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SILVER BULLET? ONE FANTASY SIGNING

In the absence of real rugby to discuss, many fans’ focus has turned to recruitment. Bath’s early June squad update brought three very welcome signings, but also news of Francois Louw’s retirement and 15 other departures – so raising a number of questions. Stuart Hooper has said “Our recruitment cycle has not completely finished yet” so I thought it would be fun to consider one “silver bullet” signing to complete the squad and improve Bath’s chances of a playoff place for next season.
COML Visitors and Revenue Stats

So how are we doing on COML? Some stats from June 2019 to May 2020.
BATH TEAM OF THE DECADE

For this article I have to thank Shipwrecked who suggested it (and did a chunk of the research). He saw something similar on the Gallagher Premiership website and thought it would be a good lockdown topic for COML. The premise is TEAM OF THE DECADE, based not on opinion, but statistics, the players who have made the most appearances per position, in the 2010-2019 seasons. Across the entire Premiership, 2 Bath players make that list. Perhaps you can guess who they are? The Bath equivalent XV is:
Bath Squad 2020/21

Bath Squad including Academy for 2020/21. Please let me know of any errors or omissions.
FIVE FANTASTIC TRIES

Watching Bath Rugby TV’s ‘Classic Matches’ series got me thinking about another ‘Famous Five’ topic – great Bath tries. We have been privileged over the years to see some outstanding tries, at the Rec and elsewhere. So, trawling the memory bank, and the internet, I have chosen five which stick in the memory. Not necessarily the most significant, or even the best, but all special in their way and hopefully will bring a smile to salve the lockdown blues. Here they are.
These Five Guys Were Unlucky

Looking back over Bath’s illustrious list of past players I found five who were desperately unlucky. Some will say that they were in fact fortunate, being able to play rugby at first class level, extremely durably in some cases – three of the five represented Bath for a decade or more – and sharing in 18 first class trophies between them. However, despite striking fear into opponents and becoming Bath legends they all missed out on international recognition. Here they are.
PAST PLAYERS; FAVOURITE FIVE BACKS

Selecting a Favourite Five from the backs I have seen enchant the Rec crowd proved no easy task. By my count some 60 internationals have graced the Blue, Back and White behind the scrum in my 4 decades supporting Bath, including 10 Lions and 5 World cup winners. A dazzling array of talent from a dozen countries have entertained us with slashing breaks, outrageous passes, dashing tries, audacious drop goals and impossible touchline conversions, not to mention equally impossible cover tackles and bone crunching crash tackles. But who stirs most memories? Here are my five.
PAST PLAYERS: FAVOURITE 5 FORWARDS

As the Covid 19 lockdown continues, I have been thinking about the many great players who have graced the Blue, Black and White. How to pick 5 favourite forwards from the stellar cast of the last 40 years? Easy you say? Far from it. For over a decade in the 80s/90s Bath boasted a pack feared even by Leicester. Internationals from all 4 home nations have trained and played at the Rec, 10 becoming Lions while at Bath. Others from Argentina, Australia, South Africa and the pacific islands have also graced the shirt. Any selection will therefore be subjective and likely to spark debate. Here are my 5.
PAST MATCHES: MY FAVOURITE 5

Starved of live rugby by the coronavirus pandemic I have been reminiscing about favourite matches of the past. There are many to choose from – club, international, Lions, Barbarians, but it is favourite Bath matches I’ll focus on here. Making the selection proved more difficult than for gaz59’s Desert Island Discs (I have 3 sets already for that thread) as there is such a rich heritage to choose from – and indulge one’s memory. So – here is my subjective favourite 5, in reverse order. You may wish to add yours.
PREMIERSHIP POSTPONED: WHAT NEXT?

The Gallagher Premiership has been postponed for five weeks, which has to be the right decision. In the context of the nations health, welfare and economic prosperity, rugby is a mere sideshow. The action does though raise several questions. Does postponement for pandemic mean pandemonium or panic? Will it be only for five weeks? Is the survival of some clubs threatened? When competition begins will tournaments be completed and qualification for European competitions decided?