BATH RUGBY - 2013/14

First topic message reminder :

New Thread for the new season - https://www.606v2.com/t54781-bath-rugby-pre-season-2014-15

I dont think anyone doubts what he had...he had the lot...skills, ability, pace, strength, size...he really could have been up there alongside Tim Horan etc as one of the tops of the game...BUT he just wasnt capable of getting his head down and just concentrating on his rugby.

I hope he does get sorted at Bath...we all want to see the best players at the top of their game...however...i wouldnt be putting any money it!

Its clear he can't take a drink, especially punch!  

It is a gamble by Bath, and you'd be a fool to think otherwise.

What do you guys think of the Micky Young signing? Would appear to be a fairly straightforward path to a starting place, looking at your squad above?

I totally disagree mate. Young is firmly 3rd choice. Stringer was brilliant for us last year and Roberts will push him hard. Young comes with zero form and rating from his last club

You may be surprised by Micky Young, bathite. I was actually impressed by him, whenever he managed to get on the pitch. Injury and suspension marred his two years with us.


Stuart Hooper retained as club captain I see. I guess that means we will not see much of the 606 dream team combo of Attwood and Garvey. Shame really I was hoping to finally see what everyone else does in Garvey.

I suspect Garvey will play 6 with Attwood partnering the Welsh boy in the second row. Hooper was captain last year but didn't play much and I think Louw will end up as game day captain more often than Hooper.

Pretty much spot on Sam. Attwood might be away with England, so that would see Garvey step up to 4 i'd imagine.

I like the look of Young, long term him and Roberts will be a very good combo I think. How much game time he will get this season remains to be seen.

On Hooper, he was club captain last year as well and was 3rd choice lock, so I dont see this season being any different. The match day captain was often Louw. It will be interesting to see if he does start more though, if we had Attwood at 4,Garvey 6, Fearns/Houston at 8 and Louw at 7, thats a big pack and maybe someone a bit more lineout focused could be carried a bit more.

I see Koster is off to Bristol on loan - I have wondered how Gold was going to keep up to ten back row players in the senior squad happy but I am somewhat surprised Koster has moved.  I think that makes the combos as Garvey, Louw & Fearns then Gilbert, (new samoan signing) , Houston and for the LV; Ovens, Mercer & Sisi

The Ospreys team to play Bath at the Recreation Ground on Friday 30th August, KO 7.30pm, is as follows:

15 Richard Fussell
14 Tom Grabham
13 Ben John
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi

1 Ryan Bevington
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Sam Williams
5 James King
6 Tom Smith (Capt)
7 Sam Lewis
8 Dan Baker

REPLACEMENTS
Matthew Dwyer
Richard Hibbard
Duncan Jones
Joe Rees
Ian Gough
Ian Evans
Ryan Jones
Arthur Ellis
Morgan Allen
Jake Cole
Matthew Morgan
Jonathan Spratt

Recwatcher wrote:I see Koster is off to Bristol on loan - I have wondered how Gold was going to keep up to ten back row players in the senior squad happy but I am somewhat surprised Koster has moved.  I think that makes the combos as Garvey, Louw & Fearns then Gilbert, (new samoan signing) , Houston and for the LV; Ovens, Mercer & Sisi

I'm suprised by that as well, I thought he'd be battling Houston for the 8 shirt. Had shown promise towards end of last season in the LV

Very surprised to see Koster loaned out.

Can we loan Gav out too?

Can't find the Bath Team for tonight.

Has anyone seen it yet?

Not out yet mate, I'll keep an eye out for you.

Captains run is normally at 12/1 and the team announced straight after that

Bath Rugby team to face Ospreys

15. Ollie Devoto

14. Semesa Rokoduguni

13. Jonathan Joseph

12. Kyle Eastmond

11. Matt Banahan

10. George Ford

9. Peter Stringer

1. Paul James

2. Rob Webber

3. David Wilson

4. Stuart Hooper ( c )

5. Dave Attwood

6. Matt Garvey

7. Guy Mercer

8. Leroy Houston

Replacements

16. Ross Batty

17. Nathan Catt

18. Anthony Perenise

19. Dominic Day

20. Mat Gilbert

21. Martin Roberts

22. Tom Heathcote

23. Anthony Watson

Players with no number

Tom Biggs

Micky Young

Alafoti Fa'osiliva

Not far off full strength that. Louw and Agulla to slot back in, with Bendy/Devoto, Banahan/Biggs, Ford/Heathcote, Day/Hooper up for debate

Cheers bathman

Strong pack, it will be interesting to see how they do tonight.

Wow thats a strong team.

Backs have a bit of everything pace, size, power, handling....

Big powerful pack aswell....

Who would have thought people would say "Bath" and "strong pack" in the same sentence!

Its been a long time thats for sure Bathite...but we're saying it now...

Really like the look of that team, although undoubtably the big bench will mean it doesnt get more than 40 mins together.

The pack certainly looks fairly formidable but I like the look of that backline too, a good mix of power and creativity. It will be interesting to see if Banners/Roko switch inside for defensive duties too.

I'm looking forward to the season now!

Fast midfield no doubt, but seems easy to run straight through. It's not too bad an Ospreys pack so it should be decent enough challenge for Bath.

Hmmm, but youd expect to see Banahan standing at 12 on defensive plays...and in open play Bath have big defenders all over the field. Dont think their midfield size is an issue.

Stroll in the park for Bath...could be a cricket score in fact...

I wouldn't go that far Geordie, maybe next week! 

Disappointing that Cook, Williams & Woodburn don't seem to be getting a look in. Geech looked to develop in house talent but Gold clearly doesn't want to wait.

The pack is starting to look menacing but they need to start getting the results from the start of the AP campaign.

8 - 10 to the Ospreys...

27-10 Win for Bath.

Well done lads.

Very well done. Great second half performance, looks like a good team this year. Scrummaging and mauling were very impressive.

Three very good second half tries.

Made the boys from Swansea realise how silly letting Paul James go was..

MATCH REPORT

Bath Rugby overcame Ospreys 27-10 in front of a hearty crowd at the Rec on a drizzling Friday evening in the Club's final pre-season fixture.

Bath Rugby had named a strong squad ahead of the tie, with Ospreys responding in kind. A combative start from the home side resulted in a successful penalty kick from fly-half George Ford in the opening minutes.

Ospreys knocked on at the resulting restart, with Bath's scrum on the visiting side's 22 almost leading to an early try by wing Semesa Rokoduguni after some super interlinking play. A ruck formed near Ospreys' try line saw another penalty in Bath's favour and Ford, in a bid to keep the early hope of a try alive, opted to kick for touch.

The slippery ball was the only villain of the evening, thwarting several near-certain try-scoring opportunities for both sides, and it was no different as Bath drove under the Ospreys posts, only for it to escape flanker Matt Garvey's grasp.

The away side soon responded with three points from Dan Biggar as Bath were penalised for a tackle infringement. However, a dominant first quarter from Bath was rewarded as a looping pass from prodigious centre Kyle Eastmond allowed looming wing Matt Banahan to dive over in the corner on 22 minutes, to rapturous applause from the home fans. 8-3.

Ospreys had the slight upper hand going into half-time, as prop Ryan Bevington was on the receiving of some good handling from fly-half Dan Biggar, scoring down the right flank. Biggar added the conversion to take the lead for the visitors.

Half-time: Bath Rugby 8 – Ospreys 10.

Bath emerged from the tunnel in even more of an attacking frame of mind. The opening try of the half was spearheaded by George Ford, who manoeuvred himself deftly between defenders to set the try in motion. Leroy Houston received the ball in the shadow of the Ospreys posts and, dragging two defenders with him, crashed over the line. His try was successfully converted by Ford, making it 15-10 to the Blue, Black and White.

Bath kept up the pressure, as Rokoduguni showed his evasive running skills to burst up the left flank. The ball was patiently recycled across the field, only for the Fijian flyer to show up on the end of the move to finish the try off. Ford converted. 22-10.

Ten minutes from the end of the match, a remarkable sleight of hand from fullback Ollie Devoto saw replacement centre Anthony Watson through the smallest of gaps in the Ospreys defence. Whilst that attacking sequence fizzled out, Devoto soon after put himself in the right place in the opposition 22, with fast hands from the Bath backs putting the U20 World Cup winner over in the corner with room to spare.

With the game all but put to bed, Ospreys had a penalty in Bath's half, which replacement fly-half Matthew Morgan kicked to touch in an attempt to balance the scoreline. Spinning the ball wide to the opposite side of the field, Ospreys sensed a glimmer of hope as Tom Grabham finally managed to snaffle a questionable pass, only for Rokoduguni to bundle him into touch to close out an entertaining match.

Final Score: Bath Rugby 27 - Ospreys 10.

Bath team vs Newcastle Falcons.

15. Anthony Watson
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Jonathan Joseph
12. Kyle Eastmond
11. Matt Banahan
10. George Ford
9. Peter Stringer
1. Paul James
2. Rob Webber
3. David Wilson
4. Stuart Hooper ( c )
5. Dave Attwood
6. Matt Garvey
7. Mat Gilbert
8. Leroy Houston

Replacements

16. Ross Batty
17. Nathan Catt
18. Anthony Perenise
19. Dominic Day
20. Alafoti Fa'osiliva
21. Micky Young
22. Gavin Henson
23. Tom Biggs

Henson to make his debut I presume, covering 10, 15 and 12. Looking forward to seeing how that pack goes, bring it on!

Yep, Banners, Eastmond and Roko covering 13, with Biggs 14 and Henson 10 12 15. Fa'soliva on the bench as back row cover is interesting, as he played 12 in his last game!

Good solid start for Bath, well done chaps.

Nice to see.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/english-premiership/table

Please play Banahan next week! If he plays like that vs Tigers we'll get at least two tries and a whole load of territory down his flank even with Lamb at 10.

Bath fans have got to be pleased with the look of that new pack. Fearns and Louw to still come into it as well.

Good to hear Eastmonds injury is not so bad. Nice debut by Henson too. Just returning from injury himself, thought he did well.

He and Eastmond could form a very nice partnership this season. Will be good for Ford too

I bet the Bath boys can't wait to get their teeth into the Tigers, whats the worst that could happen a slapped wrist!

"The RFU citing commissioner has viewed the incident many times and using all the available camera angles and believes it is accidental due to the dynamics of the contact as Dan Cole went to ground. No further action is to be taken," read an RFU statement."

Farce.

Scrumpy wrote:I bet the Bath boys can't wait to get their teeth into the Tigers, whats the worst that could happen a slapped wrist!

"The RFU citing commissioner has viewed the incident many times and using all the available camera angles and believes it is accidental due to Dan Cole being a Leicester player ," read an RFU statement."

Farce.

Changed it for you

 

I bet if it was a player with a history like Mr Hartley then he would have been banned, again!

So Bath have denied that Biggs is set to sign for Hull next year, so I guess his already signed up then!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24031501

On another subject it looks like a Tiger fan has visited these boards, really need to grow up fella, Cole did bite him and if it had been Hartley then he would have been banned.

Bath Rugby vs Tiggers - The Recreation Ground, Saturday 3.15pm)

Bath Rugby

15 Anthony Watson
14 Semesa Rokoduguni
13 Jonathan Joseph
12 Gavin Henson
11 Matt Banahan
10 George Ford
9 Peter Stringer
1 Paul James
2 Rob Webber
3 David Wilson
4 Stuart Hooper (c)
5 Dave Attwood
6 Matt Garvey
7 Guy Mercer
8 Leroy Houston

Replacements
16 Ross Batty
17 Nathan Catt
18 Anthony Perenise
19 Dominic Day
20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva
21 Micky Young
22 Tom Heathcote
23 Tom Biggs.


Leicester Tigers

15 Niall Morris
14 Scott Hamilton
13 Vereniki Goneva
12 Anthony Allen (c)
11 Adam Thompstone
10 Ryan Lamb
9 Dave Mélé
1 Logovi'i Mulipola
2 Tom Youngs
3 Dan Cole
4 Ed Slater
5 Sebastian de Chaves
6 Steve Mafi
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane

Replacements
16 Neil Briggs
17 Boris Stankovich
18 Fraser Balmain
19 Jamie Gibson
20 Thomas Waldrom
21 Sam Harrison
22 Owen Williams
23 Dan Bowden

Biggs on the bench again, hmm looks like his upset someone?

Looks like Bath rate the 'Orange One.' He must be hard to trust for his coaches and team-mates after his track record... Having said that, he would still be at the Blues if they weren't being run by Laurel and Hardy at the time.

Henson Played really well again. Set up Banahans try beautifully. Bath were clever to get Henson.

maestegmafia wrote:Hebson Played really well again. Set up Banahans try beautifully. Bath were clever to get Henson.

I was a little disappointed with him. Some very good touches, but far too often I felt he looked disinterested.

LondonTiger wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Hebson Played really well again. Set up Banahans try beautifully. Bath were clever to get Henson.

I was a little disappointed with him. Some very good touches, but far too often I felt he looked disinterested.

Not surprised you were dissappointed being a tigers fan. He was the best centre on show today, even if his facial expression is a bit moi non plus...!

maestegmafia wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Hebson Played really well again. Set up Banahans try beautifully. Bath were clever to get Henson.

I was a little disappointed with him. Some very good touches, but far too often I felt he looked disinterested.

Not surprised you were dissappointed being a tigers fan. He was the best centre on show today, even if his facial expression is a bit moi non plus...!

No way was he the best centre, I'm no Tigers fan but Goneva and Allen were superior. Anyone could have enabled that Banahan try, all he had to do was pass in an acre of space and under no pressure at all, the try was manufactured earlier up the chain to put them in that position. Henson also gave a terrible intercept early on in the match gave another additional poor pass putting a teammate under pressure and then a terrible slice when attempting to clear things up. 6 out of 10 at best.

Henson had a stinking debut. Unforced errors such as throwing the ball straight into touch and knocking on we're the only things he did to make himself known! Didn't see the game today but based on Newcastle game, there's some serious Wales bias going on here!

Completely excellent result for Bath - they were good value for it too.
 
Incidentally, Edinburgh has currently lost 2 stand offs to injury so don't be astonished if a bid is made for Heathcote, who appears to be behind both Ford and the Exfoliated Swordsman in the pecking order.