Home Sweet Home

 Although the season has already started, there is something special (© Saracens) about the first home game. On Saturday Bath entertain a rejuvenated Wasps in a quest to make the previously impregnable Rec into a fortress once again. Looking at their form last season, many would already have been chalking a tick in the win column for us, but after the performance last weekend at Twickenham, no one could consider this game to be a foregone conclusion. 

Last weekend Bath made live difficult for themselves (and their fans!) by sneaking a win over Worcester in a fairly bland encounter at Sixways. The excitement from pre-season was quickly extinguished as Bath went in 15-6 down at half time, with a lack of invention, ball and discipline again rearing their ugly heads. Positively, and unlike last season, there did seem to be a Plan B and Bath showed that keeping the ball in hand pays dividends. I think that we should all be simply happy with the points and have to accept that with so many changes with coaching and style, it is bound to take a few games before we can really judge what the season could possibly look like. Our set piece certainly seemed far more effective, and on such things games are won.

This week Bath face Wasps, who must be still wondering how they managed to throw away a 27 point lead against Harlequins at Twickenham on Saturday (I think most of us are still doing the same!) but are going to be fierce competition. Looking at their line up, it should actually come as no surprise. They have a team littered with a mixture of internationals and young potential and I think may well finish further up the table than many (including me) predicted before the start of the season.

The fulcrum of Wasps (like most teams) is their half back combination. Joe Simpson is lightening quick around the fringes, and on his day, Nicky Robinson is a class operator with the boot as well as ball in hand. The Achilles heel to this pairing is consistency. Robinson had some shockers last season and Simpson still doesn’t quite have the all round game of a Danny Care or Ben Youngs. If Bath can slow down the ball and limit their space and time, they will struggle to click.

Of the key battles this weekend however, the most intriguing will be in the back row and on the wings. Wasps have a lovely balance in their flank forwards with the pilfering ground work of Poff and the speed and power of Haskell. Add the highly physical ball carrying of Vunipola and you’ve got an incredible combination. With Francois Louw now off with South Africa, Skirving, Fearns and Taylor are really going to have their work cut out to gain parity at the breakdown.

The match up of pace on the wings is quite something. In fact, few opposing sets of wingers in the Premiership will together offer more speed than that of Wade, Varndell, Biggs and Eastmond. Much has been made of Wade in particular, who is certainly a talent, but he will not have the space on the narrower Rec that he had at Twickenham and he will also be up against Tom Biggs, who is not only faster than George Lowe, but also used to defending on the wing rather than at Centre (Lowe’s normal position). Regardless of those facts, if we kick aimlessly at them or allow them too much space and ball, then they are highly capable of getting over the whitewash from quite some distance out.

I expect Bath to attack Wasps in two particular areas, at scrum time and midfield. I think the Bath front row will feel they have a chance of getting into the Wasps trio and although great line out operators, Wentzel and Launchbury are not the heaviest. In the midfield I expect Banahan and Hipkiss to run strong lines and angles down Elliot Daly’s channel. He is by no means a poor defender, but is still plying his trade and I imagine him to be a target for a hit followed by an off load. Wasps are likely to adopt a similar tactic with Olly Barkley but will also look to use the pace of Daly and Masi to test the defence of Banahan.

Even though last weekend was not quite the style of victory that we were hoping for, many have accurately pointed out that last season we would have lost our heads and thrown a game like that. I’m hoping that Bath will work more through the phases and keep ball in hand this week. I want us to play rugby, but only in the right parts of the field.

As far as the team sheet is concerned, injuries aside, I expect Taylor to slip back into the 8 berth, Fearns swapping to 7 and Skirving to 6, with Ovens taking the back row slot on the bench. I would imagine that the backs will remain the same unless the Banahan knock is serious enough to keep him out. In that case, Ben Williams is likely to deputise.

My Squad:

1. James. 2. Mears. 3. Wilson. 4 Hooper. 5. Day. 6. Skirving. 7. Fearns. 8. Taylor. 9. Claassens. 10. Barkley. 11. Eastmond. 12. Banahan. 13. Hipkiss 14. Biggs. 15. Abendanon. Replacements: 16. Batty. 17. Catt. 18. Palma-Newport. 19. Attwood. 20. Ovens. 21. McMillan. 22. Devoto. 23. Cuthbert.

The new beginning didn’t quite reach expectations last week, but it’s a long season and we need a chance to develop. Another ugly win on Saturday? Well, I’d love some lovely running rugby, but another victory is really all that matters right now. Wasps will be wary of too much of an open game after last weekend so I expect a far tighter affair. This Bath side needs to build, but more importantly, it simply needs to keep winning.