Match Preview - Knockout Cup Blues
By Ed Scott
November 3 2010
This Friday we welcome our Welsh neighbours, Cardiff Blues, to The Rec for our first match of the much maligned LV Anglo-Welsh Cup.
If you all don't mind however, I am first going to indulge in a moment of nostalgia (I promise I will keep these to a minimum this season!) by mentioning my unadulterated love for the John Player and Pilkington Cup. There was a time when we didn't really care about the league at Bath (or was that just in my house?!), it was all about getting to Twickenham to raise that trophy; a feat we achieved ten times from 1984 to 1996, still more than any other club. Some of my best memories of Rugby are from this knockout competition. There is something special about knowing that from the first round to the final, a loss meant you got nothing. No pools, no next round for 'best second place', just black and white, in or out.
In this time period, many of our supporters bought tickets to the final before the competition had even started, such was the 'forgone conclusion' that we would be there! One of my favourite images is from Twickenham 1987, which for me epitomised the passion for the cup. We watched a packed Bath supporters coach slowly enter the West Stand Car Park (as it was then known). Everyone inside was chanting "Swat the Wasps" whist whacking fly swatters against the windows - just superb banter!
Over time, this has competition been diluted. Professionalism (and therefore the money men) created more league games and started the Heineken Cup. We now play Autumn Internationals and England players don't just leave us for the day. Essentially, there are just too many games for the modern player to physically cope with.
I enjoy European rugby, love the fact that we now play all teams home and away in the league, and England must play the Southern Hemisphere teams every year to try and keep in touch with them. The fall guy in all this however has been the knockout competition. For most teams it is now seen as a chance to rest players and it gets sporadic television coverage. The competition added pool games and the Welsh regions to try and spice it up a bit, but for most, it's completely lost it's charm.
The validity of this competition will be debated at length, both by the press and in the pub, with many opinions and ideas on how to improve it, or even reasons as to why it shouldn't exist. I'll get involved in that when a thread pops up, for now I'll move to Friday night.
Firstly the key thing is, who will play? Many of whom I thought would turn out played for United on Monday. Three days rest is not much so I think we can conclude that a fair few of our first choice XV will start on Friday. Rightly so, because I actually think we could win this competition! I think it's probably our best chance at silverware this year.
Cardiff will be missing their internationals, and they have also key players missing through injury. This is not to underestimate them however, as they still have class all over the place. Ben Blair, Paul Tito, Xavier Rush and Casey Laulala, form the Southern Hemisphere backbone to this team which will be hard to match. Blair will kick goals from all over the park so we have to hold our discipline. Tito will give us big problems in the line out, and Rush will smash us in defence and attack with unnerving consistency.
My biggest question comes at fly-half. Will we play Vesty? He's not had a single second on the sidelines so far this season and Butch is a way off at the moment. Is Paul Roberts ready though? Will Olly Barkley have a run there? Abendanon will almost certainly not be starting as he is currently spending four days in Venice with his missus (gotta love Twitter!) and Danny G will surely not even be in the squad? I sincerely hope that Ben Williams, Guy Mercer and Josh Ovens get their opportunity. I would also love to see Jacques (fresh from two tries on Monday night) get a place in the 22.
This season Cardiff have had played 7, won 5 and lost 2 in the Magners; only Munster have a better record at this stage. They won this competition in 2009 and lost to Gloucester in the Semi-final last year. No question, they will take this very seriously.
I sincerely look forward to Friday night. If Smee can put out a nice mix of experience and youth, we're not only developing our squad, but also giving ourselves a great chance at a win. OK, the final isn't at Twickenham anymore, and none of us will be buying tickets for it this week, but I bet all of you would love us to be there - me too.