By P G Tips
October 27 2015
After failing to snatch a share of the spoils at the death against Wasps, Bath must now face another side in a similar position. Harlequins, like Bath started with a narrow home win in a tense encounter, only to lose away in the midlands on the second weekend. The two clubs have had contrasting fortunes over the past four seasons, Quins declining from 2012 champions to 8th place last season, while Bath have in the same period gone the other way- rising from 8th to second place and finalists.
Possibly the most famous brand name in all of rugby, the Harlequins title derived from the great entertainers of the commedia dell’arte and, once imported to England, the tradition of clown and pantomime. For many of the post war years the joke was on Quins. Entertainers they may have been, but were often easy meat for the direct and physical sides of the Midlands, Wales and the West country. The Dick Best/Will Carling era saw them overtake Leicester and challenge Bath for top dog in England for a few years, then well into the professional period, Dean Richards and Conor O’Shea turned them from relegation fodder into champions. Quins travails of the last four years have largely been due to a decline in dominance in their tight five and a lack of directness in midfield. Without those staples they struggled to be the all-round team which conquered Leicester so memorably in 2012, despite being blessed with such individual talent and experience as Marler, Robshaw, Easter, Care, Evans, Monye and Brown. All that could be about to change.
Quins have made a determined effort to strengthen their squad over the summer, recruiting notably at Tight Head Prop, Lock & inside Centre. Their pack is beefed up by a 19 stoner in each row- Adam Jones at tighthead, James Horwill at lock and Mathew Luamanu at 8. Thus reinforced, they won several scrum penalties at Welford Road and worked Clifford over for a short range try. They hoped for a penalty try at the death after Tigers collapsed a 30M driving maul. A repeat of the humiliation their eight suffered at the Rec last November seems most unlikely. Add in the charges of Jamie Roberts, against one of the slightest midfields in the Premiership and Quins look to be full of threats. Even if their passing game fails to fire, their direct game should be enough to induce fatigue in the Bath defence. Whichever game works for Quins, the threat is real, while Bath have yet to find the form which took them to the final 5 months ago.
Mike Ford has vowed to “take the point and move on to Harlequins next week”. Behind that bland statement, I suspect, lurks some seething impatience that Bath have failed to fire in the opening skirmishes. With 5 league points under the belt it is not panic time yet, but his side need to find their mojo soon, before the grounds get soft and force the attritional rugby of a boggy winter.
Key focus this week should be discipline (once again) and the lineout. Ten points were conceded during Niko Matawalu’s yellow card last week – and effectively the match. Bath must find ways to keep all 15 on the pitch for the duration, while still keeping an “edge”. The lineout is the basis for much of Bath’s game: the driving maul, territorial dominance and a stable platform for the kick-chase game. Flirting with variety proved costly at this phase against Chiefs, so perhaps a return to basics and a ruthless execution of simple catch and drive should be the short term answer?
With a home crowd behind them and most of their internationals returned, Bath have the tools for the job. They know they have it in them to do that job in style-even against the strongest in the Premiership as Leicester, Saracens and Exeter all found at the Rec last year. Indeed, those early performances against Tigers and Sarries proved to be season defining. Key men for Bath this week could well be Batty, Thomas, Attwood and Garvey up front. Behind them, we hope to see the spark that Matawalu was signed for and some clinical finishing by Rokodoguni, Banahan or Watson.
I back Bath to step up a gear, as they did last term in similar circumstances. Expect an intense, physical and fast paced encounter – which could be as colourful as the visitors shirts. This will not be for the faint hearted, but if Bath can get enough front foot ball and Ford can play the territory, they should win. Close, but something to build the season on.
Possible Teams:
Bath: Auterac, Batty, Thomas, Hooper (Capt), Attwood, Garvey, Fa’osiliva, Houston. Matawalu, Ford. Watson, Priestland , Devoto, Rokodoguni. Homer Replacements: Lahiff, Webber, Wilson, Day, Burgess, Cook, Eastmond, Banahan
Harlequins: Marler, Ward, Jones,Horwill, Twomey, Clifford Robshaw, Luamanu. Care, Evans. Walker, Roberts, Lowe, Yarde, Brown. Replacements: Marler, Gray, Sinckler, Easter, Wallace. Dickson, Botica, Lindsay-Hagu
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