New Year, New Hope: Newcastle v Bath

Bath head north on Saturday hoping the new year brings new hope to their season. Last Sunday’s win over Worcester may have been scrappy and flawed, but it will have been welcome all the same. The squad will now hope for another morale booster at the home of the Premiership’s basement team. In seven matches Falcons have managed only two league points –from their one draw away at Sale. They have shipped 225 points, including 24 tries and failed to secure even a losing bonus point at home. An ideal fixture then, for a jaded looking Bath squad to rediscover their mojo?  

Falcons will have something to say about that of course. Director of Rugby, Dean Richards may just be the ideal man for such a crisis. His default setting is the “back to basics” approach of a tough and tight set piece, determined defence and a territorial kicking game. Allied to the traditional bloody minded attitude and some help from inhospitable Geordie weather, Kingston Park could prove a tough nut to crack early in the New Year. Falcons crisis is not confined to results: halfbacks Mike Delany and Ruki Tipuna are both injured and not expected to play again until the spring. Two astute short term signings may yet turn that misfortune into a strength, with Manawatu scrum half Justin Booth and veteran Premiership gypsy Andy Goode recently signed and both expected to make their debuts on 2 January.

Bath, now looking for consistency in the words of coach Toby Booth, may well think the current Premiership standings are bizarre. With a third of the season gone, as many as seven teams are on positive points difference – which proves how evenly competitive the tournament has become. Bath, in seventh are perched just above a Wasps side capable on occasions of soaring flight and a point behind a stuttering Gloucester, whose points ratio is negative. The middle part of the season is likely to see a lot of jockeying for table position among the clubs ranked 4-9 and Bath will want to start their rise this weekend –with the aim of making at least the top six by season end.

Amid the chaos and errors of last week’s win were some individual performances to cheer the supporters- Ewels, Denton, Priestland, Devoto and Agulla all had strong games. It may be that the coaching team will stick largely with that winning side in the hope that a strong bench will make the final difference. Hopefully a strong all round team performance will result.

As ever in the north east the performance may be dictated by the weather so the high tempo, wide passing game which Bath aspire to may well have to wait. Basics will matter as much to the visitors as the hosts. Improvements at the lineout last Sunday need to be matched by a harder edge at the breakdown. If they are, Bath should have enough class to win- but it is unlikely to be flowing fare.

Possible Teams:

Bath: Catt, Batty, Thomas, Ewels, Garvey, Houston Mercer(Capt), Denton. Cook, Priestland, Agulla, Devoto, Joseph, Rokodoguni. Homer. Replacements: Auterac, Dunn, Wilson, Attwood, Louw, Matawalu, Ford, Watson

Newcastle Falcons:
Vickers, McGuigan, Welsh, M. Wilson, Robinson, Hogg, Welch, Latu. Young, Willis. Watson, Harris, Agulla, Tait. Hammersley.

Replacements: Lawson, Rogers, Vea, Botha, Clever, Takulua, Booth, Goode, Catterick