

Biarritz's Dimitri Yachvili punished Bath's indiscipline by kicking four penalties – the last one 10 minutes from time after home prop David Wilson was sin-binned – to clinch this Pool Four verdict.

It means Bath, beaten despite building an early 8-0 lead through Michael Claassens's smart try and Olly Barkley's penalty, are already battling to avoid a repeat of last season's pool stage exit.

"It's actually quite difficult to put into words," said head coach Meehan.

"We played a very good first half – we got all the decisions right – but a few technical penalties went against us in the second half.

"And then with four minutes to go, we had an opportunity to win the match, but we didn't take it. It was a better performance than last week (against Gloucester), yet to come up short like that is very frustrating."

Bath had opportunities to give Barkley a late drop-goal chance, but they proved tactically naive under pressure and Biarritz possessed the nous to close out a disappointing game.

Meehan added: "Biarritz were happy to live off our penalties to begin with in the second half. They ticked over three points at a time.

"We've got to grow up and take the points. It's straightforward, it is about being ruthless, getting the job done and getting it (the ball) through the sticks. Simple.

"Drop-goals and penalties win games. They (Biarritz) kick the penalties and keep the scoreboard ticking over. We had the opportunity and didn't take it."

Only four players – Ronan O'Gara, Stephen Jones, Diego Dominguez and David Humphreys – have scored more points than Yachvili in Heineken Cup history.

Meehan had warned his players during the build-up of Yachvili's danger, and his fears were realised as Biarritz took early charge of a group that also includes Ulster and new Italian side Aironi.

As for England international Wilson's sin-binning, Meehan added: "Anyone who gets yellow-carded frustrates himself, the coaches and the team. We have given away too many yellow cards already this season.

"We worked harder as a team than we did last week.

"When we are doing things on the field the way we do in training, we are a very good side.

"We have got to transfer more of that into games."

Yachvili, the France international scrum-half, kicked four penalties to wipe out Bath's early 8-0 lead.

And Biarritz, beaten by Toulouse in the Heineken final last term, ground Bath into submission and left Yachvili to do the rest.

Bath went into battle without England captain Lewis Moody, who suffered an eye injury during the Aviva Premiership home defeat against Gloucester the previous week, so fit-again Scotland international Simon Taylor moved into the back-row alongside Andy Beattie and captain Luke Watson.

Prop Nathan Catt, 21, also made the starting line-up, while Biarritz included former Bath back Iain Balshaw, ex-Sale flanker Magnus Lund and his brother Erik, who was with Leeds last season, at lock.

Bath were determined to make amends for a feeble showing in the 18-3 loss to Gloucester, and they came out firing, leaving Biarritz floundering through Claassens's try.

Barkley had already opened Bath's account with a penalty, before his delicious off-load created space for Nick Abendanon and Matt Carraro to combine and send Claassens over.

Although Barkley's missed conversion attempt followed a misdirected first-minute penalty, they had made an immediate statement of intent.

Biarritz knew they were in a fierce physical battle, underlined when their back-row talisman Imanol Harinordoquy required lengthy treatment after attempting to halt another concerted Bath drive.

The visitors continued to concede regular penalties – Welsh referee James Jones readily punished their technical indiscipline – yet Bath still only trooped off at the interval eight points up.

Yachvili cut Biarritz's deficit through an early second-half penalty.

A second penalty made it 8-6, signalling a spell of concerted Biarritz pressure that almost resulted in a try. No 8 Raphael Lakafia grounded possession, but he was ruled to have made another movement after being tackled.

Yachvili, though, soon completed his penalty hat-trick to put Biarritz ahead for the first time, and there was no sign of the visitors panicking, even when Barkley edged Bath back in front 12 minutes from time.

Wilson, though, made their job easier when he was yellow-carded for a technical offence, leaving the home side a player down for the closing 10 minutes as Yachvili restored Biarritz's advantage.

The visitors then expertly kept possession, keeping Bath at a distance territorially, which merely underlined Bath's earlier reckless failure to manoeuvre a potential match-winning opportunity for Barkley.