News: AP: Bath Rugby vs Northampton Saints - Match Preview
By Ben D
February 17 2011
Northampton Saints travel west this weekend to face Bath Rugby in a vital Aviva Premiership fixture. Regular COYSDC contributor Ben D downs his cuppa, reads the tea leaves and looks ahead to the game...
BATH RUGBY vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
AP: Saturday, 19th February 2011 - 3pm
THE RECREATION GROUND
MATCH PREVIEW
The last time I was at the Rec a confident Wayne Smith strode across the car park to the press centre for a post match interview with a quiet and reluctant figure in his wake. I openly congratulated WS on a superb cup victory “it’s not me you need to thank” he said “it’s this fella”. Wayne pointed to his accompanying shadow, I had shamefully failed to recognise Saints No 13 Peter Jorgensen and by the time the penny had dropped in my lazy head the moment was lost.
Little did I realise what a rare occasion it would turn out to be - a Saintly victory in Avon. Northampton have won only one league match at Bath in the last 7 years with last seasons narrow 21-20 defeat with a makeshift midweek team the closest the East Midlands side has come since a 9-17 victory in 2004/2005. Seamus Mallon the hero that day with the only try. Remember him?
If it helps the Bath record at the Gardens is even worse with only a single draw in 10 years of league action.
It doesn’t get any easier this Premiership lark! Saturday afternoon will be approached with some trepidation in this Northampton household as Saints look to put an end to what might be viewed as a mini crisis by some. The ESPN subscription not only contributing to a squeaky bank balance but very possibly a squeaky bum. It’s not the fulcrum of the season yet and there is plenty of Rugby to be played but when does a slight sag become a major slump?
To point to this seasons corresponding home fixture for form would be foolish, Bath were torn apart in September by Northampton’s front five at their peak and on a late summer - try friendly pitch. Now it’s down to the low and dirty rain soaked Rec for a muddy arm wrestle.
Pre-season favorites to be in contention come May, Bath have been something of an enigma in the League this season struggling to find any consistency. Three wins at home, three wins away. Doubles over Sale, Leeds and London Irish have seen them comfortably positioned in mid table but by their own admission none of those sides are currently names synonymous with form.
Compare and contrast those results with defeats at home to Gloucester, (yes Gloucester!) Wasps and Saracens and Northampton will be presented with chances. It’s taking those chances that currently haunt a blunt Saints back division stripped of their international rapiers.
On paper Bath actually possess all the weapons necessary and the backs pose the biggest threat with a list of inventive visionaries capable of scoring from anywhere on the park; it’s whether the their forwards can match that ambition that is still the limiting factor.
Barkley can kill you at penalty time, Nick Abendanon can make gaps appear where previously there were none and in Claassens and James they have a very dependable halfback pairing, a corresponding area for the Saints which is currently under severe scrutiny.
Northampton need to quickly regain the momentum and power they failed to find against Saracens to get onto the front foot effectively against a Bath pack that is growing in confidence but can still be pressurised at the set piece, assuming of course that proper scrumaging is allowed!
Curiously the Gardens result aside it’s away from home that Bath appear to have more confidence having won three games and taken two points at Quins and a losing bonus at Welford Road. Is it possible that the expectation of the bookies and home crowd after such a successful finale to last season has added unwanted pressure down at the Pretty City? Or could it be as simple as the playing surface of a properly cultivated paddock suiting their game? Who knows?
I’d expect Bath to hunt for the spaces with Claassens and Barkley in an effort to set Biggs and Abendanon free. Saints I suspect will examine the Bath centre pairing with their battering rams and hope to feed off any resulting gains.
Ultimately the conditions could well be the biggest arbiter of this match. The west country weather at this time of year is akin to Forest Gump’s box of chocolates “you never know what you’re gonna get” and for the time being the phrase might be associated with the hosts themselves but they won’t easily give up recent momentum.
Premiership games are a tight call at the best of times but I would still back Northampton by a nose for this one despite their recent form. Do you play around with the line up? On balance probably not at this stage, however if I were to tinker with anything it would be at No 9.
Come away from this one without at least a losing bonus point and the Gardens faithful will be extremely twitchy.
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Many thanks!
Ginger - The Colour of Sexual Rejection
Good preview, thanks. Pretty much echos my feelings
Saint til I die
I would say that at present it's the best in the league.
Having seen Northampton's last week the Rec is far superior.
It's firm ALL grass and with the forecast for Saturday OK you wont be able to blame the pitch should you slip up.
Expecting a long afternoon myself, would gratefully take a win in a boring, miserable match though.
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
They have beaten Leeds and Sale home and away - not a monumental task and allowed Gloss and Wasps (sides at the time not top performers) to turn them over at the Rec.
They havent beaten anyone above their 8th place save 5th placed LI (again home and away) who have been on their own poor run for sometime and even then at Reading they just squeeked past them with the very last kick of the game.
True they have won their last three league matches but Compared to our last three matches (Quins, Tigs and Sarries) LI, Leeds and Sale don't look as tough.
My conclusion is that if we are truely worthy of league position we should give them a run for their money with or without our internationals.
But I'm always a glass half full guy! Speaking of which......
Really looking forward to this one. Recently relocated to Bath and now permanently based right in the centre with work, a short drop kick away from the Rec. Absolutely surrounded by Bath supporters, so losing this one isn't an option - losing BP's no good for me!
Looking forward to actually going to a game, I get to go to so few. I'll be easy to spot as i'll be wearing the mint green shirt, I believe i'm just about the only person to have bought one!
Quote:just a point re the pitch.
I would say that at present it's the best in the league.
That will be a first time in 15 years then
I have spent the last month convincing a prospective customer "what good is"
Don't say I have to start with Barfites now.
Great previewing skills Mr D
David L
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- Live wrong and preposterously
Quote:pubtime
Bath is pretty much at full strength so I don't think it will be boring and miserable
Not for you maybe. Not looking forward to this one in all honesty. Not at all.
Big improvement required on the past couple of weeks if we're to effectively compete. I wonder who is playing for a new contract, I'd expect to see them pulling out the stops...
You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.
Richards/Jagger