Bath Rugby head coach Steve Meehan praised his debutants as his side picked up a bonus-point victory in their opening Aviva Premiership match of the season.

Meehan’s men despatched Leeds Carnegie with a four-try, 32-16 win at Headingley, with new fly-half Sam Vesty collecting a 17-point haul.

New arrival Simon Taylor stood out for Bath in the backrow, with openside flanker Lewis Moody, wing Tom Biggs and replacement Mark McMillan also making their first appearances for the club.

Bath secured the away win despite a misfiring set-piece and a wobbly opening. Tries from Nick Abendanon, Matt Carraro, skipper Luke Watson and Vesty eventually gave them a comfortable victory.

“We’re very happy with the debutants’ performances,” said Meehan. “They were very good.

“Sam has settled in very nicely. He enjoys the way we are trying to play and brings a bit of pragmatism to our game as well, which is something we need from time to time.

“He is very solid defensively, he took the right option, delivered the ball pretty accurately and his goal kicking wasn’t bad. It was a very good performance from him and a try on debut so I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

The head coach declared himself delighted by the impact made by British and Irish Lion Taylor, who arrived at Bath from Stade Francais over the summer.

“Simon Taylor is an excellent player,” said Meehan. “He slipped into Bath under the radar. No-one talked about him for the previous three years when he was away in France. He has been marvellous throughout the season and I thought he was magnificent today.”

Meehan also revealed that he would continue the experiment of playing Matt Banahan at outside centre rather than in his customary wing position.

“I think he’s going to develop into a 13 over time,” explained Meehan. “He’s a great off-loading game and we saw that today. He’s quite happy to have a go at making some outrageous passes and they tend to come off.

“He did very well defensively and I was pleased at the partnership he developed with Shontayne Hape. I see him playing at 13 a bit over the season.”

Bath led by just one point at half-time after a scrappy and apprehensive opening 40 minutes at Headingley. And while they never hit top gear in the second period, Bath showed sufficient class to get their Aviva Premiership show nicely on the road.

Certainly, Meehan was far from ecstatic. “I wouldn’t go that far,” was his response when asked whether he believed it was a satisfactory start to the season. “From a competition point of view to get five points away from home is very pleasing. But the performance is something we need to improve on, starting with the set-piece.”