Friday Night's Alright... For Getting Spanked
Another Knock-on?
By Lawrence Aggleton
October 1 2010
Two Friday night games on TV... two humiliations. Bath lost this game tactically, physically and mentally. The number of knock-ons was just incredible. The lineout was abysmal. The defence was weak in the first half and the attack impotent in the second.
Early back and forth, before a free kick against Bath for early engage and then a penalty for pulling down the maul just inside Gloucester's half. Robinson attempts from 5m in his own half, but is short and wide and Vesty clears. Penalty from the scrum on half way to Bath and Watson takes it quickly, but loses the ball in contact. A speculative kick forward and Abendanon takes, but his team mates let him down and fail to control the contact. Carraro loses it, Glaws spin it wide and Vainikolo goes over in the corner. Robinson nails a superb conversion. 7-0 Glaws. A penalty against Watson for taking a man without the ball, Glaws rumble forward and Bath are caught offside in midfield. Robinson hits the post and Bath are let off.
Bath use all the width of the pitch back and forward and force a lineout deep in Glaws territory, but the bar of soap goes loose and Glaws are suddenly on the attack. Hazell butchers an overlap and Bath's defence absorb the pressure but a brainless penalty at the ruck gives Glaws an easy 3. 10-0 Glaws. A quick restart from Bath gets them a lineout in Glaws 22. Side-entry from Glaws at the ruck gives Barkley an opportunity to get on the board and, despite the ball falling off the tee, he slots it. 10-3 Glaws. Bath's defence then falls asleep even worse than Gloucester's from the next kick off and Robinson gets in the corner. He misses the conversion, but Bath are staring down the barrel of a 15-3 deficit and look all asleep. Another quick restart, another penalty, but Barkley can't stick this one. A speculative up-and-under from Abendanon swirls in the breeze and forces a knock on from Robinson giving Bath a scrum on the 22, but a poor pass from LAW squanders it. Some positive build-up, but Grewcock gets ahead of the play and Barkley throws a forward pass. Some back and forward and then Claassens knocks a high ball on. Bath continue to look at half pace. Barnes then gets done by Doran-Jones in the scrum and Robinson lines up the penalty. A shanked kick lets Bath off the hook again. Wayne Barnes then makes up a penalty to give Robinson another chance and it's 18-3 at half-time and Bath really need a slap about the face.
LAW off at half time injured and Skirving replaces him. Moody runs like a nutter into Sharples and hurts his eye. The ball goes wide with Bath on the attack and Hamilton deliberately kills the ball and earns himself a yellow card. Bath go for the corner and spin it wide, but get rucked off the ball and concede a penalty. Mistake after mistake leads from Bath leads to a Gloucester 5m line out, but Bath manage to snatch it and get a bit of territory. Wayne Barnes then makes up a forward pass and Glaws get scrum on the Bath 22. Catt and Wilson on for the ageing and fading Barnes and Bell marmalise the Glaws scrum and the penalty gets Bath into the Gloucester half. Some good hands push Bath forward, but Grewcock knocks on and the sinbin expires with no points scored. Barnes evens up the scrum penalties and Gloucester are back on the attack. Glaws nick a Bath scrum and Burns snaps a drop goal, but it's just wide. Some more kicks push Bath deep into Gloucester territory, but the Bath lineout is limp. Glaws stick a big paw out and the deliberate knock on gives Bath a 5m lineout. However Bath are messy in the tight again and the ball is knocked on. Bath get a turnover at the scrum and get another 5m lineout. Bath organise better this time and Gloucester are forced to pull down the maul. This time Bath take the scrum, but referee Barnes penalises Wilson and Gloucester's set piece rolls down the pitch. More mess in midfield before Barkley pushes Bath into the 22 again. Again though, Bath are too lateral and too easy to defend. A rare won lineout gets Bath back onto the attack... but a spilt ball ends that again. Bath win a penalty from the scrum, but get pushed into touch again. Bath win the ball back, but knock on again. Glaws kick the ball away, and Bath knock on again. I may be repeating myself. Knock-ons from Hape and Grewcock lead us into the last 5 minutes and a resignation on the pitch and in the ground. Catt wins a penalty and there's no doubt Bath's scrum has improved since he and Wilson replaced Barnes and Bell, but further mess at the breakdown and Bath lose the ball again. Bath get a penalty for Gloucester being offside... and knock on again. The time ticks on, over and out. It'd be easy to focus on the sub-schoolboy handling in this game, but the most worrying things for Bath were how easily they were beaten at the breakdown and the continuing shambles at the lineout. Forwards happily boast after wins that they win the games and the backs decide by how many. After this loss the forwards and their coach need to take a serious look at themselves.
|
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:08:17:24:35 by stuart_mod.
Chatting about Bath on Twitter? Use the #BRERE hashtag so we can find each other!
Allez Bath!
Your sentiments (re: the forwards) were echoed by ken_jnr on the match thread. We looked (well sounded) clueless. Glaws worked us out and that was that, almost from the kick-off. Deeply depressing start to the weekend.
Love the picture though ...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:01:22:13:21 by Andy R.
Meant to add, great, and quick if very depressing report.
Meant to add also that spanking's the least of what they should be getting tonight........ could it be time for the first lady coach to step up to the mark in a Premiership rugby team?!! I can think of a few who would put the wind up 'em..
Tom "Samson" Biggs - Adopted Player 2012/2013
Chris Cook - Adopted Player 2011/2012
Luke (THE LAW) Watson - Adopted Player 2010/11
Michael " Classy" Claassens - Adopted Player 2009/2010
Building a nice future VETS team!!!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:01:22:50:05 by Stir Crazy.
I hate to say it but I think our forwards have gone backwards since Haagy took over. God knows what Biarritz are going to do to us up front.
Back to basic for me. Whole squad at Lambridge on Sunday morning at 8am. Dip the balls in oil and try some passing the ball around in a circle! Then maybe someone explain to the team that you need your shoulders at waist height in order to do something called rucking.
I know people may accuse me of being over dramatic but we didn't even look like a Championship Team tonight. Feels like London Irish last season all over again!
Mistake after mistake, line out was rubbish, hardly any penetration from the backs, long kickoff drops from Olly with nobody chasing etc.etc etc.
Thought from the way we started this season all the problems of the poor start to last season had gone away, but they seem to be back.
I thought Biggs should have come on at least 20 minutes earlier. What we tried up to then wasn't working in the backs; a nippy, elusive wing would have mixed it up a bit. But what do I know. Perhaps he wouldn't have seen the ball anyway.
Less said the better by me, who as one of the few who have been carrying on about the lineout and forward play being substandard and got little thanks for it! Perhaps now others will have their pink tinteds removed and can see where the weaknesses lie. We won't get anywhere playing like that, nor as we played at Northampton. Wonder who Meehan will blame this time?
P.S. What were they doing all week - playing tiddlywinks?
Quote:Hand injury
Ribs according to the Man himself, sustained in the warm up said he could hardly breathe in the first half. Clearly affected his brain to foul the player (Sharples?) off the ball which resulted in a penalty for their second try! Bad call Luke!
Quote:gloucesterwatcher
Hand injury
Was carrying a rib injury through the first half which got worse.
Stuart
Former ed.
Make sure you thank the Good Lord on Sunday!
But, I do feel there is poor decision making at 8,9 and 10. Yes, there is enthusiasm but the enthusiastic worker does not get the result. Tonight we were tactically inefficient and exposed all round.
We show continuity and plenty of aspiration to go forward but to no ultimate effect; points!!
Please guys, let this be the last performance like this and let the hard work and dedication shine upon us.
Strange though how our scrum stuffed theirs time after time, but had penalties given against them at two attacking 5m scrums - simply doesn't make sense.
Dixie's crazy penalty in front of the posts - what was he thinking of?
The penalty against dixie for offside from the high kick - what was Wayne thinking of, from the terrace it clearly came off the Gloucester player.
We were poor at the breakdown, poor at the lineout again, had no decent kicking game, but worst of all, no one wanted to hang onto the ball.
The basic basic of rugby - catching, and the Bath team were woeful - we won't even see that many knock ons in the U7s in the rain on Sunday morning!
As an object lesson in passion, commitment and determination, Bath should be forced to watch this match before each and every game for the remainder of the season.
At least the sun is shining...
If the rest of us went to work and performed like that we would be subject to a diciplinary hearing.
Ultimately it was totally lacking in entertainment value, something which we actually pay for as part of our entrance ticket.
To qoute Steve Meehan "In the first 20 minutes we made every wrong decision that was possible" - so what was the message they were sent out onto the pitch with?
Gloucester were not good, they merely came with a game plan and stuck to it.
Haag isn't earning his corn, the forwards as a unit are poor and substandard, and when the backs are equally bad we don't have a prayer.
All of them need to take a long harsh look at themselves, because on last night's showing , any idea of winning anything is delusional.
I gave up a half day's holidayand drove a long distance in pouring rain to be rewarded by as abysmal a display as I can remember since last time Bath demonstrated their alarming propensity for producing completely brainless performances.
Bath Rugby you owe all of your supporters a huge apology.
Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl
I decided that the only way I could cope with that loss was to think- if we were going to lose to Glos at home, we might as well have done it in a comically bad fashion.
I can't think of one player who did anything good; it was like training ground stuff and they hadn't realised they were playing a game.
One person near me said, in all sincerity, that maybe Bendy had concussion as he was playing so inexplicably!
Just odd, really.
The only silver lining as that it was on Friday night, so my precious Saturday wasn't spoilt by such rubbish!
P.S. When Moody collided with Hamilton, there was one almighty "CRACK"! To say it made me wince is an understatement!
Then they'd realise that Gloucester is the one game that we DO NOT LOSE!!
I just do not understand the difference between last Sat and last night - I'm lost.
Quote:They should all be sent to live and train in Gloucester for the next week. Forced to walk through the centre of Gloucester in their Bath kit every day. Then they'd realise that Gloucester is the one game that we DO NOT LOSE!!
tell me about it, I have to work in Glaws most weeks and next time I'm in the office their fans will all be seeking me out.
Chatting about Bath on Twitter? Use the #BRERE hashtag so we can find each other!
I'd stick to remote working for a while!
Chatting about Bath on Twitter? Use the #BRERE hashtag so we can find each other!
_____________________________________________________
I like turtles.
In conditions like last night, the foundations for victory are very much rooted from a performance by the pack. We lost the contact battle when it mattered and were too fragmented.
They say that a week is a long time in politics, but unfortunately the no-show at Saints is still too vivid and I didn't see much of an improvement last night. I can see the flatbed lorry arriving at the Rec tomorrow with the world's biggest hat on the back for Mr Dixon. The proof of the pud's in the eating ... so get it down my sonner.
Not happy.
UTTER UTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTERUTTER UTTER
TRIPE
Off field: we got out-planned, out-thought.
On field: Out-tackled, out-bossed, out-numbered, out-kicked, out-scored, out-skilled.
Some of which can be fixed
So please no talk of top 5, just think about the next 15 minutes of play.
On the downside:
There is less meat in the Bath Sandwich.
Talk of deserved career ending silverware coming this season, will not happen until the squad is powered up.
Unacceptable Bath.
What is wrong with our preparations for friday matches? Or is it night matches rather than the day of the week? Whichever it is our preparations need to be altered.
We looked like we had put a group of imposters on the pitch last night. If you can bear it, take a look at the rerun and just watch the footage of them come out of the changing room. They don't look remotely fired up or ready for a match. They look weary
Interesting if a visiting Glaws informant could tell us what they did on Friday.
Full set of photos from Bath v Glos
Catt's face at the end says it all.
Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl
Quote:Strange though how our scrum stuffed theirs time after time, but had penalties given against them at two attacking 5m scrums - simply doesn't make sense.
I thought the scrums were fairly even TBH - both had the upper hand at times. However if you want to talk about strange interpretations at scrum time, try being penalised ten times (yes, ten!!!!) when your scrum are convinced they are dominating! That's what happened at Irish a few weeks ago - and part of the reason the referees' Assessor appologised to Brian Redpath.
Also Cardiff in LV cup (Iknow , I know)
A cocky, crowing, gobby French Glaws player! "We all really put our hearts into the match"
Indeed they did.
Let's see how you deal with the frogs this weekend eh?
Doers not change the fact that Gloucester were all over us in the first 20 minutes.
PG