LONDON Welsh have three games left to save their season – but if they do go down, it won’t be through the lack of effort.

The Exiles showed great courage to recover from a nightmare start at Bath on Saturday, but were unable to turn their fighting qualities into points.

They were their own worst enemies at times, conceding tries just a minute into the match and then again on the stroke of half-time.

But scrum half Alex Davies led a stirring fightback that twice saw them move to within a score of their opponents.

However, they came up short and their fate will now depend on winning at least two of their final three games of the season.

Welsh head coach Lyn Jones was forced to make two late changes to their starting line-up, drafting in Tom Bristow at prop and Greg Bateman at hooker.

But they were slowly out of the blocks and made to pay when Matt Banahan scored the opening try with just 80 seconds on the clock.

It was a start Welsh could have done without, and having been pegged back into their 22 for the majority of the opening stages, conceded a second try on nine minutes.

Opting to turn down an easy penalty in front of the posts, Stephen Donald kicked into touch and from the resulting line-out, Carl Fearns dived through a clutch of bodies to double the lead.

Donald’s conversion hit a post, but he was on target with a penalty soon after as Bath went 13-0 ahead.

However, it was then that Welsh got into their stride.

Without really threatening a try, some solid build-up play saw Davies land three penalties in a nine-minute period to get them right back in the game.

Another Davies attempt from inside his own half fell short, but just as Welsh were building up a head of steam, some slack play allowed flying Fijian Semesa Rokoduguni to burst through unopposed to touch down under the posts in the final minute of the half.

Donald’s conversion made it 20-9 at the break.

Davies reduced the deficit minutes into the second period with his fourth penalty, and with Welsh on top, two more kicks from Davies saw them just 20-18 behind with 20 minutes remaining.

However, a two-minute period saw Bath reassert their authority.

A penalty from Donald made it 23-18, and then straight from the restart, Rokoduguni burst through some weak Welsh tackles to send in Horacio Agulla over for the touchdown, with Tom Heathcote adding the conversion.

Credit where credit is due though, Welsh never gave up.

Seb Jewell crashed over for their only try of the game, Davies adding the extras for a 20-point haul.

With the score at 30-25, there was hope of at least a bonus point, if not victory.

But Heathcote restored Bath’s two-score advantage with a 75th-minute penalty to ease home supporters’ nerves and a Michael Claassens try, also converted by Heathcote, increased the margin of victory.