Quantcast

Donkey Derby


Rokodoguni: Strike Rate

By P G Tips
September 27 2016

Bath’s first error on Saturday will be met by a cacophony of donkey impressions from the Shed. This reaction, the favourite taunt of Kingsholm supporters, is guaranteed. It also adds spice to a derby that needs no artificial incitement to enflame it. Always a testy encounter, this is the one players and supporters feel the most personally and one which has, in recent years, offered plenty of incident and controversy. The “Battle of Kingsholm”, a feisty affair of 7 cards which saw Gloucester finish with 11 men and concede defeat to a late penalty try, sticks in the craw for the men in cherry and white. Since then Bath have spoiled Gloucester’s Christmas the following season, but themselves harbour a grudge about the narrow home defeat Gloucester inflicted through controversial penalties last February. There are many other niggles and humiliations for both clubs –which only go to make the “eeyore, eeyore!” chant more delicious for Gloucester and more irritating for the men from The Rec.

Bath travel with less than ideal preparation. Selection so far has been beset by injuries, so consistency of the key groupings has been as rare as rocking horse droppings. Add to that morale –denting defeat at Leicester that exposed flaws both at lineout and breakdown. Gloucester’s fans will be licking their lips at the thought that they may catch Bath cold and exert West Country bragging rights – or should that be braying rights?

 

In truth, for most of the past few seasons the championship of the West has been a Bath: Exeter rivalry, which now threatens to overshadow the old and bitter derby. It cannot erase history however, so this is a match to stir the blood, whatever the form or league position of the two sides. Time was when a Gloucester team was a predictable beast. A gnarled pack: a troglodyte front row, with two tractors (sharp elbowed for the lineout) at lock forming the front five; supporting these a clogger-cruncher-carrier combo at loose forward. True “Donkeys” in the old rugby parlance. Behind them two kicking halfbacks would give direction and territorial dominance while a goalkicking fullback provided the primary points. The threequarters key role would be to tackle and chase. A team for a ten man strategy: asinine in the eyes of critics and romantics but undeniably effective. That tradition has not been the only Kingsholm hallmark in recent years: the club that gave us Burton, Fidler and Teague now known as much for flying wings and mercurial fly halves as for the mulish stubbornness of the men up front.

 

Despite the presence of donkeys like Galarza and Afoa or such carriers as Hibbard, Kalamafoni and Morgan and of course, poacher Kvesic, Gloucester have failed to subdue most opposing packs yet this season. Their one convincing win has been – somewhat surprisingly – at Sale where even Saracens struggled last term. That was a fine performance and will give them heart. Their supporters will also know that there is nothing like a derby to stir their team out of a rut. Laidlaw, Hook and Twelvetrees: all rested last weekend, are likely to return, so there will be backline creativity to support the physical assault from up front. The threat is real and credible and needs to be respected.

 

Against them Bath will again be forced to field a makeshift lineup. Midfield is hardest hit with Bowden, Clark and Joseph all still absent. Back row is also a concern. David Sisi is now out for some months to join the growing casualty list there. Better news is that Nick Auterac is fit, while Dave Attwood’s early withdrawal last weekend was not injury related. Patched up the team may be, but Batty, Garvey, Attwood and Ewels have all been in fine form up front. Behind them Fotoali’i is proving an inspired signing and Rokodoguni continues his impressive scoring rate.

 

It is crunch time then for this particular derby. Gloucester, inconsistent for a season or two and underwhelming this: Bath, heavily disrupted by injury and coming off a heavy defeat. Sheer old fashioned bloody mindedness and “animal” may well be the setting for both teams. This could be tasty or nasty, but is bound to be tense. Where Bath will take hope for this tough ask is in their new coaching regime: Gloucester under the present and last management have been somewhat less than the sum of their parts. Somehow I feel that it may well be Gloucester, not Bath, who will be looking an ass at full time.

 

Possible Teams:

Bath:
Catt, Batty, Thomas, Attwood, Ewels, Garvey, Ellis, Houston. Fotuali’i, Ford. Brew, Jennings, Banahan, Rokodoguni. Watson.

Replacements: Auterac, Dunn, Palma –Newport, Stooke, Mercer. Cook, Homer, Williams.


Gloucester:

Thomas, Hibbard, Afoa, Savage, Galarza, Moriarty, Kvesic, Morgan. Laidlaw, Burns, Sharples, Twelvetrees, Atkinson, Purdy. Marshall

Replacements: Dawidiuk, Orr, Doran-Jones, Latta, Evans, Scott. Heinz, Hook, Halaifonua

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

Donkey Derby
Discussion started by Comeonmylovers.co.uk (IP Logged), 27/09/2016 20:19
Comeonmylovers.co.uk
Comeonmylovers.co.uk
27/09/2016 20:19
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:10:07:13:13:23 by Stuart Anderton.

opti
Optimist
29/09/2016 13:00
What a fantastically well-written article. Thanks for that.

Puxonian
Puxonian
29/09/2016 14:55
Agreed. And particularly good use of the word "assinine"

P G Tips
P G Tips
01/10/2016 17:12
Second best in possession and territory for much of the game, we were handed a "Get out of Jail Free card" by Gloucester's own inabilty to convert their pressure.

I hate to crow but: "Gloucester - Eeyyooore, eeeyooorre!"


PG

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net