By Chris G
March 14 2003

Well its all down to the West Country on Saturday for the ZP clash with Bath. With a narrow win earlier this year in the Powergen Cup for us Bath are talking this one up as a sold out big game and upping the ante with accusations. How times change, for us it's just another ZP game..... Not that long ago, before the advent of European rugby Bath was the away game of the season. Of course we never had a chance of winning but you went in expectation more of a good day out than a result.

The tide changed dramatically for the Saints in 1998 with our first win at the Rec and three victories on Baths home turf have followed in quick succession. Its no longer the fortress it was but with Bath having their backs to the wall and facing relegation square in the face it is never going to be easy.

Bath coach Brian Smith, whilst praising the Saints as 'the best side we have played this season' also accused Saints coach Wayne Smith of some wrongdoing in coaching a ploy that takes out fringe players around the ruck to make an opening for Matt Dawson to exploit.

Of course this is all open to a perception in the law as to what to do if defenders are offside at a ruck (or not) having joined behind the back most foot (or not) or indeed being bound to the said ruck (or not).

One thing is for sure though, this was not mentioned after the game against Bath nor any other Saints game this season. So maybe it was a ploy to counteract the way the London Irish defend (legally or illegally) at rucks. But then neither Brendan Venter or Conor O'Shea mentioned it either so one has to ask just what does Baths Smith hope to gain by informing a top class referee of the laws of the game before the match has started.Once the game has started we will of course leave that up to Daws with the strutting Jonathan Humpreys in a supporting role.

Whatever, you can be sure the press reports, alongside the faxes from the supporters will be posted on the dressing room wall tomorrow as an added spur to the lads. I somehow think the likes of Mark Connors especially will not take too kindly to having veiled accustions that the team is cheating thrown at them. As this follows on from accusations from Bath supporters about our handling of the wage cap which not only involved players and officials but members of the players families I would say there will be no love lost.

So can I just say thank you Brian Smith, you might just have played right into our hands.

But by the by, what can we expect from Bath?

Well things are clearly are still clearly not going to plan in the house that Jack built. A team in their heyday that boasted the class of Clarke, Guscott, Ubogu, Robinson, Chilcott, Geoghegan and Sleightholme now finds themselves languishing near the foot of the ZP for the second season and not even qualifying for a Heineken Cup they won just five seasons ago.

However on their day they can still turn on the style. Players like Catt, who was the oustanding player on the park in the cup game, Tindall, Grewcock and the missing Balshaw are class acts but from what I have seen of Bath this season they lack continuity, cohesion and invariably tactical nous in other areas of the park that makes them frustratingly inconsistent for the followers of the team. They are still probably half a dozen players of side that can consistently challenge at the top but its this very inconsistency that makes it hard to deduct just which Bath team will take to the park.

TEAM NEWS

The Saints rest Tom Smith with youngster Brett Sturgess coming into a youthful front row alongside Bath escapee Dan Richmond and Robbie Morris. Steve Thompson starts on the bench.

Mark Connors moves from 8 back into the second row alongside Matt Lord.

In the back row, huzzah! Andy Blowers returns at eight with the outstanding prospect Darren Fox retaining the blindside spot after his Powergen semi disply against Irish. Budge, playing arguably his best rugby in a Saints shirt completes the back row trio.

Daws n Grays link up at half back in a combination that could see action together at Twickenham next week, altough Mr Catt will be keen to have a say on this.

Archie Brooks keeps his place on the wing with Ben Cohen still out injured while All Black Bruce Reihana plays on the other flank.

Long John Leslie links up with the man thats made a habit of scoring against Bath, Peter Jorgensen, in the centre while Nick Beal, who signed an extension to his contract this week slots in at fullback.


15 NICK BEAL
14 James Brooks
13 PETER JORGENSEN
12 JOHN LESLIE (capt)
11 BRUCE REIHANA
10 PAUL GRAYSON
9 MATT DAWSON
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Dan Richmond
3 ROBBIE MORRIS
4 Matt Lord
5 MARK CONNORS
6 Darren Fox
7 BUDGE POUNTNEY
8 ANDREW BLOWERS

Replacements:
16 STEVE THOMPSON
17 MATT STEWART
18 Rob Hunter
19 Grant Seely
20 Ian Vass
21 Chris Hyndman
22 ORIOL RIPOL

At time of writing, due to injury concerns, there was no definite team news rom the Bath camp.

HISTORY

The clubs first met in 1929-30 and have endured changing fortunes. In the fifties and sixties the clubs met 10 times with Saints winning 8 games to Bath's 2. In seventies they again played 10 times with Saints winning 7, Bath 2 and one draw. In 1980 Saints again beat Bath 12-6 but had to wait another ten games and 12 years before winning 11-8 in 1992-3. The eighties and early nineties were the golden era of Bath as they were the most professional club of the amateur times winning the league 6 times between 1988 and 1996 and the cup 9 times between 1984 and 1996. Long before clubs tried to be the next Leicester they all tried to be the next Bath.

The Saints have won three times at the Rec, you can read reports of these games via links at the bottom of the page.

THE STATS

Summary of meetings in the Premiership
Played 20
Bath Won 11 55.0%
Saints Won 9 45.0%
Drawn 0 0%
Biggest Win for Bath 52 - 14 19 Jan 1997
Biggest Win for Saints 40 - 17 01 May 1999
Bath top try scorer vs Saints Tony Swift 5 tries
Bath Rugby top points scorer vs Saints Jon Callard 132 points
Saints top try scorer vs Bath Peter Jorgensen 4 tries
Saints top points scorer vs Bath Paul Grayson 103 points



.