Top meets bottom on Saturday in the week that turned the Premiership topsy turvy. Saracens 35 point punishment for salary cap breaches, since suspended pending appeal, is the biggest news of the week, overshadowing even the return of an England squad who gave their best World Cup performance for 16 years. For Bath and Saints though the news, although loaded with implications, is secondary: they have a match to play. So- who will cope with the distraction best and who will win?
While Saracens penalty remains suspended, keeping them in 4th rather than the 12th the sanction intends, the table does not lie. Bath have the fewest wins, the fewest league points and the next to worst points difference in the Premiership. Their visitors on the other hand have won all three of their fixtures, scored the most points, the most tries and already look a good bet for a Top 4 finish. Surely the result is a foregone conclusion? Not necessarily as last year’s runners up Exeter discovered two weeks ago- Bath at the Rec with backs to the wall could be a different proposition.
Saints had 7 players absent in Japan for their early Premiership fixtures. Saturday will be too soon for Courtney Lawes and Dan Biggar who were involved in the last rounds of the World Cup, but Piers Francis, Cobus Reinach, Api Ratuniyarawa and Lewis Ludlam might all be in contention to play, so too Owen Franks, joining his brother. Other danger men are likely to be Haywood, consistently strong for Saints last season, Ribbans who punished Bath with a last minute winner last season and Rory Hutchison who has been in sharp form.
Analysing last week’s defeat at Wasps, snatched from the jaws of victory, Bath’s coaches will have seen encouraging signs in much of the forward play. Attack however, was limited and predictable. Fans will be hoping that Joe Cokanasiga or Ruaridh McConnochie, barely used in Japan, will be fit to play. If they are it may be too much to expect miracles from them- sharper penetration, greater direction from halfback and above all, better decision making will be required behind the scrum. Hopefully Chris Cook will have recovered from the bug which ruled him out of last Saturday’s match, after an excellent showing of zip and control against Chiefs.
With only 3 tries in 3 matches, in contrast to Northampton’s 13, fans are understandably questioning Girvan Dempsey’s impact, and will be hoping to see some flashing line breaks, crisp passing and ambitious intent. I suspect though they will be quite content with pick and drives if those bring victory. Whatever the game plan the players should see this match as an opportunity. Eddie Jones has spoken of “building a new England” to erase the disappointment of this World Cup in France 4 years from now. Forwards like Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Ewels and Mercer will want to remind him of what they can do. What better time to do that than now, as he trawls through this weekend’s recordings looking for his next crop of young talent?
Topsy turvy not only describes the state of the Premiership table on Tuesday, it could be the theme for the past 4 Bath seasons. The new coaching regime has been put in place with a long term aim- to build a culture, a squad and a winning way. Progress may of necessity be gradual but supporters are impatient. They want to see some evidence of it now. A win this weekend would be a good start.
Going to be very tough in view of Bath's frail form, poor decision making and execution, inability to attack and maintain pressure for any length of time. From what I have seen of Northampton this season, they are a very cohesive, well coached, vigorous, side who appear to be able to strike with speed and decisiveness.
On form, we appear not to have much of a chance to win unless we can find the spirit and resolve we showed against Exeter. Lets hope we rise to those heights and even if we do lose, at least gain a bonus point.
Saints by under 10!
Adopted player 2020/21 Beno 'the Transformer' Obano
Adopted player 2019/20 Jonathan 'JJ' Joseph.The Jink Joseph.
Adopted player 2018/19 Adopted player 2018/19 Semesa 'The Rock' Rokoduguni
If it as wet in Bath as it is at the Gardens it sounds like a traditional mudfest at The Rec on saturday. The home teams rugged style may well overcome Saints flair.
I suspect a low scoring game with Bath winning by a small margin.
What a wonderful way to approach the weekend, hoping its going to rain sufficiently to turn the Rec into a mud bath so nobody can play rugby and feel that is out only chance of getting anything out of a home game against Saints. I cannot think of a season when we entered a home game with so little confidence. Well done the Management.
Bath vs Northampton Saints
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Trevor Fisher
Timekeeper: Laurie Bryant
Assessor: Jerry Wallis & Robin Goodliffe
warrenball What a wonderful way to approach the weekend, hoping its going to rain sufficiently to turn the Rec into a mud bath so nobody can play rugby and feel that is out only chance of getting anything out of a home game against Saints. I cannot think of a season when we entered a home game with so little confidence. Well done the Management.
You’re right. There’s no way we should be thinking like that but having been turned over by two fairly mediocre teams & only able to put out a considerably depleted team there’s no way of avoiding it. Saints have had a few years off but now look back to their best. Sadly we can’t even recall a time when we were at our best apart from one fleeting season.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019:11:08:08:19:33 by Bath Hammer.
warrenball What a wonderful way to approach the weekend, hoping its going to rain sufficiently to turn the Rec into a mud bath so nobody can play rugby and feel that is out only chance of getting anything out of a home game against Saints. I cannot think of a season when we entered a home game with so little confidence. Well done the Management.
You’re right. There’s no way we should be thinking like that but having been turned over by two fairly mediocre teams & only able to put out a considerably depleted team there’s no way of avoiding it. Saints have had a few years off but now look back to their best. Sadly we can’t even recall a time when we were at our best apart from one fleeting season.
Was that the season we were (probably) breaking the salary cap.
Adopted player 2019/20 Will Chudley. Weird split household co-parented
player 2020 Josh Matavesi
Score prediction process:
On paper, our team is slightly better team than the one that faced wasps, so margin of defeat may not be as bad.
There again, I'd say saints are much better than Wasps at the mo, so balanced out.
Similar score to last week then
After the group stages some clubs had their RWC players straight back in match day 23 on argument they had done no more than they would have done had they been playing in the Prem
None of ours are. I can understand not Watson or Underhill but Joe and RMc haven't played a game for some weeks and JJ has only had fleeting game time. How come?
ballsout Supporters are a funny breed, especially opposition ones who come on here and moan that one of their players wasn't mentioned in our preview.
Might go over and ask why Will Chudley wasn't mentioned in theirs.
Stop looking for fights all the time, you don't come across well. You would do well to remember the adage that 'sometimes it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool that open your mouth and remove all doubt'
Adopted player 2019/20 Will Chudley. Weird split household co-parented
player 2020 Josh Matavesi
gaz59 Joe and RMc haven't played a game for some weeks and JJ has only had fleeting game time. How come?
I think it will take them a while to get up to speed with the intricacies of our back moves.
No - that doesn't work. They're jet-lagged? Eddie has trained them to oblivion. They've signed for Sarries?
They're too busy checking the terms of their investment contracts.
They also have been on training camps and Japan for months. They might deserve a few days at home with partners and families for their mental well being (sorry if that sounds a bit snowflaky but I believe in that kind of thing)
gaz59 Joe and RMc haven't played a game for some weeks and JJ has only had fleeting game time. How come?
I think it will take them a while to get up to speed with the intricacies of our back moves.
No - that doesn't work. They're jet-lagged? Eddie has trained them to oblivion. They've signed for Sarries?
They're too busy checking the terms of their investment contracts.
They also have been on training camps and Japan for months. They might deserve a few days at home with partners and families for their mental well being (sorry if that sounds a bit snowflaky but I believe in that kind of thing)
I think there might have been a large tongue in the cheek regarding some of these posts.
The English players only got back on Monday. Flouw is probably still not back.
I'd expect them to be seen against Ulster.
15 George Furbank
14 Tom Collins
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Taqele Naiyaravoro
10 James Grayson
9 Henry Taylor
1 Ben Franks
2 Mike Haywood
3 Ehren Painter
4 David Ribbans
5 Alex Moon
6 Tom Wood
7 Jamie Gibson
8 Teimana Harrison (c)
Replacements:
16 James Fish
17 Toby Trinder
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 Alex Coles
21 James Mitchell
22 Fraser Strachan
23 Ahsee Tuala
ballsout Supporters are a funny breed, especially opposition ones who come on here and moan that one of their players wasn't mentioned in our preview.
Might go over and ask why Will Chudley wasn't mentioned in theirs.
Have you stopped trolling other team's boards then, BO?
Wondering why you're suddenly trying to take the moral high ground.
Saints are bigger, faster, more skillful, better looking, more charming and of course better coached. It pains me to say it*, but Saints by at least 50 if Bath get the bounce of the ball.
If it’s forecast to be wet and muddy, therefore a forward dominated game I think all 8 forwards will score , whose is up for debate !
Really I’m going for a draw on this one
Adopted Player 2018/19 Ross Batty
Adopted Player 2019/20 Jack Davies
Adopted Player 2020/21 Cam Redpath
Adopted Player 2021/22 Darren Atkins
Adopted Player 2022/23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Adopted Player 2023/24 Tom Carr-Smith
"AN OUNCE OF ACTION IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY"
FRIEDRICH ENGELS
Mr Ballsout,
My comment was in reply to
"Other danger men are likely to be Haywood, consistently strong for Saints last season, Ribbans who punished Bath with a last minute winner last season and Rory Hutchison who has been in sharp form"
I was just a little surprised that the previewer didn't seem him as a dangerman, Really doesn't bother me but dont be surprised if he scores.
Mr Ballsout where are you drinking before the game could maybe swap a couple of pints and discuss the real issues of Rugger...….like Saracens for instance
BathMatt53 Saints are bigger, faster, more skillful, better looking, more charming and of course better coached. It pains me to say it*, but Saints by at least 50 if Bath get the bounce of the ball.
Absolutely hammering down and forecasted to remain for the game, all of a sudden more confident of a result.
We will definitely be the happier of the two teams with the weather, another drenching but hopefully worth it as long as Tempest doesn't have a Worcester meltdown... Come on Bath
Brilliant performance! Thought we'd stuffed it up when Aled got sent off (which looked like a yellow from where I was sat) but fearsome from the pack after that. Great spirit. Looks like a well coached group of players...
Victor Ludorum Brilliant performance! Thought we'd stuffed it up when Aled got sent off (which looked like a yellow from where I was sat) but fearsome from the pack after that. Great spirit. Looks like a well coached group of players...
Rumour has it they spent the week in Exeter or was it Bristol
So sad I couldn’t watch this! Sounds like a proper dogged win in the rain. Saints have looked so good I wrote us off but not in a pessimistic way, I’ve actually been enjoying watching saints!
Great win and very enjoyable for those who like to see us win. Good defence on the whole although the backs were at sixes and sevens at times. The pack and front row in particular were very good and destroyed Saint's scrum in second half. Hooper did say they would be concentrating on the forwards initially and here's hoping for great things from our returning World cup back row and backs on the back of forward performances like that!
One of the most enjoyable trips to the Rec for many a year. Chudley darting runs, Jamie Roberts breaks, front 8 smashing the oppo, crowd on fantastic form too. Brilliant afternoon tbh....
....sorry almost forgot to mention the attacking threat of ‘big T’. His chips forward aren’t very good and he was nicely shackled by a kid just out of school when required. Not his greatest showing.
Adopted Player 2018/19 Ross Batty
Adopted Player 2019/20 Jack Davies
Adopted Player 2020/21 Cam Redpath
Adopted Player 2021/22 Darren Atkins
Adopted Player 2022/23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Adopted Player 2023/24 Tom Carr-Smith
"AN OUNCE OF ACTION IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY"
FRIEDRICH ENGELS
No rain! First trip to the Rec in 18 months at least for me. I couldn't quite believe we were up at half time, but a phenomenal second half. Obano/Dunn/Stuart took ten minutes off the clock, took the legs out of the Saints forwards, won a yellow card and won a try. Then got a complete replacement. Love the onfield decisions from Ewels, love the substitution decisions from Hoops.
Forward effort was tremendous just great to see Will Stuart totally dominate All Black Mr Franks from first to last. Roberts breaks were class. Spirit in the pack was brilliant when we went down to 14, case of Ref Sir you are t* sser we are just going have to beat these people in a way even you can get your thick head around. Again, Will Stuart you are a hero. My entire flock had this down as a loss pre-match, so chuffed.
That was another excellent win which proves the win against Exeter was no fluke. The pack is transformed beyond recognition from last season & look a match for any team in the league. There’s clearly more work to do on the backs but what a base to move on from with our WorldCup stars about to return. The transformation from to p to bottom still being called for by certain individuals is taking place so massive congratulations to the management for making the right decisions & putting their trust in Hooper.
Loved that. Had my head in my hands after Rhys was charged down and we did well to stay in it first half. Second 40 was terrific. The spirit, fight and decisions after the red card were brilliant. Loved the scrums leading to Zach's try. Big family do tonight and I won't have to pretend to be in a good mood 😁
What a 2nd half from the pack, Saints were destroyed up front. Special mention to Will Stuart up against Ben Franks who had the better of him for their tussle. Got to say Jamie Roberts had the best 2nd half I've seen for Bath in a long time too. Went in hope more than expectation and came away with more expectation than hope for the next few games. A knock out effort from the 14 plus finishers today and it didn't rain during the game. Well done Bath.
Adopted players: 23/24 O Lawrence; [23] J Cokanasiga; [22] M Green; [21] A Watson; [20] T Faletau; [19] M V Vuuren; [18] T Faletau; [17] D Denton; [16] H. Agulla; [15] L Houston; [14] W Spencer; [13] F. Louw
Brilliant performance by the players and great strategy from the coaches. The red card, which I thought should be a yellow at the time, seemed to turn the game as our lads suddenly got on to the front foot and the adrenalin started to flow.
Tempest was very iffy throughout and clearly asked the wrong question as the TMO would not have given a try for the “Try or no Try” question as the replays didn’t show a grounding!
The forwards were immense and well done the scrums in the second half and line outs throughout, well done Charteris and Lilley. Now for the added nous of Hats.
What a pack! Dominance grew with the game, amazing to watch. At 15m45s to go I hoped for 15mins of scrums and that’s what we got.
Some of Tempest’s on field decisions were bizarre. How Brew got a red for getting taken out illegally by their 15 flying in is beyond me. It wasn’t a swinging arm, he brought his arm up to protect himself from an illegal sideswipe off the ball.
It was in front of me and I thought it would be nothing, maybe a pen. Not one person also sitting near the incident dreamed it was a red*. Still, didn’t matter and may have even done us a favour - definitely galvanised.
(Haven’t seen it on the TV or in slo-mo yet)
[23/24 adoptee: Will Butt]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019:11:09:19:40:43 by BathMatt53.
Just seen brief highlights on BT Sport
Can't complain with the red card in my opinion
Pack looked fired up and brutal.
Chudley looked good in the highlights.
Weather looked OK too
Must have been a good day out for those there.
And that's how you make set piece dominance pay. First half Tempest wanted the ball played away from scrums even though we were dominant but we stuck to the script and scrummaged them off the park. Lineout was good if not outstanding and for all Saints' dangerous runners ww ground them out of the game.
If BoB ever questions Charlie Ewels captaincy, commitment and 'grunt' to use a BoB word, after that lot, just laugh.
The lesson from the world cup is that an attacking player has a duty of care just as much as a defender, Brew led with his elbow and hit the defender throat high. Red all day long. (It really didn't need the theatrics btw).
Victor Ludorum Brilliant performance! Thought we'd stuffed it up when Aled got sent off (which looked like a yellow from where I was sat) but fearsome from the pack after that. Great spirit. Looks like a well coached group of players...
Rumour has it they spent the week in Exeter or was it Bristol
On the BT Sport highlights then it looks hard to argue with the red. Haven't seen the full game yet but starting to feel hopeful about some of our young, hungry pack.
I thought Brews red card was harsh at the time, however having seen the highlights on a clear tv picture he can have no complaints.
I thought the pack were superb in the set piece, and Charlie in particular was brilliant (minus one dropped pass).
I could watch those scrums and lineouts all day. Let the backs defend and will happily pay to watch that. Those 8 minutes of scrums were brilliant!!
I think Hoops said this season was about focusing on building a dominant pack and winning the home games which is what he is doing. Just got to start getting some points away. Also nice to see 6 out of the starting 8 were academy boys.
Not saying things are perfect, but they are definitely looking more positive.
Agreed - have caught it on BT sport now and it’s a forearm to throat.
Young Will Stuart can go as far as he wants in this game if he keeps up these performances - he is some player. I could easily see him and Beno interesting some of the England scouts if they perform like they did today given Cole and Marler potentially calling time on their international careers?
Really top performance after a shaky opening few minutes.
The pack, especially the tight 5 were simply outstanding. For me Ewells came of age today. Superb shift, great leadership and astute decision making. Inspirational.
Watching our starting front 3 mullering their replacements after 70 minutes was very enjoyable.
So nothing from BoB and Ballsout's only contribution is trolling on the Saints site. Nothing intelligent to add, so why would anyone pay any attention to the inevitable one-note drivel when we lose?
Trawling So nothing from BoB and Ballsout's only contribution is trolling on the Saints site. Nothing intelligent to add, so why would anyone pay any attention to the inevitable one-note drivel when we lose?
Are you surprised? First on to criticise when Bath lose, go MIA when Bath win. True anti-fans of the current Bath team and set-up almost to the point of being caricature panto villains...at least its the right time of year (oh no it isn’t, oh yes it is).
From where I was sitting the ref had an absolute shocker, replays on the screen never convinced me it was a red (shame their player went down like a modern day footballer). Although the perceived sense of injustice in the crowd seemed to do the trick, probably the loudest it's been at the Rec for years.
Well done to the pack, they won it for us despite the ref seeming to be against us.
In real time it just looks like a normal rugby collision. In slo-mo it certainly looks like Brew deliberately lifts his shoulder to neck/face as he tries to go around
If this was an offence to a Bath player we would probably be applauding a tight, tough decision that sends the right message to players and coaches to avoid this kind of collision. In my book it was spot on.
Shame that it overshadowed a very positive attacking play from inside own 22 and a cracking grubber kick from Freddie
Personally I think that it was fantastic that the crowd were so animated, exaggerated boos and cheers included. It’s rare that the Rec crowd provide so much vocal backing for their team and it’s certainly no different than most (all?) of the other Prem clubs. Ewels Interview indicated that the player soaked it up and it was a positive for them - that’s good enough for me.
Tempest did miss things (high tackles, forward passes) but at the end of the day they are human and the players were good enough that it just didn’t matter.
Most enjoyable game I have seen at the Rec in a long time, possibly because I expected to be sitting outside all day in driving rain which didn't happen but mainly the really sensible way the whole team played. Good decisions by both captain and coach, especially the one to go for the line out (and score) just after red card (which was undoubtedly the correct decision). The red card seemed to galvanise the team and the crowd. Referee missed a whole load of offences, but it was a difficult game to referee and he seemed to help the noise from the crowd with some of his decisions.
Having Priesland and Burns on together may have been forced by Homer not being available, but it worked very well and is certainly something to consider in the future. Difficult to pick any player as MOM, the forward effort huge, especially front row, but the most pleasing part was the calmness of the players who did not panic at the red card and played with intelligence. If that is Hooper's influence then he deserves congratulations.
I know it was a good game, but Radio Bristol are saying Bath won after being down to 10 men after 48 minutes!! Methinks the writer of the news script knoweth not his sport!
A great afternoon. 1-23 deserve all of the plaudits, as do all of the coaches and staff for having the boys perfectly tuned in for a match that could easily have slipped away after 1 minute.
The front 5 were awesome but a word for the back row too. Up against more experienced oppo, they were outstanding, with immense workrate and dog. I must say, Bayliss looks like the real deal this season. It looks like he’s put on a bit of weight but hasn’t lost his speed. With Louw and Underhill to learn from, he could be some player. Ellis delivered an outstanding Tom Ellis performance and Mercer just gets better and better. All young men. All really stood up.
The leadership was also very impressive from the coaches down through skipper to the senior players. Our 9-10-12 ran the game well and marshalled us in a way we’ve missed on many occasions for many seasons.
Far from perfect in style. But near perfect in terms of attitude and commitment. Add in Hatley and our World Cup stars (and Faletau) and, with that set piece, we should be able to match most teams.
The Brew incident was a difficult one: in real-time it looked fairly innocuous but the multiple slow mo replays from all angles didn't help his cause and I can see how it could have been interpreted as reckless. Let's hope he doesn't cop a ban as with Roko's head knock and as yet undetermined return dates for Homer, Ruaridh, Joe C, and Ant, we might be a little light in the back 3.
There were a couple of fairly cynical looking knock-ons / slap-downs from Saints defenders when we were pressing in the second half which I thought they were lucky to get away with. Granted, from the terrace it's sometimes hard to see if things go forward in situations such as those.
Just watched the highlights and still not seeing the Brew incident as a red card, yellow at most.
However if we're being absolutely picky with blows to the head what about Saints number 7 leading with his elbow into Roko's head which resulted in him failing the HIA?
Gaz, I didn't have ref link but Tempest had just given Harrison the general warning and Tempest probably realised that with one loosehead in the bin, if he had put the replacement in the bin as well it would have gone uncontested. I suspect if he had got that wrong there would have been a (very polite) riot.
I am sure Brew did not mean to go for the head, they were running towards each other, both fairly upright and I think Brew's reaction was as much self defence than trying to damage but, unfortunately, he brought the elbow up just before collision and hit the thread/jaw area so had to be a red card. However that seemed to bring the best out of Bath, until then it was a very close run thing.
Just catching up. Great performance and a very nice surprise. Watching the highlights our forwards looked immense and we even put a few backs moves together! Excited to see what happens when we bolster that already impressive forward unit and have our England backs outside them. Suddenly I'm rather looking forward to seeing what we can do this season.
BathMatt53 Personally I think that it was fantastic that the crowd were so animated, exaggerated boos and cheers included. It’s rare that the Rec crowd provide so much vocal backing for their team and it’s certainly no different than most (all?) of the other Prem clubs. Ewels Interview indicated that the player soaked it up and it was a positive for them - that’s good enough for me.
Tempest did miss things (high tackles, forward passes) but at the end of the day they are human and the players were good enough that it just didn’t matter.
In the East stand the last two home games a group (all probably over 60) have on two occasions shouted abusive comments. Against Sale one of them simply shouted F@c& off as loudly as he could and yesterday one of them stood up and shouted as loudly as he could that the ref was a W@$nk%R. I'm no prude but I hope they remain isolated incidents.
Very well played Bath, especially the pack and in particular Obano, Dunn and my MOM Stuart. Very few even believed we could win after recent performances, against probably the form side in the Prem. this season.
After the start, I had my head in my hands and feared the worst but Chudley's try gave us hope and we certainly got on top up front. Not seen that from a Bath side for a very long time .
I know the weather was bad, but still our back play was very poor with few taking the ball at speed on the run. Roberts did so for possibly the first time in a Bath shirt and it made a huge difference.
Going down to what I thought was a red card because of the head contact, seemed to galvanise our 8 and Mercer, Ellis and Bayliss got better and better, and Stooke certainly made a difference. Our scrummaging got better as the game went on and that must be down in part to the second row shove. Ewels was a major force and we hope that trend continues as we need it.
Let's hope we can keep the momentum going and now build on this gutsy spirited display going forward.
Again very well done team.
Adopted player 2020/21 Beno 'the Transformer' Obano
Adopted player 2019/20 Jonathan 'JJ' Joseph.The Jink Joseph.
Adopted player 2018/19 Adopted player 2018/19 Semesa 'The Rock' Rokoduguni
Not puny ‘schoolboy’ weaklings anymore then BOB (ie since a week or two ago)?
(The Bath scrum started well, was good in the middle and got really good when their forwards were yellow carded and they made a load of subs. Stooke was as good as ever but McNally had a great game too.)
Agree Woodster, what is most annoying is when they abusive the referee without understanding some of the laws of the game. Good hearted cheering, booing and general attempts at manipulating the ref is part of the game but not foul language.
From half way in the east stand I thought the ref was ok, though I guess he must have asked “any reason I can’t award...” for Saints’ second try. The most vociferous baying from the crowd, on our side at least, was when they were just wrong. E.g. The 2nd half kick caught by Saints, maul held up, their scrum, cos the maul was straight from a kick, decision roundly booed by everyone. Who knew? Just me and the officials, it would seem.
The red was a red all day long, when you bear in mind the zero tolerance they (eventually) showed to head/neck hits in the RWC (prem refs tend to follow the lead of the big comps, according to spreaders). Brew lifted his forearm as an instinctive fend as he was about to collide and went too high. Neck. Bad luck. Red card.
So Hoops talked about blocks of 4 games, though the targeting home games was in reference to the prem cup, I think, so no excuses for the poor away losses in the league.
In terms of the pre-season work-ons the set piece is looking good and my impression is that the conditioning is already paying off. Despite the red card we seemed to finish the stronger.
I watched the game in full again yesterday and certainly understood a couple of the decisions more than I did on Saturday (first deliberate knock-on going backwards off hand but forwards off man next to him for example).
How did you manage to see the match in full BathMatt? When not televised I can only find extended highlights on BT Sport & brief highlights on Channel 5. Am I missing a trick?
Bath Hammer How did you manage to see the match in full BathMatt? When not televised I can only find extended highlights on BT Sport & brief highlights on Channel 5. Am I missing a trick?
dr.bath1865 Is a deliberate knock down (rather than knock on) still foul play?
There was no attempt to catch the ball, so what does it matter if it goes forward or back?
Or am I missing something in the law book?
Yes, nothing wrong with pushing / patting a ball backwards dr.bath1865. Lineout jumpers and jumpers after kicks off do it all the time.
Yes JFPC, the Premiership Rugby site is where I watched it - if you have a smart TV (which I guess most do now) you can just watch it on there as normal. I tend to cast it from my phone.
Great win on Saturday, pack and the front five in particular really stood up. Been impressed with Will Stuart all season, looks a great signing. Had a feeling when I say them playing Paul Hill and Ben Franks we could get on top at the scrum.
Disappointing "Big T" didn't make much any impression, given all the hype from Saints supporters. Great tackle from Burns to haul him down that one time.
For Wood's try, Tempest told the TMO he had seen the ball on the floor hence the question he asked. (Some may well dispute his eyesight though!)
Same as in the winning try for Bristool yesterday.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019:11:11:11:53:47 by Dorset Boy.
The red card certainly galvanised both the supporters and the players, as did the unconvincing try given after TMO review.
As far as the red card is concerned I'm convinced that a better ref would at most have given a penalty as a"rugby incident". In real time it looked innocuous but the slow motion replays make it look like a ferocious attack. You have to ask what else he could do. If you're running full tilt at someone, you of course put your arms up for the safety of both of you. Would a body check with whiplash have been a better option?
It's fortunate for Bath that ultimately it created the win, because otherwise a very dubious decision could have defined the result.
Plenty to grouse about, if you are of a kind to do so.
Was very pleased with the sheer amount of dog put in to win that. Spruning an easy 3 pointer in favour of endless scrums ran the clock down and got it's reward. Good on-field decision, backed up by a great effort from the pack. In a way it's a shame that Zach actually scored that try, I'd have loved even more pain being dished to the Saints forwards.
Team of the week from Chris Foy includes Freddie Burns, Will Chudley, Beno Obano and Will Stuart.
Also Top Tackle Freddie Burns on Taqele Naiyaravoro .
Northampton DOR Chris Boyd was not impressed with the manner of Baths win saying “They weren’t trying to play the game. They were trying to scrum for penalties. That was their game plan.
Isn’t the scrum part of the game anymore ? Sounds like sour grapes to me !
Adopted Player 2018/19 Ross Batty
Adopted Player 2019/20 Jack Davies
Adopted Player 2020/21 Cam Redpath
Adopted Player 2021/22 Darren Atkins
Adopted Player 2022/23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Adopted Player 2023/24 Tom Carr-Smith
"AN OUNCE OF ACTION IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY"
FRIEDRICH ENGELS
Old Bath Tub Northampton DOR Chris Boyd was not impressed with the manner of Baths win saying “They weren’t trying to play the game. They were trying to scrum for penalties. That was their game plan.
Northampton DOR Chris Boyd was not impressed with the manner of Baths win saying “They weren’t trying to play the game. They were trying to scrum for penalties. That was their game plan.
And Northampton were trying to frustrate legal scrummaging- hence the penalties. If he prefers the scrum as a restart to the game, why were his team trying to prevent the game re-starting?
P G Tips Northampton DOR Chris Boyd was not impressed with the manner of Baths win saying “They weren’t trying to play the game. They were trying to scrum for penalties. That was their game plan.
And Northampton were trying to frustrate legal scrummaging- hence the penalties. If he prefers the scrum as a restart to the game, why were his team trying to prevent the game re-starting?
PG
Top v bottom on a wet day in the West Country at the back end of Autumn, that sounds like a very fine plan. And so it turned out. Welcome to the Prem, Chris
ballsout Disappointing "Big T" didn't make much any impression, given all the hype from Saints supporters. Great tackle from Burns to haul him down that one time.
I can live without that Are they referring to Teimana Harrison? Not a very imaginative name!
Dorset Boy For Wood's try, Tempest told the TMO he had seen the ball on the floor hence the question he asked. (Some may well dispute his eyesight though!)
Same as in the winning try for Bristool yesterday.
ballsout Disappointing "Big T" didn't make much any impression, given all the hype from Saints supporters. Great tackle from Burns to haul him down that one time.
I can live without that Are they referring to Teimana Harrison? Not a very imaginative name!
I presume Taquele Naiayaravoro. He's one of those very big men who aren't onvincingly aggressive in contact. JoeC is another as is, strangely enough, Billy V.
Dorset Boy For Wood's try, Tempest told the TMO he had seen the ball on the floor hence the question he asked. (Some may well dispute his eyesight though!)
Same as in the winning try for Bristool yesterday.
He must have x-ray vision. Amazing!
Must admit I don't really mind referees taking circumstantial evidence that the ball has been grounded. The main point of rugby is to get the ball the other side of the white line, and it's hard enough to do that these days. Defensive players make a deliberate effort to pile in around the grounding area to obscure the cameras, so there needs to be some counter-balance to that.
Dorset Boy For Wood's try, Tempest told the TMO he had seen the ball on the floor hence the question he asked. (Some may well dispute his eyesight though!)
Same as in the winning try for Bristool yesterday.
He must have x-ray vision. Amazing!
Must admit I don't really mind referees taking circumstantial evidence that the ball has been grounded. The main point of rugby is to get the ball the other side of the white line, and it's hard enough to do that these days. Defensive players make a deliberate effort to pile in around the grounding area to obscure the cameras, so there needs to be some counter-balance to that.
I watched the game last night and thought that the 'circumstantial evidence' for Wood's try seemed to be no grounding 'held up' rather than 'try' to my mind the wording of the question was wrong.
Sam Harris
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
Only saw the game last night, second half was really impressive, I'd obviously endorse all the front row comments and the back row seemed to enjoy the mayhem, but I was impressed with Josh McNally. He was winning his line out and tackling and carrying but I really liked his catching at the restart. That has been a problem for us in the past. Whoever sourced this guy need a pat on the back he is a future star.
On the Freddie at fullback argument we had a period where Todd played RP at 10 and FB at 15 as dual playmakers, IIRC that went well but was cut short by injury. RP looks a better player behind a pack going forward but still doesn't really set the back alight, the important thing is its winning rugby. I'm happy to sacrifice sparking back play for a while.
Sam Harris
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
McNally was lined up to replace Attwood when big Dave was angling to stay on at Toulon, so would have been here earlier if Mourad had been willing to pay the compensation Bruce wanted. I guess that means Todd wanted him, or was it Hooper recruiting even back then?
On the Wood try, once the players are getting near or over the line there seems to be a general free for all when players drop down and often go over the ball in a way that would not be legal in open play. The Saints No 19 dropped onto the defending players trying to push the ball to the ground - what is the law regarding this, does it change once the ball has crossed the line as the ball is still in play until it is touched down?
While Ewels has been (rightly, i'm sure) receiving a lot of plaudits for his captaincy, the exchange with Tempest as he explains why he's about to red card Brew really isn't designed to endear him with refs. As Tempest is talking, you can hear Ewels saying directly to the ref to try to engage him: 'Mate ... mate' and then turning his head away a bit contemptuously and then shaking his head when the card comes out.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think the word he's looking for is: 'Sir'.
Optimist While Ewels has been (rightly, i'm sure) receiving a lot of plaudits for his captaincy, the exchange with Tempest as he explains why he's about to red card Brew really isn't designed to endear him with refs. As Tempest is talking, you can hear Ewels saying directly to the ref to try to engage him: 'Mate ... mate' and then turning his head away a bit contemptuously and then shaking his head when the card comes out.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think the word he's looking for is: 'Sir'.
You are old fashioned.
...although I thought that was quite 'familiar' too...although refs are doing the same, Doyle was calling Roko 'Roko' the other day.
I saw the contemptuous shake of the head as an 'oh no'-type sigh.
I thought Freddie had a great game all round at FB [perhaps there is something in his initials??]. His cover defence tackling has been exceptional at times, witness the great try saving effort against Chiefs also
Old Bath Tub Team of the week from Chris Foy includes Freddie Burns
Just about sums up Freddie's lot since he arrived at Bath. Forces his way into the starting XV, puts in a strong performance, and has absolutely zero chance of keeping his place for next Saturday.
Old Bath Tub Team of the week from Chris Foy includes Freddie Burns
Just about sums up Freddie's lot since he arrived at Bath. Forces his way into the starting XV, puts in a strong performance, and has absolutely zero chance of keeping his place for next Saturday.
I can only see Joe C and Rory being selected myself, Underhill, Flouw Watson and probably JJ rested I'd have thought.
Sam Harris
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
We really weren't at the races at the weekend. I don't think the pitch helped us as our scrum is not our strength but can't have any arguments about the result. You were overall the better side and I thought deserved the win and the early try gave us a bit of false hope.
Sadly, final passes didn't go to hand for us, had they have done i think we'd have got a couple more tries but it wasn't to be.
The red was unlucky. Clearly no malice in the challenge but I don't think the ref had much option. It was a forearm to the throat. As for someone commenting that Furbank 'took a dive', the fact that he went off and played no further part suggests different.
I'm not sure that Woods try should have stood; I think we got lucky there. It was at the opposite end of the pitch and we couldn't really see the screen, but on Reflink, Tempest almost immediately commented that he'd seen grounding and that his on field decision was a Try. There didn't seem to be many people around us with the Reflink, just lots of incorrect guessing.
I know we got booked twice, but the last 10 minutes of scrumming got tedious and some of the decisions looked to be stumping Tempest leading to him guessing. I thought your Loosehead lost his footing which caused the scrum to collapse which lead to Hill's yellow.
Overall, you deserved the win but on another day I think we could have got a result. Look forward to welcoming you all to the Gardens
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