If the recent nervy win over Worcester helped to stop the rot, then this triumph over the defending Gallagher Premiership champions Harlequins was a moment for Bath, after so much pain this season, to truly smile again.

With 21 players unavailable and having won just once in this campaign, this was a victory full of character and physicality, topped off by two tries in the corner by Will Muir.

Former England No 8 Nathan Hughes only arrived at the club this week but was soon out there rearranging rib cages. His loan from Bristol is only meant to be short-term, but Bath on this evidence might never let the player of the match leave.

“Nath’s a 25-cap international and you can see why. He’s one of ours for a while now and has brought great energy to the group,” said Bath head coach Neal Hatley. “Defensively we’re getting better, our scrum improved massively. After last weekend [losing to Leinster 64-7] which was tough, all the changes, I’m just so proud of everybody.”

Harlequins, for once this season, ran out of late magic, having snatched victories at the death during the previous two weeks against Cardiff Blues and Castres. Breakdown discipline and struggles under the high ball, with Tyrone Green regularly hounded, hurt them.

“We didn’t have the ball enough and what underpinned that was losing the aerial battle really poorly tonight,” conceded head coach Tabai Matson. “I don’t know how many times we dropped it or had a turnover in that first ruck. We just fed them. It was a 16-8 penalty count against us and away from home, no ball, you’re asking for trouble.”

However, Quins dominated early on, racking up four successive scrum penalties short of Bath’s line and another for hands in a ruck, only for Bath to somehow survive.

Once the hosts did win a penalty after a long spell of defence, their kick to touch was missed and Harlequins countered, Tommy Allan’s quick pass putting Nick David into space with a waiting Dino Lamb on his outside cruising over to score.