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

Bath United are in the A league final after a pretty convincing win over Sale, while in the grand scheme of things this isn't the trophy to go for, I'm pleased that we are taking it more seriously this year. Building a real squad mentality (not to mention a winning one!) can only be good for the club.

Also nice to see 6k there for a reserve team fixture.

A good reflection of our strength in depth this year, something that has killed us in previous seasons

6K thats more than most Rabo games.

Big well done to Bath and all the fans who turned up.

It's about the same as a Sarries home game isn't it?

Bathite wrote:It's about the same as a Sarries home game isn't it?

Bathite I sincerely hope it's a failed attempt at a joke because if not it shows your ignorance.

I think that's a joke but statbunker has Sarries average at 7.5k so not a million miles away. Worryingly for Sale and Newcastle, it says their averages are c.5k and c.4.5k respectively. Whether this figures are 100% accurate I don't know but still...

Bathite wrote:It's about the same as a Sarries home game isn't it?

 Do they get that many?

Bathman_in_London wrote:I think that's a joke but statbunker has Sarries average at 7.5k so not a million miles away. Worryingly for Sale and Newcastle, it says their averages are c.5k and c.4.5k respectively. Whether this figures are 100% accurate I don't know but still...

I would take statbunker firmly with a pinch of salt.

Sarries got 8k vs Newcastle, 9.5k vs Wasps, 9k vs Gloucester, 8k vs Bath in AP games.

7k vs Scarlets.

That's without including the 61k vs Toulouse.

Perhaps Newcastle and Sale are correct. Not sure.

Anyway I will move back onto topic of you guys.

Been a good start to the season for Bath. Got to say I didn't expect you to beat Wasps, let alone by that margin. Well done. 

beshocked wrote:

Bathite wrote:It's about the same as a Sarries home game isn't it?

Bathite I sincerely hope it's a failed attempt at a joke because if not it shows your ignorance.

Yeahhh, got him, reeled in a big one. I didn't think it would be that easy/quick

beshocked wrote:

Bathman_in_London wrote:I think that's a joke but statbunker has Sarries average at 7.5k so not a million miles away. Worryingly for Sale and Newcastle, it says their averages are c.5k and c.4.5k respectively. Whether this figures are 100% accurate I don't know but still...

I would take statbunker firmly with a pinch of salt.

Sarries got 8k vs Newcastle, 9.5k vs Wasps, 9k vs Gloucester, 8k vs Bath in AP games.

7k vs Scarlets.

That's without including the 61k vs Toulouse.

Perhaps Newcastle and Sale are correct. Not sure.

Anyway I will move back onto topic of you guys.

Been a good start to the season for Bath. Got to say I didn't expect you to beat Wasps, let alone by that margin. Well done.:Ale: 

Cheers beshocked.

Bathite wrote:

beshocked wrote:

Bathite wrote:It's about the same as a Sarries home game isn't it?

Bathite I sincerely hope it's a failed attempt at a joke because if not it shows your ignorance.

Yeahhh, got him, reeled in a big one. I didn't think it would be that easy/quick

Well done. You know if you want to chat you can just PM me. 

Anyone else heard a rumour that Waldrom might be coming to Bath next season?

Saw it on ere, but heard nothing else. Probably the standard "player contract runs out, mention/assume that Bath/France are interested" to get a better wage. Happened with Salvi, Croft, Ayerza and Stankovich at Tigers. However, Vesty, Hipkiss, Moody all worked out.

Also saw the Bradley Davies rumour as well, both don't make that much sense, unless Caldwell and/or Hooper are off?

Would much rather see the money spent at 9 for next season

Would imagine Caldwell will definatley go and would love to see Bradley Davies at the club, him attwood and day would be an immense set of locks and at only 26/27 he would be a real asset. With Parling being injured im expecting attwood to cement his place on the england bench over the six nations so will need some more locks.

As far as the salary cap i think we will have to be brutal and shed a few players
Henson
Ovens
Mercer
Woodburn
Koster
Cook
Williams

and sadly also potentially loose
Caldwell
Eastmond
Heathcote
Biggs

From that would be good to get an awesome Lock, inside centre/squad flyhalf and scrumhalf...Maybe...

Bradley Davies
Billy twelvetrees
Kahn Fotuali
!

Koster won't leave, he is Golds project player. He will come good next year after the season fully fit with Bristol. Biggs is definitely going. I won't be surprised if heathcote goes, but would think mercer and Williams leaving would be a mistake.

I may be in a minority but I wouldn't change too much about our squad for next season.
We know Biggs is off and it wouldn't surprise me if Caldwell went back to Ireland too if he has international ambitions. Stringer may retire I guess which might open the door for another 9 but I think we have a large number of good youngsters in the squad who are only going to get better. Spanking money on a big name player who is away with internationals half the time doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

Bathite wrote:
Would much rather see the money spent at 9 for next season

Phillips?

 

I'm serious would any of you like to see Mike Phillips pull on the Bath hoops?

Scrumpy wrote: 

I'm serious would any of you like to see Mike Phillips pull on the Bath hoops?

Scrumpy I am sure opposition fans would. 

Not sure which 9s are out of contract. I know Simpson signed a new Wasps one (thought he would have been a good signing for you).

Scrumpy wrote: 

I'm serious would any of you like to see Mike Phillips pull on the Bath hoops?

No. Eastmond has gone a whole game without touching the ball, bringing in a scrum half who hates passing is the last thing we need. Plus he would be missing for half the season with Wales anyway. I'd rather bring in someone like Karl Dickson from Quins to be honest. Cheaper but good premiership quality. Remember Glaws have c.20 players out of contract this year too.

I hope that we have learnt our lessons from the Lewis Moody signing and are looking to build a squad which can be competitive over a season, rather than 1 or 2 big names who won't be playing for us for most of the year anyway.

I think thats the view most Bath fans would take, but I have a gut feeling we might end up with him, I hope I'm wrong.

I really hope not!

Scrumpy wrote: 

I'm serious would any of you like to see Mike Phillips pull on the Bath hoops?

I've tried, but offhand I cannot think of another 9 with a style less well suited to the way that Bath try to play than Thirsty Mike.

The stringer-roberts-young apprenticeship seems to be working as well. Roberts had a blinder the other day against exeter, hopefully these boys will push on as stringer goes to retirement.

Such a shame about Eastmonds, do you think its an internal suspension his serving?
 
I'm also sorry for James as he surely should be playing in Cardiff this weekend whether you agreed with what has happened or not I don't like to see players miss out on Caps for their country even if its just a money making game for the WRU.

He played for the A team on Monday, so hopefully this is his last match in the sin bin, with Eastmond, Henson and Williams i certainly never saw Devoto getting time at 12, has anyone had a chance to watch him at 12...hows he done and what has happened to the orange one...injured???

Squad is pretty awesome when bendy, fearns, heathcote and caldwell are benchmen and biggsy, Hooper, Roko and the argie front rowers cant even make the squad !!

What's happened to Tango man?

Injured I think.

Good to see Caldwell back is this his first time back in the squad since his injury?

Would have liked to see Spencer and Cook on the bench rather than Caldwell and Roberts,  who do not represent the future for Bath in those positions. However can't complain too much as both will contribute when they come on.

Houston continues to play out of his skin to keep Fearns out.  Pleased there currently appears to be no movers  in the back row when you consider Gilbert,  Mercer, Ovens Sisi and Koster are waiting patiently for their chance.

Looking forward to maintaining our record against Exeter.

Hope so Rec, but its only a matter of time before they do us.

Another great win for the boys.  

So, what's the latest on the Eastmond front?
He still hasn't been selected for Bath - as someone else said, has he been internally suspended?
He needs to be playing.....with all these England injuries he could easily be staking a claim, if not starting then at least on the bench with his versatility.

No one knows, we don't speak of it in these parts!

propdavid_london wrote:So, what's the latest on the Eastmond front?  
He still hasn't been selected for Bath - as someone else said, has he been internally suspended?  
He needs to be playing.....with all these England injuries he could easily be staking a claim, if not starting then at least on the bench with his versatility.

I honestly have no idea what is up with him. You could read 'personal issues' as depression or something along those lines, in which case him not playing hopefully wont be anything to do with an internal suspension. I just hope they work damn hard to help him mend. As you say we'd all love to see him staking a claim for a place in the international team. That try vs the Argentinians in the summer will live long in the memory.

For those worried about Eastmond, as expected, he'll be involved in the Amlin games, starting tomorrow. He has been added to the squad list in place of Ben Williams. He'll have to have some blinding performances to get back into the side at 12, as Deveto has been great. Joseph on the other hand has been poor, but i'm not sure a Deveto/Eastmond centre partnership would work?

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/447062/Bath-test-the-waters-with-Kyle-Eastmond

There he is, back in the team at 12

Bath Rugby team to face Rugby Mogliano 

15. Nick Abendanon ( c ) 
14. Richard Lane 
13. Gavin Henson 
12. Kyle Eastmond 
11. Olly Woodburn 
10. Tom Heathcote 
9. Micky Young 
1. Nathan Catt 
2. Eusebio Guinazu 
3. Juan Pablo Orlandi 
4. Dominic Day 
5. Ryan Caldwell 
6. Will Skuse 
7. Mat Gilbert 
8. Carl Fearns 

Replacements 

16. Ross Batty 
17. Anthony Perenise 
18. Kane Palma-Newport 
19. Matt Garvey 
20. Leroy Houston 
21. Martin Roberts 
22. Ollie Devoto 
23. Tom Biggs

The orange one returns as well !! bad boyz in the centres. Strong looking second team, good to see woodburn back as well.

Hearing that Gary Gold and Bath RFC have parted company on tw@tter? Any confirmation? Any reason?

http://www.bathrugby.com/news/club-news/bath-rugby-statement

It's true. What a killer blow that is

WTF, Bathite? 'A restructuring of the Rugby Department'? What is that corporate speak for?

No idea mate, i'm not that close to the club these days, so didn't see that coming. He got moved to DOR and Ford to head coach at start of the season, but had no reason to suspect he was unhappy, especially with the results we've had.

A hell of a lot more to come out of this story I'm sure.

I just assumed that he was the principal architect of everything good going on at Bath?

As did I!

Tom Biggs adding to the murkiness:

@tombiggs11: Amazing how quickly things can change in sport. Didn't see that coming. A bolt from the blue, black and white. #prayforflouw

WT heck is going on with Louw?

Just read about this myself! Seems crazy but then for all their wins Bath aren't clicking and playing like perhaps they ought to.

Just a massive guess but could it be more of the Eastmond issues? Players not happy with the kicking approach and not getting enough ball in hand? Coach too restrictive and game plan too smothering? Bath do kick the most in the league.

Truly strange stuff.

Nooooo, just when things were going so well !! Well at least we have enough coaches to cover but bit worried about mike ford and toby booth without someone above them. More to follow but immediate effect is not a happy situation.

I would fear Toby Booth... Mr Inconsistency, look forward to beating Sarries and losing to Worcester now.