Match Preview: Bath Time Finale

By Falcon1 (07/05/03)
May 8 2003

And so we arrive at the last afternoon of the 2002/03 season, & a trip to Bath for the Newcastle Falcons & the stakes are high. Falcons are aiming for a Wild Card playoff position & possible qualification for European competition, while Bath face the possibility of the drop into National Division 1.

Of course there is also the possibility that the outcome of the game on Saturday may not actually determine Bath's future. Their position in the top flight of English rugby may be determined not by their performance on the field of play but by events off the field: either through a merger with bitter rivals Bristol or, if the conspiracy theorists are to be believed, the interference of '57 old farts' exercising their discretion over the rules of relegation and promotion. But surely Bath would not wish to rely on those get-out-of-jail cards?

Until just a week ago Newcastle Falcons were looking at this fixture as a possible game to determine their own position in the relegation battle, but thanks to victory last week against Saracens, the Falcons are now safe. Defeat by Bristol, their merger suitors, put Bath firmly at the foot of the table.

That the two teams arrive at this position is due to the sharply contrasting fortunes experienced by the Newcastle Falcons and Bath since they last met in November. In that game Bath defeated the Falcons at Kingston Park thanks to a first half onslaught from which Newcastle Falcons did not recover. The outcome was that Bath rose away from relegation whilst the Falcons dropped into tenth position.

'Taione - Injured'

Since the beginning of February, when they were six points adrift at the foot of the table, Newcastle Falcons have won five out of seven games beginning with a victory over Harlequins on the day they formally opened their new West Stand. In their remaining two games, against Wasps and top-of–the-table Gloucester, the Falcons earned valuable losing bonus points. Indeed, against Gloucester they came to causing the shock result of the season.

In contrast, Bath have lost five out of their last seven games, and with just one round of fixtures remaining in the regular season the former West Country giants are favourites to be relegated from the top flight, having won fewer league games than any other team this season.

'Grimes - 7 week ban'

But the truth is that whilst the Falcons heaved a sigh of relief last Sunday as they secured their Premiership place for next season, any of the four teams below them - Saracens, Bristol, London Irish, and Bath - could end up in the relegation spot come full time next Saturday.

Bath are hovering on the abyss of relegation from the top flight of rugby, but they have the opportunity to secure their position in the Premiership if they can defeat the Falcons on Saturday and other results go their way - everything to play for, then.

Past glories

To many people Bath represent the past. They remind us of an era before rugby became, officially at least, a professional sport.

For more than a decade Bath were the undisputed masters of English domestic rugby. They tasted nothing but success. Winners of the John Player Cup every season from 1983/84 to 1986/87, and of the Pilkington Cup in seven out the next ten seasons, Bath were also crowned league champions on six occasions between 1988/89 and !995/96. Their dominance culminated with victory in the 1996/97 Heineken Cup competition.

With the professional era, however, despite regularly producing England international players, Bath have given their supporters little to cheer.

In contrast, the predecessor of the Falcons, Gosforth had relatively little national success, although they won the John Player Cup in 1976 and again in 1977, and were runners up in the Middlesex Sevens of 1977. However, during the professional era the Falcons have already enjoyed success, winning the Premiership in 1997/98, the Sanyo Cup in 1998, and the Tetley Bitter Cup in 2000/2001, and are hungry for more.

Perhaps more importantly, the club has modernised and despite being in an area where rugby is the poor relation of soccer, now boasts a modern, 10,000 capacity ground (which has twice attracted crowds in excess of 9,000 this season), and is developing an Academy of top quality facilities to groom the stars of the future.

This game may therefore be viewed as a match between a team resting on the laurels and traditions of the past, and one firmly geared up to the demands of the future.

Prospects

With Newcastle Falcons in fine form at the moment, and chasing an advantageous Wild Card spot, Bath could struggle to gain the victory they need to haul themselves off the bottom.

Even Bath's own supporters have little expectation of a Bath victory. In a poll held by the Bath message board, in which they were asked whether Bath would beat Newcastle, not only do 47% believe that Bath will lose, but 24% say they don’t care.

'Mayerhofler'

And yet in the fourteen Premiership clashes between these two teams, the Falcons have only won on five occasions. And the Falcons find it difficult to win at the Recreation Ground: in the last two clashes, Bath have been victorious, winning 18–9 on 28 April 2001 and 24–9 on 25 November 2001.

Both teams boast a number of international players and both have shown that they are capable on the day of running in tries.

Newcastle Falcons have changes enforced by the absence of Mark Andrews and Epi Taione (due to injury) and of Stuart Grimes (due to a seven week ban), so the chances are that the second row will be Vyvyan and the ever-improving Hamilton, with Newby, Britz and Mower in the back row. The backs will probably be the same as last week against Saracens, with Wilkinson, Noon, Stephenson, Mayerhoffler and the recently returned Walder linking up to test the Bath defence. But with Rob Andrew, as usual, not announcing his selection until late, who knows?

'Grewcock - Leading Bath'

Bath must play an attacking game if they want to have a chance of escaping relegation through their efforts on the pitch. The likely line-up will therefore include England internationals Grewcock, Borthwick and Thomas in the forwards, with Cooper, Berkley, Catt, Tindall, Balshaw and Seveali in the backs.

The Result?

Despite the evidence of past games at the Recreation Ground, I favour the Falcons to steal a victory in the last league game of the season. And that would make results elsewhere irrelevant for Bath and open the Premiership door to another team from the north, Rotherham.

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Match Report: Falcons v Saracens: It's official, we're safe!