Bath v Northampton - Powergen Preview

By Mark H
November 13 2003

Ah, the Powergen Cup. Ah, the pain. Three times in the last four years the Saintly ones have made to the trip to Twickenham with hopes and expectations of coming back with silverware, and all three times we came back disappointed.

. And where did the fourth trip end? Over the road at the Stoop in the quarter final. No wonder the chills come in when someone mentions that part of Middlesex…

This time around, it could be very different. We could bring the silver back, having already done so once this season from the Middlesex Sevens. Alternatively, it could all end within the first eighty minutes, with the draw, as it seems to have done so with increasing regularity, sending the hordes on an away trip - and what a trip.

My words before the draw was made were “we’ll take anyone except Bath away”. Two minutes later, that’s exactly where we were going. At that point in time, they had won every match and had not conceded a try at home. Well, both of those records have ended, but with the only loss being in a tight encounter at Newcastle where they could have won, and the only try being a very late Austin Healey effort in the corner, there doesn’t seem to be too much there for encouragement.

What about our most recent meeting, you ask? Did you have to? The 24-6 loss in the second game of the season was, frankly, unexpected - indeed, if Bath had actually played well, they could easily have racked up a half century, such was their dominance of a poor Saints team on the day. So not much comfort there then.

What about our respective last results? Well, being hammered by a superior Quins side was again not what the doctor ordered for Smithy. Bath on the other hand ended Gloucester’s two and a half year unbeaten home record to extend their lead at the top of the Zurich Premiership to eight points. Depressed yet?

And in the week leading up to their game, Bath have strengthened their weak point with the return of Simon Danielle (Kevin Maggs has picked up a multitude of injuries, more of which later) to boost a fast-falling back line, whilst Saints have lost their creative access with Sharky and Shine getting suspended.

That’s it then. We may as well not turn up. We’re playing the best team in the universe and have absolutely no chance of avoiding a million point defeat. We should doff our caps to them, stay at home and watch the nightmare that is Sonia Mclaughlin getting abused by the Shed live on BBC1.

Wrong (although that last bit does sound quite tempting). It’s a cup game. More to the point, it’s a game of rugby, and as we have all seen on so many occasions in the past, anything can happen.

All of the setbacks mentioned above can either kill or cure a team. Certainly the sense of injustice over the bans (albeit probably more at what the Gloucester pair didn’t get rather than those handed out to the Franklin’s Two), the shock of not turning up last week, the disappointment of not doing themselves justice in September, the memories of those Twickenham defeats, and the opportunity to do something no-one else has yet managed this time around will all fire up twenty two gold, black and green shirted men come 2.15 on Saturday. The question is whether the Saintly desire can overcome the Bath belief to progress to the quarter finals.

Bath this season have been a revelation. The book on how to build a team has been totally ripped up and rewritten by John Connolly, and you have to admit that it’s a pretty good rewrite. If the players who have been there for the last two seasons have not done the job (although failed miserably would be more like it), then get rid of them all and bring in a whole new team. Okay, not all of the team have gone, but Bath November 2003 is a better unit that Bath March 2003. He could have had a group of fifteen individuals in blue shirts who performed better than last season but were mid-table. Instead, he’s got a team with spirit bursting out of every seam that don’t believe that they can be beaten.

Ask any Bath fan how they expected (not hoped) to do this season. If they say eight wins out of nine, then they’re lying. To this extent, the thought must be in the back of their minds that something has to go wrong sometime. Why not Saturday?

Now, one point to get off my chest at this time. I think that’s it’s grossly unfair to both clubs (and the other sides in the competition) to be playing a cup competition whilst the teams have been shorn of their internationals, and this is made worse when you look at the fact that this round over the last two seasons has been played on the Saturday before Christmas. Some may see the league as devalued (I don’t, they’ve got the structure nearly right during the World Cup - just don’t mention what’s happening during the Six Nations), but there are teams who could lose this time around who would normally beat their opposition (Wasps at Bristol spring to mind). It should be equal for everybody, and if that means facing a Bath team with Balshaw, Catt and Tindall then so be it. Okay, rant over.

Bath’s success this season has been based on that almighty pack that destroyed our eight/seven/six (delete where applicable at various times during the game) in September; the front row of David Flatman, Jonathan Humphreys and Duncan Bell has proved itself the best unit in the ZP; the partnership of Steve Borthwick and Rob Fidler have been plucking more oranges than the man from Del Monte (and how I’d like to have been in the Fidler household last Saturday night); and the unsung men at the back in Andy Beattie, Michael Lipman and Zac Fea’unati have been putting more than sufficient numbers of fly-halves across the league. Incredibly, if they’re all selected, this unit will be unchanged for the tenth successive game - and with a foundation that strong, anything is possible.

There have been a number of changes in the backs, however, since the defeat, as the Red Cross came in with a sponsorship deal and got a number of players in return. On 20th September they lined up with Martin Wood and Chris Malone at half backs, Brendon Daniel and Lee Best on the wings, Olly Barkley and Alex Crockett in the centre, and Jamie Williams at full back. Now, only Wood and Barkley survive, and Barkley himself has moved to fly half. Matt Perry has returned from his injury lay off to play at full back, but Daniel has succumbed to a back problem, Best did his cruciate against Sarries, Malone has been advised to rest his foot or face an operation, and Crockett has a knee injury. Not only that, but Robbie Fleck, brought in to boost the side, lasted less than two games before breaking his leg at Castle Grim last Saturday, and Kevin Maggs has still to make it back from the World Cup with the knocks he picked up in Oz. Our best wishes go out to all of their injury victims and we hope that all return to full fitness.

In their place on Saturday, I’m expecting to see the aforementioned Danielli, Andrew Higgins returning to some of the form that made him a dangerous customer for Bristol last season but playing in the centre alongside their try-scoring hero of a week ago Robbie Kydd, the on-loan Paul Sampson, in week two of his three week sojourn from the Waspies, and their newest signing, South African wing Wylie Human. Human is on loan from the Blue Bulls, and made his debut last Saturday. Hopefully his ideas to stop the Saintly runners are as successful as his namesake Wile E. Coyote’s are when trying to stop Road Runner! He’s described on the Cats website as an out and out speed merchant, and has scored 10 tries in 23 Super 12 appearances, so is a pretty useful guy to have as a short term loan signing.

Saints’ team, obviously, has yet to be named, given the uncertainty over the half back pairing and whether to put Tom Smith straight back into the front row. For what it’s worth, I’d like to have seen Smith starting and Sturgess coming on, and that’s no disrespect to Brett, but this game may need that little bit of extra experience. Unfortunately, Thursday’s Chron has brought us the news that Wee Tam has been given the week off, so I’d expect Brett, Dan, and Chicken to make up that front row. I’d say that Johnny Howard is inked in to start, probably alongside Brooksy, with the remaining back five being Ripol, Leslie, Reihana, Sleights and Bealer.

One face in the Saints team who was absent in September will more than likely be wearing a number eight on his back. Ironic to say that AB will be there after having been punched out the week before, given what’s gone on this week, but he will be a big presence as usual. Olly Barkley has already admitted this season that the hardest opponent that he has faced is the Hurricane, so let’s hope that AB can put enough pressure on to put enough doubts in Barkley’s mind and consequently slow the juggernaut. To me, and it’s a great compliment to how his game is coming on, if Saints can nullify him, then the feeds outside to the rest of his backs will be affected. This will consequently put more pressure on the pack to produce even quicker ball for him

One thing’s for sure - it will be a very different game to that league encounter. I can’t believe that the Saints lineout will be that bad again (if it is, we may as well stay at home). I’m also not expecting the expansive game played then to be repeated here. Barkley’s tactic of kicking the ball behind Saints all game was incredibly effective, and there were very few Saintly forays into Bath territory due to choosing to run the ball back every time. I’m sure that the video of that encounter, and those from subsequent Bath games, have been compulsory and compelling viewing this week at the Gardens.

Rugby Times last week indicated that Bath are going back to the council and asking for permission to move the Virgin Mobile Stand further back from the pitch, as they have had complaints that spectators, particularly in the lower tier, cannot see the action when the ball goes into the corners on that side of the pitch. Funny, but when we mentioned it earlier in the season, we were accused of sour grapes. At the end of the day, all anyone wants to watch is a game of rugby, and having paid £23 to do so, you’d hope to be able to see the game. It’s not a perfect solution; I’m sure that any Bath fan would say that they want the best ground possible, but moving it back say, five yards, would make all the difference. Until then, good luck to those in the lower tier this week.

Referee for Saturday is their perennial favourite and Monday night chip eater Ashley Rowden. He’s already done three of their nine games this season, so should know exactly how they give penalties away by now, and will therefore be quick to ping them for it. On the other hand, this is Ashley Rowden we’re talking about…

Those going on the Von Robson Express, don’t forget that it leaves platform 3 at 9.21, with the first class seats at the rear in coaches 1 to 5, the cheap seats at the front in coaches 6 to 11, and the cheapest seats available by sellotaping yourself to the roof of your favourite carriage. It leaves Bath at 17.22, and with bath station only having two platforms, it will be straight in and straight out again, so don’t leave it late to get back.

Back in January, Saints won the quarter-final 30-29 in the closing minutes after being 16-3 down very early on. The main players on the Saints side will be back there again this weekend, and belief must be strong that the same end result will happen. In a cup game, you can’t get it right the week after, so for eighty minutes all minds must be thinking positively. Clearly, the Bath confidence levels will be sky high and must be matched. Perhaps the theme music for this week should not be Band of Brothers, but something from Oleta Adams referring to the quarter final draw on Sunday afternoon - “I don’t care how you get here, just get here if you can”.

Be there. Be loud. Be proud. Win.

Predictions time. Well, from a Sport Network perspective, Coochie Coo will be as bullish as ever, Glen will have their match report up by the time we get home, and I‘ll be sitting there until England kick off trying to find just the right words for what‘s gone before. As for the game, it’s a matter of cans and wills. Can Saints win it? Yes, definitely. Will Saints win it? I’ll tell you in the Boater about 4.30 on Saturday.

The law of averages though says that we have to win this trophy at some point. Just as it did with the Sevens…