By Chris Chaplin
October 30 2003

My favourite away fixture of the season has finally arrived. Nice town and nice people. Although with Bath flying high at the top of the Premiership and Tigers, well, not, I wonder if it will be a nice result for me to round off another happy day in the most sublime of Spa towns. Oh Happy Day!!


I must admit that Bath’s opening to this strangest of seasons has confounded me and I suspect that I am not alone in my confusion. Even the Bath faithful surely could not, in their wildest dreams, have expected such a good start, even though they have now succumbed to their first loss of the season up at Kingston Park, where they were narrowly beaten by Falcons last Saturday, while on the same day Tigers suffered another home defeat.

With no fewer than 31 personnel changes during the close season (32 if the departure of Dan Lyle is taken into account), a number of key players absent at the World Cup and a new coach in the formidable shape of John Connolly coming on board, it is a quite remarkable feat by that same “Knuckles” Connolly and his team of Michael Foley, Brian Smith and Richard Graham to have got this disparate and depleted assembly into such a formidable fighting force so early on.

I’ve seen Bath play three times this season and their pack had really been going well until last weekend at Kingston Park. Jonathan Humphreys tried manfully last season to display the talent that won him 38 caps for Wales but it was not to be and while the Welshman does not go the full 80 minutes these days he remains a gritty and inspiring player with Lee Mears now coming on during the latter stages. I must say that on the occasions I’ve seen Mears, who’s had to be very patient waiting in the wings while watching first Regan and then Humphreys take centre stage, I’ve rather liked this mobile player who is a real threat in broken play.

The surprising and inspired signing of David Flatman from Sarries, (my surprise being that the Watford club let go this fine modern prop, who must be unfortunate to have only won 10 caps for his country) coupled with the arrival of Duncan Bell from Pontypridd, who many may remember from his time at Sale where he played almost 80 premiership games for the North Westerners, makes the front row not only look very accomplished and experienced, it is.

Speaking of inspired signings brings me to the most inspired of all, that of Rob Fidler. It is true that Fidler did not have his best season at Glaws last year but his downcast appearance then had more to do with personal problems than any lack of appetite for the game. However the availability of this fine club player, who turned out over 120 times in the premiership for Bath’s West Country neighbours, was manna from heaven for Jack Rowell who knew that he would certainly be losing Grewcock to England’s Antipodean adventure and perhaps even Steve Borthwick as well.

Fidler has brought experience aplenty to his partnership with Borthwick and the Bath man has responded in kind. For my money this is the best second row combination in the country during these World Cup distorted days, their respective skills complimenting each other perfectly.

In the back row one of my favourite players when at Bristol, Michael Lipman. This lad is like quicksilver at the lineout with Johnno getting into some bother with the beak when the England captain tried to stop Lipman bursting away for an almost certain try when Bristol were at Welford Road last season. This talented and opportunistic flanker is a major danger and although he was a little subdued against Falcons he will still take some serious watching in loose play, although he is not always at his best on the ground. Ex Exeter Chiefs player Andy Beattie regularly joins Lipman in the back row and this abrasive player is another who seems to have got a new lease of life this term with his front five usually excelling at doing all the hard stuff. Tremendous in the loose this young player has also impressed in the line out this season where he is a credible third force alongside his specialist colleagues.

These two are joined by Isaac Fea'unati. The New Zealand born number 8 has made 11 appearances for Western Samoa, scoring a brace of tries in the process. Fea'unati has been around a bit since coming over to the UK though, spending time with Rotherham, London Irish and Leeds and given that he scored 11 tries from just under 40 premiership appearances for the Headingley club I must say that, as in the case of Rob Fidler, I was surprised to see this dynamic back-row leave for the balmy south-west. Mind you it is a lot warmer down there than on the windswept Yorkshire Moors. The only caveat for me is that Fea'unati can sometimes drift out of the game for periods before seemingly shaking himself and bursting back into the action.

With Gareth Cooper returning to the Land of His Fathers that intrepid Air Miler Martyn Wood made the trip down from Wasps with the experienced Hentie Martens getting a lift down the M4 from the MadStad to save petrol.

I guess that Wood got fed up playing second fiddle to Rob Howley, at what is now the Causeway Stadium, having made almost 90 premiership appearances for the Wasps and scoring 10 tries perhaps he felt hard done by not getting the top job. The 26 year old Yorkshire born #9 has made just four appearances in an England shirt but managed a try and obviously still has a place in Woodward’s plans. Very sharp on the break and around the fringes his service is not always the fastest and to be fair if he can’t shine behind this Bath pack of late 2003 he never will, his not only getting an armchair ride most of the time but with the cushions being nicely plumped up for him as well!

Now at 10 I must confess to being confused as I had the distinct impression that Chris Malone had gone off down the road to Bristol but here he is at Fly half. I can’t say that from what I’ve seen he comes across as the greatest of playmakers although he does have a turn of speed as was seen when he made a smashing break against Falcons. Some of his decision making and out of hand kicking seems a bit strange as well, yet he’s scored plenty of drop goals for the club so he must be sound in that department.

Outside of Malone is Olly Barkley. Thrust into the limelight by being capped for England before he had made a first fifteen appearance for his club, this 21 year old has shown remarkable maturity in letting the entire hullabaloo that his sole international appearance caused wash over him and he’s now scored around 400 points for his club in the premiership. I rather felt he was wasted out on the wing last year and he certainly looks more comfortable in the centre, although as I guess he’s eventually destined for the #10 spot I wonder why he’s not there now? Perhaps he’s awaiting the return of Tindall and Catt from down-under. In any event this season he looks better where the action is.

With young Alex Crockett again injured word is that Robbie Fleck may make his debut fresh from an unsatisfactory Currie Cup campaign. It will be a difficult first appearance for the 31 time capped Springbok his having had little or no time with his team mates but with the talent that he has there could just be a virtuoso performance from the South African

In the outside centre berth has been another ex Bristolian (five of these refugees having hitch-hiked up the A4 during the close season) one Andrew Higgins, who played 26 times for Bristol in the premiership during his time there and managed to score five tries. I can’t really say that this ex Worcester player is one to quicken my pulse and to be fair I suppose when Robbie Fleck arrives young Higgins will be in the role of understudy, yet for all that he has already crossed the whitewash this term so what do I know - “not a lot” the crowd chorused!! In any event with the injury to Lee Best, Higgins is now seemingly on the wing and while he has good, but not blistering, pace I rather think from the times I saw him play for Bristol that he may be vulnerable in defence.

On the other wing of late has been Brendon Daniel but he too is absent through injury so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the Bristol connection with Jamie Williams getting the nod. I saw Williams play for Bristol at full back a few times and while he was defensively sound he was not usually the preferred attacking option in this slot, that honour being accorded to Lee Best, so it will be interesting to see what Williams can do out wide.

At full-back; Matt Perry. This British Lion must be black and blue from pinching himself to see that he’s not dreaming and he’s really not in the England reckoning having made 45 international appearances and contributed 50 points to the cause via 10 tries. In any event out of fashion he may be with Mr Woodward but he’s very much the vogue down at the Rec., where he is now a premiership centurion with over 300 points to his credit. This is another player in the mould of Nick Beal and Tim Stimpson. Let them get up a head of steam coming from deep on the counter or, using their experience, entering the line in attack, often on sublime angles and the opposition is always going to be in trouble. While he had something of a nightmare against Falcons it would be a foolish man who thought that he‘d have two in a row.

Bath then have the mantle of table toppers and the come back kids all at the same time having escaped the drop last May by the merest of hairs breadths here they are cock of the walk.

The pack looks in great shape with Grewcock’s absence hardly noticed although I was surprised to see a Falcon’s pack shorn of Andrews, Grimes, Hurter and Mower get the better of the Bath eight on occasion, especially in the area of the maul. The absence of Catt., Maggs, Tindall, Balshaw and my personal favourite amongst the RWC absentees, Simon Danelli, is making their back-line a little stolid, especially so with the elusive Lee Best , Alex Crockett and Brendon Daniel now injured.

If Bath are basking in the sunlit uplands at the top of table mountain Tigers are coughing from the smog that pervades the base and choking on the strong smell of sulphur that comes up through the cracks around the trap-door to National One. The sound of the tormented souls playing their rugby down there must just be audible from the tenth place in the premiership table where Tigers now languish, finding themselves in grave danger of becoming detached from the nine above them with, thanks to an admin error by the suits at Welford Road, more than a five point win between Tigers and their nearest neighbour.

Last Saturday was another record breaking day for Tigers but sadly the records broken were all bad ones. The pack has improved and for periods had the better of the Saints eight, with the return of the Deacon siblings in the second row, a partnership that acquitted itself well in the opening match against London Irish, at least securing it’s own ball. Indeed it was not until an aberration that saw the ball thrown to the back of the line out, where nobody was home save for a Saint, that a serious loss was incurred.

The Tigers’ back-row looked sharper too with Josh getting into some good positions and if he’d spotted young Holtby steaming up in support with the try line beckoning, who knows what might have happened? As Josh can play equally well at 6 I’d have thought that Skinner would have got his specialist spot at 7 with his speed of greater benefit there where he can give better attention to the opposition half backs. For my money at least I’d prefer Balding to Johnson W at 8, Johnson seemingly not bringing enough to the party just at the moment. Overall and on last week’s display I’d expect Tigers to match the Bath pack in all but the lineout

Ellis was sparky and aggressive against Saints but his clearance work is painfully slow and indecisive and as a consequence opportunities of quick ball again went begging on Saturday. The fourth best scrum half in England was played out of position at #10 and the slow service he received saw him back into his old lateral running ways. Oh how I long to see Oz at 9 which, in harness with Pez, could well give a much needed advantage at half back against Wood and Malone and stifle the creative talent of Barkley.

Another consequence of the slow service and lateral play in the half backs is that the hardworking Gibson invariably takes the ball with an opposition defender staring him in the face. If Ellis is to remain at 9 then the attacking alignment will need to be deeper as laying up flat is fine if there is fast ball but at the moment that is a rare commodity. I think if the elusive fast ball could be secured then it would, were Ollie at 13, be possible to cause the Bath back line some problems.

Ollie showed some flashes of real class last Saturday although they came when he was in the #13 channel, otherwise he was again either tackling or filing his nails out on the wing - what a terrible and wanton waste of talent.

John Holtby found Reihana a bit much but then there’s no disgrace in that and he runs tirelessly in support but I rather think that Booth and Fred would be better propositions against Williams and Higgins with Booth in particular having the potential to get past either and Fred having the ability to just go straight through them.

Full back? Well Booth did OK but rather as when Jason Robinson is back there for Sale it’s a long way for him to run before he makes an impact. So hopefully Myring or my personal option, Sam Vesty, will get their chance.

In spite of Bath having swept almost all before them thus far I think there are ways to beat them. Firstly Tigers would need to play their best players in their best positions - I need not go into detail I am sure! If Tigers get turnover ball Borthwick and Fidler are often to be found standing at 10/12 with a gap between them and the ruck where someone like Oz., Pez., Vesty or indeed Ellis could capitalise and I reckon there’s a way past both Williams and Higgins out wide.

But will Tigers again be victorious at the Rec., and make my Happy Day complete? Well sad to say no I don’t think so and I fear that I’m travelling to Bath next Saturday more in hope than expectation, other of course than the expectation of another great day out.