Match Preview - A Day to Remember?

By Ed Scott
March 23 2011

After an unwelcome sabbatical, we re-join the Aviva Premiership with a bang this weekend, courtesy of a home game against our old friends from Leicester.

I have had many special memories from watching Bath over the years, but there are certain moments in particular that remain so vivid they could have happened yesterday. 'That' try scored by Butch James against the Tigers at The Rec two seasons ago ranks as one of those. It was a special score for many reasons, but in reality there was one thing in particular that meant so much to the fans and team alike - because it was to beat Leicester. Players will come and go, but this is one rivalry that will never be diluted. Those wins just mean that little bit more to us all.

Sadly, victories against Leicester are a rare commodity, not just for us, but for the majority of the teams in the Premiership. Over the years they have consistently been one of the teams to beat, and this season is no different. Looking at the Leicester team it's hard to see where their weaknesses lie. They are strong in the set piece, very hard to break down in defence, and highly physical in attack. With a full contingent of players they are capable of dominating every facet of the game and I believe we will have to up our performance considerably to come close to a win.

That said, much will also depend on who plays for both sides. The England players are now released, but may not return straight back to action. Even if they do, there is a question mark over whether some are currently vulnerable. Both Ben Youngs and Toby Flood have spoken publically of their frailties against Ireland and could be struggling with confidence. If Class and Butch can get in their faces early then we might be able to put them on the back foot. I also believe that, although highly physical, the Tuilangi brothers lack finesse and could be exposed in defence by the speed of Biggs and Abendanon.

Bath will have their own demons to exorcise however, those from the away defeat to Gloucester. Not only were we comprehensively beaten, but we suffered the loss of Olly Barkley, one of our major playmakers and goal kicker. With Butch James seemingly out of sorts at times over the last few months, we will really miss Olly. Smee was quoted this week to say that Butch has been practising his goal kicking all season - I sincerely hope he wasn't joking!

The real key to the whole thing (as is often the case in rugby) depends on the pack, who were definitely second best against Glaws. Responsibility rests heavily on the broad shoulders of one man, David Flatman. He struggled against Paul Doran-Jones and has come up short against Leicester in the last few encounters. If he (and the rest of the front five) can pull out an inspirational performance and gain us parity, then we really do stand a chance. If not, we could quickly find ourselves nine points down and chasing the game after only a handful of scrums in our own half.

Team selection is tricky this week. Will Luke Watson play after the birth of this little girl? Is Moody fit? I hear that Matt Banahan is expected to play, but that Hape is not, leaving either Vesty or Williams to play 12. Matt Carraro is also on the injury list still. Personally I'd like to see Vesty and Williams with Banners on the wing. Williams is a very direct strong runner, but I think playing a physical centre partnership with Banahan plays into Leicester's hands. The guile and kicking game of Vesty could be invaluable - he is also surely due a big game against his old club.

To achieve in any league, you must first aim to win your home games. Regardless of us playing Leicester, we must be targeting four points from this fixture. It's not going to be easy, but as we get to the business end of the season a top four place in the Premiership rests on big days like these. With dry weather predicted, maybe, just maybe, we might get something special to add to the memory banks.