Bristol Bears will bring a “squad” selection to the Rec for Saturday’s Premiership clash with Bath. Many will be pleased, believing such a squad to be within the spirit of the tournament as a player development vehicle. In fact, as Bristol face Australia on Friday evening at Ashton Gate, their team is largely dictated by circumstance. Few of their names will be familiar. Bath, having enjoyed a runaway victory in the last round at Ampthill, will probably stick largely with those who delivered that day.
Whoever Bath chose, they must expect a much tougher test. Any Bristol selection will be shipshape and fashioned to play the Pat Lam way. That is likely to be fast and furious, with eye-catching and subtle midfield attack moves, forwards handling like backs and plenty of wide play to their wingers. We already know the Bears 23, which is not all callow youth. Starting props Thomas and Kloska have 164 appearances between them, Jack Bates is an experienced centre and speedster Rich Lane (41 appearances) is moved to flyhalf. If weather allows, this promises to be as open and exciting a game as the Premiership match last month.
On that occasion Bath came out 10 points on the wrong side of the scoreboard, gaining only 1 league point for a try bonus. The personnel may be different, but they will be desperate to reverse that result. To do so they will have to be a lot smarter, especially at the breakdown (where Bristol’s rucking technique is dubious and very hard to counter) and in midfield and cover defence.
The best counter to Bristol’s game plan though will be forward dominance. If Bath can achieve that, and play most of the game in Bristol territory, they can use their well-developed driving maul strategy and the pace of exciting backs like Hennessy, Griffin and Emmens to take the win. This is a chance for young halfbacks Carr-Smith and Bailey to show they can control a game, for Ewen Richards to continue his leadership experience and for a raft of young forwards to convince the coaches that they are ready for the next step. Chief of these could be prop Vilikesa Sela (recently named in England’s A Squad), hooker Kepu Tuipulotu ( a hat trick scorer at Ampthill) and No 8 Arthur Green.
One possible backline change for Bath could be Max Ojomoh at centre. He needs match practice to get him ready for the England A fixture against Australia. Up front Archie Griffin may be preferred as a starter, for his international experience. Otherwise I would expect only small tweaks to the lineup.
The Premiership Rugby Cup has struggled for relevance and profile for a while, but the new format is now more logical and easier to follow. The opportunity to see the stars of the future as an hors d’oeuvre for the Autumn Internationals is something I for one am looking forward to.
With confidence high from last week, let us hope Bath take the chance to show that their ship is in better shape than Bristol’s and can fashion a convincing win- in style.
P G Tips Just seen that Archie Griffin is to play for Wales this weekend, so I expect Kieran Verden or Mikey Summerfield will probably be needed at TH.
PG
Surely he doesn't want to continue to stay behind du Toit and Stuart given that he is now a starter for Wales? I wonder what (or who) will give.
Bath Rugby:
1 Arthur Cordwell
2 Kepu Tuipulotu
3 Kieran Verden
4 Will Jeanes
5 Ewan Richards (c)
6 Ethan Staddon
7 Thompson Cowan
8 Alfie Barbeary
09 Tom Carr-Smith
10 Orlando Bailey
11 Ruaridh McConnochie
12 Will Parry
13 Louie Hennessey
14 Charlie Griffin
15 Ciaran Donoghue
16 John Stewart, 17 Mikey Summerfield, 18 Vilikesa Sela, 19 Mackenzie Graham, 20 Arthur Green
21 Neil Le Roux, 22 James Short (debut), 23 Tyler Offiah (debut)
Bath Rugby: 1 Arthur Cordwell, 2 Kepu Tuipulotu, 3 Kieran Verden, 4 Will Jeanes, 5 Ewan Richards (c), 6 Ethan Staddon, 7 Thompson Cowan, 8 Alfie Barbeary, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 10 Orlando Bailey, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 12 Will Parry, 13 Louie Hennessey, 14 Charlie Griffin, 15 Ciaran Donoghue
Replacements: 16 John Stewart, 17 Mikey Summerfield, 18 Vilikesa Sela, 19 Mackenzie Graham, 20 Arthur Green, 21 Neil Le Roux, 22 James Short (debut), 23 Tyler Offiah (debut)
PG
Changes: Verden in, Richards to lock, Cowan at 7 & Alfie B in at 8.
P G Tips Just seen that Archie Griffin is to play for Wales this weekend, so I expect Kieran Verden or Mikey Summerfield will probably be needed at TH.
PG
Surely he doesn't want to continue to stay behind du Toit and Stuart given that he is now a starter for Wales? I wonder what (or who) will give.
He's been injured (or ill maybe?) most of the season so far. I'm sure he'll get game time after the AIs. He signed an extension in Jan so I suspect he's here for the next two seasons at least - and heading to a Welsh club when they're all really not great and have no money seems unlikely.
Just a note of thanks to PGT. A minor breakdown in communication so as of 9.30 am there was the belief that I was writing the preview and was very late with my 'copy'. I take ages to write these so am very impressed at how quickly such a polished piece can be written, albeit he's had years of practice.
Kepu wins a counter ruck, Bailey cleverly kicks in behind after continued pressure Louis Hennessy puts Rory McConnochie in.
Bailey (head bandaged) and taped knee cedes to Ciarran Donoghue for the conversion but it slides by.
Tyler Offiah
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
Own goal, Bristol pass to Will Parry who scores under the post Donoghue converts.
Stuart on for Kepu, Billy Sela on Arthur Green on for Alfie Berberry.
Tyler Offiah
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
Graham feeds Billy Sela who is tackled at full speed and seems to have hurt his elbow. Corddwell back on for BS also Will Jeanes ankle injury. Stays on when crocked!
Tyler Offiah
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
Bristol were poor, gifted 3 tries but Bath were really physical and well prepared. Quite a few injuries to wait on Bailey, Sela, Jeannes, (Cuckson last week).
Strength in depth here is significant. Ciarran Donoghue had a good game also Tom Cowan at 7. Parry and Hennessy in the centre paired up really well and TCS and Bailey controlled the game till subbed and injured respectively.
Tyler Offiah
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
What was wrong with Bristol. They were dreadful. Was it because they played yesterday & had to play a very inexperienced team. Some of them didn’t look all that fresh faced though!
Bristol were terrible. But Bath had energy, skill and intensity in spades. Our strength in depth is very encouraging. Good performances across the park but stand outs for me were Kepu, Richards, Standon, TCS & Hennessy. Bailey looked classy while he was on. Alfie still looks out of sorts. I'd love it if this group could go all the way in this Competition.
Bath Hammer What was wrong with Bristol. They were dreadful. Was it because they played yesterday & had to play a very inexperienced team. Some of them didn’t look all that fresh faced though!
Firstly - well done. You have great strength in depth.
And yes, it was a struggle for Bris to get two squads out. In this one there were 6 debutants and 5 who have only 1 bench appearance, a 10 who had never played 10 before and a loanee from bucs. Having said that, our starting front row all had 49 appearances or over, although not regular 1st choice players. The bulk of this squad play for different teams in the lower leagues and it sounds like the lack of time together showed.
On the bright side, the Friday night squad got a draw against Australia A, and that squad had a couple of school boys too.
Excellent time at the Rec. Some fine performances, Kepu could become an outstanding player but a big shout out for the Remembrance presentation, impeccable performance by the bugler and classical singer, didn't catch their names but the whole tribute was incredibly moving.
[quote EverOptimistic][quote Bath Hammer]What was wrong with Bristol. They were dreadful. Was it because they played yesterday & had to play a very inexperienced team. Some of them didn’t look all that fresh faced though![/quote]
Firstly - well done. You have great strength in depth.
And yes, it was a struggle for Bris to get two squads out. In this one there were 6 debutants and 5 who have only 1 bench appearance, a 10 who had never played 10 before and a loanee from bucs. Having said that, our starting front row all had 49 appearances or over, although not regular 1st
choice players. The bulk of this squad play for different teams in the lower leagues and it sounds like
the lack of time together showed.
“Yes , that was evident. We had at least half a dozen first teamers & several who are e not far off. There was a huge difference in the experience & capability of the squads. It would have been a much more competitive match had you not had to put out two teams over 2 days. I don’t think we can draw too many conclusions from our performance but it gave a lot of promising players an opportunity which they took effectively”
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:11:09:21:48:38 by Bath Hammer.
Good win, it continues to be a joke competition. Prioritised below a friendly with an international A team (I'm not saying Bris are wrong to do so). Their selection is less of a joke than Exeter.
Bath definitely fielded a more experienced selection, but that is not to say that bit was a 23 full of first choices.
Only McConnochie, Barbeary, Bailey & ( arguably ) Richards have been regular members of Premiership 23s. The others with senior experience - Cordwell, Sela, Staddon, TCS, Offiah have a handful of Premiership outings between them.
What is clear is that Bath are developing a strong, experienced Academy with an eye to the future.
Agree with comments above about Remembrance events. Bugler was the best I had ever heard.
I thought the team displayed cohesion, enthusiasm, dynamism and lot s of skill.
A very nearly full Rec, compare with the Stoop with Quins and Ealing, enjoyed the rugby on display.
Unlike comments above I thought Bristol tried hard......there were long periods when they pressurised our line. Where Bath did well was attacking very fast and getting the ball wide. I lost count of the number of difficult conversion from between the touch line ands the five yard line.
I thought it was great fun and as I say above I would like a 2nd Team league played simultaneously with the Premiership. In the past amateur Bath would turn out two or three teams a week. The second team would play other second teams because all the first teamers would be somewhere else.......ie no Exeter team
Bath Supporter Jack Well I found the whole thing really enjoyable.
Agree with comments above about Remembrance events. Bugler was the best I had ever heard.
I thought the team displayed cohesion, enthusiasm, dynamism and lot s of skill.
A very nearly full Rec, compare with the Stoop with Quins and Ealing, enjoyed the rugby on display.
Unlike comments above I thought Bristol tried hard......there were long periods when they pressurised our line. Where Bath did well was attacking very fast and getting the ball wide. I lost count of the number of difficult conversion from between the touch line ands the five yard line.
I thought it was great fun and as I say above I would like a 2nd Team league played simultaneously with the Premiership. In the past amateur Bath would turn out two or three teams a week. The second team would play other second teams because all the first teamers would be somewhere else.......ie no Exeter team
Back then the squads were no more than 18, now you need 23 plus probably a travelling reserve prop and hooker at least, so say 26.
Playing the same day simply isn't practical, but if you play on a Monday, then you start to clash with the BUCS matches.
I do agree that more A team games are needed though.
Thing is DB I think it would be better if squads were not 23 but 17 with no substitution so all players have to play for 80+ minutes. Different shaped players, less intensity, less injuries etc, etc.
We pay a bit more for our season tickets and see twice as many games. The "bit extra" is all profit.....etc, etc
Couldn't find any highlights of the Ampthill game and seemingly nothing for yesterday's match. Think it might have been Pirates who wanted to stream their first game for £7 but the TNT contract precluded this. Basically, it's a tournament that couldn't be more anonymous if it tried. Those with TNT will know but it seems there's one, perhaps two of the 10 fixtures each round that are televised and if there are highlights elsewhere I can't find them. I get that you restrict access to the internationals if you're a broadcaster paying big sums for exclusive rights, but you can no longer get whole Prem games shown a few days after the matches and a tournament largely seen as a development competition is nowhere to be seen. No wonder rugby is struggling to broaden its fan base.
As I mentioned above similar games at the Rec are often on Youtube. There are some round 1 highlights on the Premiership rugby site but I think only from grounds that have the facilities so probably only home games. Often a delay so leave it till Monday or Tuesday. Premiership rugby cup highlights
Tyler Offiah
Opinion is based on assumptions, whereas fact is based on observation or research.
shipwrecked As I mentioned above similar games at the Rec are often on Youtube. There are some round 1 highlights on the Premiership rugby site but I think only from grounds that have the facilities so probably only home games. Often a delay so leave it till Monday or Tuesday. Premiership rugby cup highlights
Are these the ones that were televised anyway or are there extra matches.
Seems a shame that we can't get highlights but I understand why TNT might not want to go to great lengths and cost to televise what is, in essence, United-level rugby.
I'd understand that but you can watch footage of Championship games on YouTube presumably taken by the clubs. I'm assuming (But could be wrong) that TNT aren't allowing this for some reason and that would fit in with The Pirates not being allowed to stream their opening game. Bristol's game was briefly available in its entirety but removed, presumably for copyright reasons?
shipwrecked As I mentioned above similar games at the Rec are often on Youtube. There are some round 1 highlights on the Premiership rugby site but I think only from grounds that have the facilities so probably only home games. Often a delay so leave it till Monday or Tuesday. Premiership rugby cup highlights
Are these the ones that were televised anyway or are there extra matches.
Seems a shame that we can't get highlights but I understand why TNT might not want to go to great lengths and cost to televise what is, in essence, United-level rugby.
Ah come on, it’s played at a higher quality than Man United.
Sela must be gutted having to withdraw from England A. He looked devastated at the weekend (from the other side of the pitch mind). Come back stronger.
shipwrecked As I mentioned above similar games at the Rec are often on Youtube. There are some round 1 highlights on the Premiership rugby site but I think only from grounds that have the facilities so probably only home games. Often a delay so leave it till Monday or Tuesday. Premiership rugby cup highlights
Are these the ones that were televised anyway or are there extra matches.
Seems a shame that we can't get highlights but I understand why TNT might not want to go to great lengths and cost to televise what is, in essence, United-level rugby.
Ah come on, it’s played at a higher quality than Man United.
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