Match Preview - Chief Encounter
By Ed Scott
October 25 2012
After a two week hiatus, Premiership rugby returns with a bang this weekend, as Bath host Exeter at The Rec. Hotly tipped two seasons ago to be immediately relegated, The Chiefs have been a revelation since their inclusion in the top flight and currently hold bragging rights as the number one side in the West Country after a 5th place league finish last season.
As the last couple of weeks have been dedicated to the European competitions, let’s brush over the fact that Bath yet again lost to Gloucester at Kingsholm and talk Amlin Cup. With a comfortable win in Romania, Bath were faced with a five day turnaround before their away game in Agen. I followed the game on Twitter (a very painful way to keep up with rugby!) and it seemed that Bath were once again going to come up short after fighting so hard to get themselves into the lead. This team is made of stern stuff however, and with 30 seconds left on the clock, Bath scored a try to take the victory as well as the bonus point. With maximum points, and three of the four remaining games at home, Bath have put themselves in the driving seat in their pool.
Exeter have just come off the back of two impressive performances in the Heineken Cup against the European powerhouses of Munster and Clermont. Although neither of the results went their way, they are competing at a very high level. The biggest question I suppose will be whether the physical and mental strains from those games will take it’s toll on their players this week.
Exeter bring a genuine challenge to Bath this weekend, sitting one place and one point above them in the table. The key difference probably lies with the teams they have played, having already faced four of the top five (current placed) sides in the competition. They have beaten both Saracens and Harlequins, putting 42 points on the Champions three weeks ago – one heck of an achievement.
The Chiefs are not just a team with a big pack, who slow down the ball and kick penalties. They are not afraid to hold on to the ball, run good lines in the backs, and are more than capable of crossing the whitewash. In fact, Exeter average over 25 points per game in the Premiership this season – an impressive total, particularly considering who their opposition have been.
At the risk of contradicting myself, Exeter do have a big pack, and in Mieres and Steenson, two kickers capable of really punishing us. The one problem that continues to plague Bath is their inability to keep the penalty count down, and I fear a lack of discipline could really lead to problems this weekend. They are also incredibly aggressive at the breakdown (both with and without the ball) and Bath must put numbers into rucks to stand a chance of winning the battle for clean and quick possession.
For the first time this season, Bath look to have some genuine selection headaches ahead of this game. It looks as if Matt Banahan will not quite be back in contention after his knee injury, but halves for United on Monday night from Tom Heathcote and new boy Horacio Agulla make them genuine options. Adding them to last weeks backline certainly gives Gary Gold and his coaching team more options, particularly on the bench.
A few days ago I thought the front five in the pack would go unchanged, with the only selection decisions to be made in the back row. However, we understand that Stuart Hooper is potentially fit and he may well come straight back into the starting line up. It’s tricky to work out whether Day or Attwood would then bench, but Day has played almost non-stop so I think Attwood may get the nod.
Louw is guaranteed a start at open-side and I imagine that Carl Fearns, now back from his baby being born, will take the place on the opposite flank. This leaves an interesting decision for the eight slot, particularly if Simon Taylor is now fit. If that is the case then I would expect Taylor to start with Ben Skirving on the bench. This would be tough on Skuse, but he will get his chance. With the imminent arrival of new South African signing Nick Koster, Bath have almost an embarrassment of riches here, and some interesting selection decisions moving forward.
My predicted team:
1. James. 2. Mears. 3. Wilson. 4. Hooper. 5. Attwood. 6. Fearns. 7. Louw. 8. Taylor. 9. Claassens. 10. Donald. 11. Biggs. 12. Williams. 13. Hipkiss. 14. Eastmond. 15. Abendanon. Replacements: 16. Sharman. 17. Catt. 18. Perenise. 19. Skirving. 20. Day. 21. McMillan. 22. Heathcote. 23. Agulla.
Exeter have never beaten Bath (home or away) in any competition in the top flight. It’s certainly not to say that they never will, or that it couldn’t happen this weekend, but it’s a stat that I am sure the players from both sides will be more than aware of. Bath need to make sure this doesn’t lull them into a false sense of security, or expect it to have any influence of the game, because Exeter will bring a vocal band of supporters and will be bang up for breaking that run.
Bath are a team that could be on a roll. I feel we are playing a little better each week and with a healthier number of fit and available players in the squad, we have some depth to choose from. With two key games coming up, we have a real chance of taking a couple of steps up the table. Let’s hope that we’ll be the ones performing a victory dance and banging the drum come Saturday evening.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:11:01:13:36:04 by TCM2007.
Lets hope the 5 away losses in a row gets to them & they make it 6.
Well thought out & well written.
PG
