Solid Glaws Break Bath Hearts
Great Lineout Play
By Glen Leat
February 9 2003
A late Marcel Garvey try helped break Bath hearts as Glawster ran out 29 - 16 winners in this latest West Country derby after a hard fought game saw little to choose between the two sides. From the play throughout the game you would not have guessed this was top playing bottom of the league.
Bath were leading at half time 9 - 10 as a result of a Steve Borthwick try after 25 minutes and a Olly Barkley conversion and penalty. It could have been more for the visitors as Adam Vander came close after just two minutes and Barkley missed more kicks. For someone with some a metronomic style of kicking there must be a good reason for the young lad to have suddenly lost his kicking form. From my perspective I think playing him on the wing is upsetting his equilibrium; he needs confidence and that comes from playing in his preferred position in the middle of the park. I'm still not convinced that we need both Maggs and Tindall in the centre as this bullocking style of attack is not (and never has) worked.
The Bath forwards once again matched strong opposition, supporting the view that if he has done nothing else, Michael Foley has toughened our pack in to a reasonable fighting force. The Bath line-out was very strong, winning our own ball and disrupting the Glaws play. It's almost role reversal; the stronger and more successful team has the better backs and the weaker team has the stronger forwards just like during our glory days and Glawster's darker days. There is a lesson in there for someone!
Mike Catt was in sparkling form and hit two drop goals as well as demonstrating he still has the legs and lungs to make a 60 yard dash up field to set up position from which Borthwick grabbed his try.
But the Glawster strength told in the second half and with John Mallett in the bin Bath started to fall back in to constant defensive positions to stave off the marauding Cherry and Whites. Hooker Azam took advantage of Shep's absence and scored the home sides' first try whilst winger Marcel Garvey's last minute effort was icing on the cake for Glawster and ensured Bath did not snatch a priceless bonus point but it was the consistently sound kicking of Ludovic Mercier which really destroyed the Bath resolve and ensured they sunk to another loss.
If we were not in such a perilous position one could take this loss as a solid step forward with Bath holding the league's best team for most of the game, however we need to win matches and gain some bonus points if we are not to sink in to the depths of the lower division.
Bath now have several weeks to ponder on their position and reflect on relegation before they face Saracens in the re-arranged match. Let's hope this rest is a "rest-cure" and they start turning good performances in to points. Pass the gin dear!
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Bath scorers
Tries: Steve Borthwick
Cons: Barkley (1)
Pens: Barkley (1)
Drop Goal: Catt (2)
Bath: