Guinness Premiership Round 10

Bath Rugby v Northampton Saints

Saturday December 28th 2:15pm

The Rec, Bath

You always know the game's afoot when it's time to visit the Bath board for the annual trip to the Rec. Coochie Coo, Hotelier Manqué, who insists on calling us "Nohopeton", is always worth awakening, just for his condescension!

Those souls who travel for what could be the last time to this wonderful ground with just about the worst stand (Helphire - no, the p and the h are not pronounced f) in the Premiership will hopefully be able to witness a true evocation of the Saturnalian rituals, marked by tomfoolery and reversal of social roles, in which slaves and masters switched places. Bath, riding high at 2nd, currently 15 points above Saints in 10th position will be supremely confident and comfortable expecting a win at home against the team that "can't win away". This is just what Saints will expect, and perhaps this is the time for that tag to be put to bed. At the Gardens last month, Saints can justifiably claim to have not had the "Rub of the Green" and the exciting draw should have yielded at least another 3 points. That would have placed us at 8th today, and shows just how tight the Premiership is this season.

Jim Mallinder has made two points, the first being that this team needs to play rugby (not just stay fit, for they have seen most sides off in that department), for 80 minutes. In the press briefing this week, both he and Scott Gray rein-iterated it, and the team is well aware, and at home are gradually managing to do it.

The second is that Saints is a work in progress. Week on week the squad show this by gradually revealing more and more skill and determination, to the delight of the supporters. The style and intensity of play is light years removed from the opening days of the season, with players gradually becoming used to utilising the skills of their teammates, and producing some sublime rugby.

According to the Bath ERE site, the Premiership's two best front rows will be at the Rec on Saturday. The Bath 1st and 2nd choices! I am sure that Soane, Dylan and Euan, closely followed by "Wee Tam", Joe and Barry will have something to say about that. Our pack this year has been remarkable, and the running game that has come from the re-invigorated lineout has stunned a few opposition teams. In Bath, Saints will meet yet again a team that plays a similar game, so the contest, as at the Gardens, should be fascinating.

Bath come to this game off a close home win against Sale last week, which was tetchy to say the least. It will be interesting to see if they carry this feisty style into this week's game. The way that Saints are handling such play is proving successful. Ignore it, as Dylan nobly did last week, and step up the game, an approach that served us well.

Bath has one of the largest back lines in the country, epitomised in Banahan, and it will be fun to see if he resumes his competition with "speed bumps" Diggin (who arguably got the better of him) this week, and while Saints worked out how to play them at the Gardens, it may be a very different story at the Rec, with the home team spurred on by a home crowd full of Plum Pudding and Brandy.

So a fascinating encounter in store; Saints with a point to prove, and Bath with the confidence of a home match against the "Nohopetownies".  My prediction for the team is a triumph of hope over experience, as Jim and Nobby now have such a depth of talent from which to choose, but here goes:

*To score on his return to the club he left to further his career with Scotland!

Impact from the bench:

Spencer, Ashton, Easter, Smith, Gray, Stewart, Dickson

Prediction? Saturnalian revels will continue until 5pm on Saturday - Saints by 4.

(I just have that feeling again!)

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