THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL – BATH V GLOUCESTER

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:03:04:12:30:56 by CoochieCoo.

Thanks Rokobilly, that sets it up nicely. That looks pretty much spot on to me.

For me leave the starting line up mostly unchanged and stack the bench .... our academy is one of our key strengths at the moment and it would not surprise me if we attract top young players because they see a route into the team via the Prem Cup.

Yes strengthen the bench and squad but keep the ethos alive even if we were to miss out on the latter stages. Hard call as winning is so important but players need to see a route to the the top.

10 is going to be an interesting one. Roue has been doing a great job, but he's still raw. If you're going for an experienced head, we'd more likely to revert to the first two PREM games of the season with Ojomoh at 10 possibly backed up by Cam at 12.

BATH supporter since 1975

Adopted players:
2015/6 Tom Homer
2016/7 Matt Banahan
2017/8 Jeff Williams
2018/9 Victor Delmas
2019/20 Semesa Rokoduguni
2020/21 Will Stuart

Personally I would stick with Roue and bolster the pack.....and the bench

Max O to 10 unless England call… a mix of game time for the 1st team players, exposure for the development team and securing availability for later rounds.

Chief in peace, I beg to differ on the initial post. If Gloss get a bonus point win they will finish top and get a home semi v Saints. I'm not sure on the points differences so don't know who will be top if they only get a 4 point win. Anyway hope you can do a job on them and we both get to the semis.

Team Up. Gone strong!

Bath Rugby: 1 Francois van Wyk, 2 Kepueli Tuipulotu, 3 Vilikesa Sela, 4 Will Jeanes, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Ted Hill, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 Miles Reid, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 10 Max Ojomoh, 11 Will Muir, 12 Will Butt ©, 13 Chris Harris, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Tom de Glanville

Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Mikey Summerfield, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Alfie Barbeary, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Will Roue, 23 Cameron Redpath

PG

Bath Rugby: 1 Francois van Wyk, 2 Kepu Tuipulotu, 3 Vilikesa Sela, 4 Will Jeanes, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Ted Hill, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 Miles Reid, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 10 Max Ojomoh, 11 Will Muir, 12 Will Butt ©, 13 Chris Harris, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Tom de Glanville

Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Mikey Summerfield, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Alfie Barbeary, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Will Roue, 23 Cameron Redpath

Glooucester Rugby
15 Ben Redshaw, 14 Will Joseph, 13 Josiah Edwards Giraud, 12 Seb Atkinson (VC), 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Caolan Englefield, 1 Ciaran Knight, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Afo Fasogbon, 4 Arthur Clark (VC), 5 Matias Alemanno, 6 Deian Gwynne, 7 Lewis Ludlow (C), 8 Will Trenholm

16 Jack Innard, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Danny Eite, 20 Josh Basham, 21 Rhys Price, 22 Max Knight, 23 George Barton

Oooh, that's a very different team selection

Glos putting out a good team, but you would expect home advantage plus our stronger bench to carry it

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

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Chief Bert
Chief in peace, I beg to differ on the initial post. If Gloss get a bonus point win they will finish top and get a home semi v Saints. I'm not sure on the points differences so don't know who will be top if they only get a 4 point win. Anyway hope you can do a job on them and we both get to the semis.

Thank you for clarifying Bert. I was obviously unable to even countenance such an occurrence when doing the maths!

Exeter has a much larger PD (71) than Gloucester (1) so Gloucester would need the TBP win to top the group.
Bath (+77)

A TBP win for Bath will mean a trip to MWWR.

Interesting and great that Will Jeanes is starting which shows how he's progressing last two seasons and wonder if he'll be involved more in Premiership soon. He's starting and Ewan Richards isn't in the side but know it includes Ewels & Roux on bench.
With both Roue & Redpath on bench I did wonder what would happen in terms of the reshuffle if one or both wings got injured or DeGlanville.

Excited for the game now with that line up and the potential of semi final. If Bath get to and win the semi is there any chance in terms of rankings to have a home final?

Blimey.....gone big......

Strong line up, and not particularly unexpected given this was the last chance to make players eligible for the knock out rounds.

We now know for sure who we could potentially pick from:

LH: Kirk, Emanuel, FvW, Beno*
HK: Frost, Kepu, Pearce, Spandler, Dunn
TH: Verden, Sela, Summerfield, Alfie Griffin
LK: Richards, Jeanes, Cuckson, Bennett, Roux, Moloney, Ewels*
FL/8: Cowan, Staddon, Green, Ridgeway, Timmins, Treacey, Reid, Hill, Maloney, Barbeary*
SH: Davies, BVDL, TCS, le Roux
FH: Linegar, Roue
C: Redpath, Ojomoh, Harris, Butt, Hennessey, Harrison
W: Muir, Charlie Griffin, Offiah, Winters, Mason, Cokanasiga*
FB: TdG, Emens, Woods

*=1st PRC appearance in this round



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:02:27:16:41:13 by boozeboozebooze.

A very strong team on paper, especially with that bench, and not a bad Glos team either - could be an exciting all or nothing to play for Derby.

If we win, looks like we could select an almost first team for the next round(s), although FH a bit untested compared to the rest of the qualified squad.

Tom de Glanville - Adopted player 2024-5

With almost a 2 month gap between Premiership matches it is essential to keep players really to get back into action. This selection is pretty much as expected to achieve that. Looking forward to the match.

Stronger than I imagined but not wholly unexpected.

I would have wrapped up beno and roux in cotton wool and risked them being rusty (along with tdt and santi).

Bit surprised muir and tdg play having already qualified to play in knockouts should we get there. Would have quite liked to have seem griffin or winters or emens again but griffin may still be unavailable anyhow.

I hope if we get through we go more mix and match in the semi and some of the young guys have another crack after a week off which they prob need- going 4/5/6 games back to back is a huge ask of inexperienced players.

Would love to see some of kirk, verden, richards, green/bennett/ timmins, griffin/emens used again if we progress.

Glos also go very strong so taking nothing for granted.

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boozeboozebooze
Barbeary*...*=1st PRC appearance in this round

Alfie played in the Bristol v Bath match (October 31).

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FiveSticks

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boozeboozebooze
Barbeary*...*=1st PRC appearance in this round

Alfie played in the Bristol v Bath match (October 31).

Game he got injured wasn't it?

3 tries to 1, and counting!

Ref really doesn't like our scrum.

And I thought if you get a man up in the air and the lineout isn't straight, it should be blown up. But refs have started ignoring that - has been very noticably ignored in the 6 nations.

Gloucester constantly on wrong side of our breakdowns trying to slow the ball down.

Clinical best describes that half I think, coupled with some excellent last ditch defence.

Absolutely absurd yellow to FvW. Taps Ludlow on his head with the ball after Ludlow holds on to his ankle after the whistle

Ref initially not bothered, but TMO talks him into it.

Who are these officials? Do not recognise them



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:02:28:15:57:41 by A.M 180.

Ludlow got what his actions deserved. He's always doing cheap niggly stuff

TCS played really well today amongst many, good to see Muir looking sharp.

Ojo has moved Bath around nicely

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Still giving away some daft penalties though

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Good win given the abomination of a lineout.

Quote:

hasta
Good win given the abomination of a lineout.

Not clear if the problem was Kepu or a rusty Ewels

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Lineout was awful, at least 6 lost which never hit the jumper.

However a comprehensive win and good to get match time for a lot of the squad.

Ojo is such a good attacking player, he sees so much.

Decent win - Staddon continues to show what an asset is. I would love us to be able to keep him but sense he needs more Prem starts.

Lineout was weird as Kepu is normally solid. Hope it was just a one off with a few rusty players.

Officials
Referee: George Selwood
ARs: Sara Cox & Simon Harding
TMO: Andrew Jackson

For a PRC game that was a fairly experienced quartet.

Experienced maybe, on the ball, questionable.

As DB notes, Gloucester frequently illegal at ruck. Also allowed to throw cooked into a contests lineout, scrums dropped by Gloucester loosehead frequently.

Not a convincing performance at all by Mr Selwood.

PG

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tigersimon
Officials
Referee: George Selwood
ARs: Sara Cox & Simon Harding
TMO: Andrew Jackson

For a PRC game that was a fairly experienced quartet.

Might have Ms Cox as AR, but on Reflink she was doing a lot of coaching. And that yellow card was definitely all Mr Jackson

I make that as Leicester vs Bath and Saints vs Exeter in the semis.

Good for the boys to experience even more competitive/knockout rugby and who knows, another win could be a catalyst for the big one!

Just wondered if anyone had thoughts on the Seb Atkinson & Ojomoh release to play from England squad. Atkinson played on the understanding he’d be replaced on 50 min. Ojomoh started at 10, finished at 15 with seemingly no directive from Borthwick. Are we to assume he’s not in the picture v Italy?

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Rowancroft73
Just wondered if anyone had thoughts on the Seb Atkinson & Ojomoh release to play from England squad. Atkinson played on the understanding he’d be replaced on 50 min. Ojomoh started at 10, finished at 15 with seemingly no directive from Borthwick. Are we to assume he’s not in the picture v Italy?

Yep.
Sadly despite his MotM performance, Ojo is at best 3rd in Borthwick's line for a 12, despite his ability to play 10, 12, 13 and 15.
Seb Atkinson was good today mind

Ojomoh wasn’t in the 36 man wider squad for the Ireland game whereas Atkinson was.

Saw the game live, rather than on TV where it is sometimes more illuminating, but my MotM was Max Ojomoh. His distribution was as slick as, or slicker than, any of the current England 10s. And his speed and tackling was also superior.

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A.M 180
Absolutely absurd yellow to FvW. Taps Ludlow on his head with the ball after Ludlow holds on to his ankle after the whistle
Ref initially not bothered, but TMO talks him into it.

Who are these officials? Do not recognise them

That was way stronger than a tap

Not the worst infringement for a yellow maybe and marginal call yep but no argument

Totally brainless action

Penalty maybe gaz, but in light of other actions in the game - taking a player out in the air, deliberate knock-on in the red zone, several highly cynical ruck side entires or flopping over and from where I sat at least three shoulder to head contacts (most of which weren't even penalised, never mind carded) a yellow was in context a complete over reaction.

PG

England's treatment of Mojo is an embarrassment

I'm willing to bet that Max gets selected against France after Borthwick has a difficult game in Rome and is then promptly made a scapegoat after England get panned in Paris

I don't think that's really fair. Oj was always third choice, it's just Dingwall and Atkinson were injured when he got his game. Yes he played well, but it was one match. It's not unreasonable to return to the players who were ahead of him.

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Dorset Boy
Ojo is at best 3rd in Borthwick's line for a 12, despite his ability to play 10, 12, 13 and 15

Ojo could cover all those positions ….. at International level??? That’s a stretch!

Personally I think that Seb Atkinson is the best English 12 at the moment (and still only 23 so could be for some time). Sure Dingwall and Max can do a job there but agree with others that its not a travesty like some others have been over the years.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

When Borthwick took the job he said he would select on form......

Charteris has got some thinking/work to do the line out was desperate

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Bath Supporter Jack
When Borthwick took the job he said he would select on form......

Then Seb Atkinson should be playing

Love Max, and think he'd be very useful for a World Cup squad at this stage, but agree with others that this is Atkinson's time

Stuart Barnes in The Times suggested playing Atkinson and Ojomoh as a pair- arguing that others have all so far failed/shown flaws in 6N this season, while these two are in form.

PG

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Bath Supporter Jack
When Borthwick took the job he said he would select on form......

I think that applies to how he transitioned from previous squad to ‘his’ squad - since alighting on the core of his WC squad he’s just been very consistent.

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Bath Supporter Jack
Charteris has got some thinking/work to do the line out was desperate

Concern is that it doesn't seem to be v reliable irrespective of who is throwing and who is the lock calling it

Feels like our lineout has been a concern for a while now, pre-dating JvG even? Generally I’ve been in the camp of its “acceptable” however when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong and we don’t seem able to fix it.

Something for the coaches to look at in depth. They fixed our attacking and defending of mauls extremely well so I have faith they can fix this

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Charlieboa1

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Bath Supporter Jack
Charteris has got some thinking/work to do the line out was desperate

Concern is that it doesn't seem to be v reliable irrespective of who is throwing and who is the lock calling it

The lineout has been inconsistent for years, would be interested to hear the coaches opinions on why our lineout is unreliable.

With a different hooker, lifters and jumpers its always going to be a tough ask to get the height / timing right. It's not just a Bath problem, the lineouts have been going badly for a lot of sides recently, including in the 6N.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

I think the lieouts started well, then lost 3 on the bounce then recovered?

Widcombe Garçon

Chin up people, we’re grousing about an under par lineout. Have a look on. ShedWeb where if they’re not berating every aspect of the team, the game plan and the coaching, they’re busy ripping into each other as to what constitutes being a real supporter.

Still, some are clinging to them being a ‘real’ rugby club because the atmosphere at the game wasn’t roof raising enough apparently.

Don’t have the heart to point out the Cup is very much a distant third on Bath’s priority list, be nice to retain but no one is losing sleep over it.

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Personally think that a lot of the atmosphere issues are to do with two stands not having roofing. The new stadium should solve some of those problems. Then Glaws will find something new to complain about 😂

I think with the signings in the pack they’ve made Gloucester will be stronger next season , 10 & 12 are excellent

Widcombe Garçon

With no disrespect intended to the informed opinions of other posters, I will clarify what I mean by England's treatment of Mojo being an embarrassment...

He gets a chance against Argentina and produces a POTM performance, showing pace, creativity and grit. Without him on the field, it's very unlikely England win that game.

That performance does not entitle him to a place in the starting XV next time around, but there are other rugby nations that would have put him in.

I have no problem with Borthwick staying loyal to the established starters at 12/13 and Mojo was in the first training squad. But then we see England's centres have two bad games in a row yet suddenly Mojo is out of the 36-man squad. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

It's possible I have blue black and white-tinted spectacles on, but I'd like to think I'd be championing similar performances from players at other clubs. We're roughly 18 months from the next RWC and England don't appear to know what to do with 12-13.

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Toast and Marmite
Chin up people, we’re grousing about an under par lineout. Have a look on. ShedWeb where if they’re not berating every aspect of the team, the game plan and the coaching, they’re busy ripping into each other as to what constitutes being a real supporter.
Still, some are clinging to them being a ‘real’ rugby club because the atmosphere at the game wasn’t roof raising enough apparently.

Don’t have the heart to point out the Cup is very much a distant third on Bath’s priority list, be nice to retain but no one is losing sleep over it.

A little harsh about the Shedweb posters. I can understand their frustration regarding the performances of their team, poor recruitment, player retainment and questionable coaching all causing a lot of unhappiness with the supporters. As you see on all Forums when things go wrong there is always plenty of critical posts. It's not unique to Shedweb and in their defence the quantity of posts and subjects is a reflection of the passion that Gloucester fans have for their club. Despite the defeat as of now there have been 223 posts about the game. Compare that to the Bristol Forum after we beat them in the cup. Only 8 posts and 2 of those were from Bath supporters! .Bath's performance yesterday also attracted some praise although I agree the couple of comments about atmosphere were not worth a mention.

Player Ratings _ [www.somersetlive.co.uk]

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gaz59

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A.M 180
Absolutely absurd yellow to FvW. Taps Ludlow on his head with the ball after Ludlow holds on to his ankle after the whistle
Ref initially not bothered, but TMO talks him into it.

Who are these officials? Do not recognise them

That was way stronger than a tap

Not the worst infringement for a yellow maybe and marginal call yep but no argument

Totally brainless action

Having watched it back I agree with AM 180. The ref seemed content to award a penalty but the TMO talked him into it.

PG

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Francis Allen

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Toast and Marmite
Chin up people, we’re grousing about an under par lineout. Have a look on. ShedWeb where if they’re not berating every aspect of the team, the game plan and the coaching, they’re busy ripping into each other as to what constitutes being a real supporter.
Still, some are clinging to them being a ‘real’ rugby club because the atmosphere at the game wasn’t roof raising enough apparently.

Don’t have the heart to point out the Cup is very much a distant third on Bath’s priority list, be nice to retain but no one is losing sleep over it.

A little harsh about the Shedweb posters. I can understand their frustration regarding the performances of their team, poor recruitment, player retainment and questionable coaching all causing a lot of unhappiness with the supporters. As you see on all Forums when things go wrong there is always plenty of critical posts. It's not unique to Shedweb and in their defence the quantity of posts and subjects is a reflection of the passion that Gloucester fans have for their club. Despite the defeat as of now there have been 223 posts about the game. Compare that to the Bristol Forum after we beat them in the cup. Only 8 posts and 2 of those were from Bath supporters! .Bath's performance yesterday also attracted some praise although I agree the couple of comments about atmosphere were not worth a mention.

Thanks FA. You are right about our frustrations. The difference yesterday was your conversion rate of entries in the 22 into tries - particularly in the first half. You were more clinical than we were (I counted 3/4 missed chances).
Rugby and the club is the heartbeat of our city, where we have so many combination rugby clubs too, Hartpury in the Champ (just 6 miles away), and we also have the best women's club side in the world.
Our chairman and majority owner has consistently said he expects us to live within our means (having invested a fair bit himself in the past), and so our financial books look good compared to other clubs....but this brings compromises elsewhere (we don't have a marquee player, for example).
Skivs has been at the club since 2020, and some feel that is long enough for him and some of his assistants, but I don't think anything structural will happen until the much publicised Director of Rugby comes in, to take some of the admin off him.
Good luck for the rest of the season. If it's not us, I will always back another another club in the West - either Bristol, or yourselves. .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:03:02:07:49:35 by westglos.

Thank you Westglos. Both of our clubs have proud supporters and we both have suffered at times. Despite a perceived by some, dislike of either club, I like to think many rugby followers in both Cities have mutual respect for our clubs. Bath v Gloucester matches always attract a lot of interest and the loyal fans of both clubs take much delight in victory but always, some respect for the defeated. I won't comment on the coaching but hope you turn things around soon.

IMO:

- FVW deserved a yellow and knows better than that. he will be disappointed with his reaction (they made him bite);
- I don't think that pass is forward and I don't think that receiver is in front of the passer in that phot (albeit the viewing nagle isn't brilliant). For me that is at worst 'flat' - which of course you say is also against the Laws. Play on, for me.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

I see the yellow card incident completely differently!

The whistle went for a penalty for Gloucester and Lewis Ludlow did not release FVW leg. FVW tapped him on the head with the ball and was then brought down to the ground by Lewis Ludlow's actions.

So penalty to Bath which should then have been reversed and awarded to Gloucester.

I think that as the referee had already awarded a penalty he was going to have a word and move on until the TMO kept insisting on a yellow card. It is only an experienced and very good referee who will resist what the TMO is "suggesting".

Also in situations like this it is always good to reflect on our views if it had been the other way round.

I would have been very happy if it had been FVW holding on to Ludlow's leg etc

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Bath Supporter Jack
I would have been very happy if it had been FVW holding on to Ludlow's leg etc

Indeed - niggly 7 winds up prop and get him to do something silly is a story as old as rugby.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

My sense is that there used to be a lot more posting on ERE in the bad old days, than there is now. I know i used to post a lot more - but then again, it's kind of more interesting to set yourself the aim of explaining to everyone exactly what this bunch of elite, professional athletes and coaches really ought to be doing, than coming on to essentially carry on cheering after the match has finished.

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Charlieboa1

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Bath Supporter Jack
Charteris has got some thinking/work to do the line out was desperate

Concern is that it doesn't seem to be v reliable irrespective of who is throwing and who is the lock calling it

Isn't the lineout under Richard Blaze's remit now? Thought Charteris was with the academy these days

What are you saying Opti that we are all very polite and measured nowadays?!

In the past we used to have interminable "discussions" between various very opinionated posters that would go on and on for pages and pages.

I think we all have a few favourite topics which will also guarantee a contribution.......

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Bath Supporter Jack
I see the yellow card incident completely differently!
The whistle went for a penalty for Gloucester and Lewis Ludlow did not release FVW leg. FVW tapped him on the head with the ball and was then brought down to the ground by Lewis Ludlow's actions.

So penalty to Bath which should then have been reversed and awarded to Gloucester.

I think that as the referee had already awarded a penalty he was going to have a word and move on until the TMO kept insisting on a yellow card. It is only an experienced and very good referee who will resist what the TMO is "suggesting".

Cmon BSJ, there was a lot more force in it than a tap. It was also to back of the head

For me, that's in the grey area of potential yellow. He's an inexperienced ref and didnt han a clear sight of incident at time so understandably took stear from TMO

FVW had only just conceded a pen for a needless head roll to give Glos the field position for a try

Glos were back in the game with momentum. Exactly the time for discipline and focus on the job. FVW had lost both

It took a fortunate charge down and great bit of follow up from Staddon to swing the game back our way

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gaz59
Cmon BSJ, there was a lot more force in it than a tap. It was also to back of the head
For me, that's in the grey area of potential yellow.

Just watched it on highlights - I'm really not one of the 'game's gone soft' merchants, but blimey, the game's gone soft if you get sent to the bin for that.

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Optimist

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gaz59
Cmon BSJ, there was a lot more force in it than a tap. It was also to back of the head
For me, that's in the grey area of potential yellow.

Just watched it on highlights - I'm really not one of the 'game's gone soft' merchants, but blimey, the game's gone soft if you get sent to the bin for that.

Yeah that’s a prime candidate for the ref to speak to both players and tell them to cut out the nonsense, nothing more.

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

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Toast and Marmite
Yeah that’s a prime candidate for the ref to speak to both players and tell them to cut out the nonsense, nothing more.

I didn't get to watch most of the game as was watching grassroots game - had there been 'nonsense' before (I.e. had the teams been warned previously?) Defintely smacks of 'making an example' to put a stop to niggle.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

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P G Tips
scrums dropped by Gloucester loosehead frequently.
Not a convincing performance at all by Mr Selwood.

PG

I watched the match on delay, and there was 1 pen that stood out for me, and reading this quote from you took me straight back to the incident. Sela was penalised for standing up in the scrum, where on replay you can clearly see Knight hinging in. If Flats was on commentary, he would have been livid!!

Thought we were below par in the scrum with Sela and Kepu but that might have been a slightly lightweight 2nd row of Jeanes and Ewels. This might have influenced the ref as Glos seemed to have the upper hand for at least the first half. I am sure both will progress but was a hard run-out for them in the front row.... more than happy to be corrected by front row experts.

If Ewels is indeed 'slightly lightweight' at 6'6 and 17.5 stone, then he sure as hell ought to be running a tidy lineout operation as a USP. Maybe a couple more matches and he (ergo, we) will be back to his best there. Would be great if he could regain his form from last year, when he was so much better than when Eddie kept picking him - might actually be the basis for the whole team to take things up the extra notch that we'll need at the business end of the season.

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Optimist

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gaz59
Cmon BSJ, there was a lot more force in it than a tap. It was also to back of the head
For me, that's in the grey area of potential yellow.

Just watched it on highlights - I'm really not one of the 'game's gone soft' merchants, but blimey, the game's gone soft if you get sent to the bin for that.

Disagree.

That was a rugby version of what boxer's would call a 'rabbit punch' to the back of the head/neck and that's not allowed in their sport for a reason

And actually, I'm quite happy with the game 'going soft' if that is what you want to call ruling out mindless, pointless aggression - it is the only way to keep youngsters coming into the sport for one thing

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gaz59

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Optimist

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gaz59
Cmon BSJ, there was a lot more force in it than a tap. It was also to back of the head
For me, that's in the grey area of potential yellow.

Just watched it on highlights - I'm really not one of the 'game's gone soft' merchants, but blimey, the game's gone soft if you get sent to the bin for that.

Disagree.

That was a rugby version of what boxer's would call a 'rabbit punch' to the back of the head/neck and that's not allowed in their sport for a reason

And actually, I'm quite happy with the game 'going soft' if that is what you want to call ruling out mindless, pointless aggression - it is the only way to keep youngsters coming into the sport for one thing

I agree with you Gaz. I actually thought it was borderline between red and yellow and it was only the fact that the springy ball made contact rather than his hand which made the difference. He lost his cool and Ludlow achieved what he was aiming for.

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BathMatt53
IMO:
- FVW deserved a yellow and knows better than that. he will be disappointed with his reaction (they made him bite);

Just watched the brief highlights to see what all the fuss was about with the yellow card and I'm really not seeing any issue with what FVW did. Are we really at the stage where a gentle tap on the head is worthy of a yellow card?

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OutsideBath
Are we really at the stage where a gentle tap on the head is worthy of a yellow card?

A 'gentle tap' with the actual ball - not even his hand/fist/shoulder/knee. I mean, what is the maximum damage you can to someone do by rapping them on the bonce with a bit of rubber filled with air?

But how come Ludlow, whose naughtiness caused it all, gets off scot free?

Surely as he caused the incident he should have had a yellow card as well?

I'd put Ludlow up there with Faf de Klerk and Henry Pollock as one of the most irritating opposition players of the modern era, it truly is a skill to be that good at getting under the skin of other players.

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Bath Supporter Jack
But how come Ludlow, whose naughtiness caused it all, gets off scot free? Surely as he caused the incident he should have had a yellow card as well?

Quite agree BFJ - turning the other cheek is laudible, but responding to foul play with something proportionate should be both off, or neither off.

During a match there are lots of afters, you see players pushed to the ground, pulled away, grasped round their shirt collars, most Refs just let it die down as normality returns . Those spotted by the officials are given a ticking off and they get on with the game. Ludlow and FVW were both guilty in my view and a ticking off was all that was required. In isolation FVW's action was worthy of a yellow card but Ludlow's action was mitigation imho. Many of our informed posters on Shedweb agreed.

I have no issue with FVW's yellow – any form of head contact is just asking to be sin binned these days. But others posters raise an interesting point about wind-up merchants generally getting off scott free. If we're cleaning up the game, then I agree both should get a yellow.

Nick Tompkins would barely be on the pitch if they start punishing wind up merchants.

I personally love players being punished for over celebrating and being unsporting with things like ruffling the hair of a penalised player or shouting in their face..

In the old days they would get chinned, I agree it's good things have moved on but it needs replacing by officiating.

I add our former friend Chris Cloete to the list of people who couldn’t help but wind up the opposition

Looked like a bit of red mist from FVW

On the highlights you hear the ref saying "Jacko did you hear that conversation?" - does anyone know what that referred to and did what was said by a player have a bearing? But, listening on Reflink, that yellow was definitely Andrew Jackson's decision - would have been interesting to be at the refs' Monday debrief.

I recall the ref had his back to the incident , not sure if the assistant ref on that side saw it but that’s probably why the final call was by the TMO

Widcombe Garçon

Still absurd!