Friday Night's Alright.....?
By Tricky=Legend
September 29 2010
As the nights draw in, and the ensuing rain clouds approach, we are presented with Friday night rugby at The Rec. Unlike the days of old, it is not Newport or Llanelli who visit, but our old friends from Castle Grim, Gloucester Rugby. Kick Off is at 8:05pm........to be precise!
Although my pet hate, turning up late, could well be acceptable this Friday. Many (including myself) travel a fair way to watch our beloved Bath play. My season ticket will go to a worthy 'local' friend who can actually make the kick off time! TV of course dominates rugby now, with Friday night and Sunday games even spreading to the Six Nations last season. The purchase of rugby rights by ESPN means that we can (for a princely sum) now watch three live Premiership games every weekend, but for me, there is no substitute for being there.
As I step down from my soapbox (you'll be pleased to know), my thoughts turn to the point of this article, the game itself. So far this season the two teams have put together contrasting performances, yet only sit 5 league points apart. Bath look good at joint second in the table, whilst Gloucester are in mid-table mediocrity (6th). It is of course early days, but there are already whisperings that Brian Redpath was staring down the barrel of the gun before their win over an inconsistent Wasps last weekend. This is not football, so I hope these are only stupid rumours. Putting together a rugby team takes time, but the fans of Gloucester will still expect a great deal this season. What better way to prove their credentials than a win away at Bath, a feat they have only managed once in the history of the league.
Gloucester may be stuttering, but Bath are certainly not the finished article. Yes we have already clocked up two bonus point wins, as well as being hit by an early spate of injuries, but the manner of the Northampton defeat cannot have truly left Steve Meehan's thoughts. For me the issues lie not within our creativity or passion, but in our ability to execute the basics. Far too many handling errors have occurred, and our set piece still looks sporadic from week to week. Currently Bath sit top of the lost scrums (9) and lost line outs (12) stats. Yes I know: "lies, lies and damn statistics", but if this continues, silverware will elude us again this season, you simply can't win games without the ball! (It is worth mentioning however that Gloucester are next behind us on both those lists!)
Life at Bath is of course not even close to being doom and gloom, quite the opposite. We are playing an exciting brand of attacking rugby and (Northampton aside) have defended quite superbly so far this season. We played Sale without James, Mears, Taylor, Flatman, Banahan and Wilson (6 first choice players) and never looked like losing. No matter how poorly people want to say Sale played, the game was over as a contest by half time. This was not due to their errors, but to Bath's all round dominance. I believe that when we play on the front foot, Gloucester will find it very difficult to live with us.
When the game was amateur, Bath players played for each other, for the supporters, and of course for the trophies! There were no such things as win bonuses or contract negotiations. Players came to us, not because they paid the most, but because it was, quite simply, Bath. For the first time in a while, I believe that this passion has returned. Our Captain fantastic, Luke Watson, has helped Smee and Geech to galvanise what seems to be a very tight knit bunch of guys.
Local derbies often mean throwing the form book out of the window. There is an edge that only years of rivalries can produce. Make no mistake, Gloucester will be up for this game like no other this season. It's just a shame(?!) that they will leave, not only late into the night, but disappointed.