Bath v Leicester - Burning Bright

Ben Spencer
By Rokobilly
October 25 2023

The table appears to have been turned upside down. Bath sit proudly clear at the top, 10 out of 10 so far. Saracens and Leicester, champions the last two seasons, prop up the rest without a win between them. Saturday is a fantastic opportunity for Bath to cement their position and keep the Tigers caged at the foot of the league.

I'm not a betting man but I suspect we will start as favourites. Partly for the aforementioned form, but also Leicester's long list of absentees through injury and the World Cup.

Cole, Montaya, Martin, Weise,Youngs, Pollard and Steward are all in France. Van Poortvliet and Watson would be too but for serious injuries suffered in England's warm up games. A surreptitious look at the Tigers board last week suggested a total of 12 first team squad players missing. Make no mistake, as with Sarries last week, it's a good time to play them.

But as with Sarries last week, they will still field a high quality XV. Liebenberg, Cracknell and Reffell represent a very well balanced back row. Nic Dolly will be a nuisance around the park and a threat at the back of the maul. Behind the scrum, Atkinson or Shillcock are both decent options at 10. Centres Porter and Kelly have both featured in England squads in recent times. Out wide, the new arrivals of Hassell-Collins and Bassett both have impeccable scoring records.

Make no mistake, this won't be an easy match.

However, the line ups will, perhaps, show the wisdom of splashing your cash on an eye wateringly expensice Fly Half who is unlikely to be involved in the latter stages of a World Cup.

Bath's own absentee list continues to grow as the realities of competitive rugby take hold. Ted Hill was in the operating theatre this week - and we wish him a speedy rehab - with further injuries to Quinn Roux and GJ van Velze confirmed this week. In better news, Will Muir who was last seen hobbling off after scoring against Falcons will be back at the weekend.

The key battle will be up front. It's an old cliche for a reason. If the set piece holds up - or even better provides a platform for penalties and territory - then Spencer, Russell and co should have the wherewithal to score tries, especially as our new half back pairing is starting to look particularly promising in attack.

One area to watch will be our discipline. Both our early season victories would have been more comfortable had we not kept giving away kickable penalties. With a poacher like Reffell on the pitch, we need to play smart in our own half.

The front row looks to be a strength for Bath this year. With Obano likely to return to the 23, we should be stronger than last week too. One particularly pleasing part of the Saracens win was the performance of the 'second string front row' - we all feel happier when we see Obano, Dunn and du Toit starting but Schoeman, Annett and Jonker are very worthy replacements. Depth in this area is critical for any team with lofty ambitions.

There will be some interesting match ups across the Rec, not least the prospect of Phil Cokanasiga taking on big brother Joe. Elsewhere we may welcome back former players Jamie Shillcock, who entertained us briefly last autumn after Worcester folded, and Mike Williams, who has returned to Welford Road after a brief stint at Sandy Park.

A prediction? With confidence growing and six wins on the bounce in the League, albeit across two seasons, I foresee another victory. Bath by 9.

Will Butt's sensational try in the corresponding fixture last year was a moment that burned bright in a dark period of results for the club. Hopefully this year we can win with a bit more to spare - perhaps with some of the smiling swagger shown by Josh Matavesi and his outrageous dummy at Tigers back in August 2020. That would make for a very enjoyable afternoon.

A possible selection:

Gallagher; Muir; Butt; Redpath; Cokanasiga; Russell; Spencer

Obano; Dunn; du Toit; Ewels; McNally; Reid; Cloete; Barberry