Bath Stand Good Chance Of Reaching Final
Supporters
By Glen Leat
April 13 2003
Bath left Watford after losing the first leg of their Parker Pen Cup semi-final 38-30 knowing things could have been much worse given that at one stage they were 35-13 down after a disastrous spell when Saracens dominated a very lacklustre Bath mid game display.
As Bath were playing their third game in
eight days the coaches had no choice but
to make a number of personnel changes to
ensure they stood some chance in this inconvenient
fixture and a loss by just eight points will
be seen as something of a moral victory at
The Rec. Unless the wheels really fall of
the Bath bus in a couple of weeks at the
return leg in Bath then we should expect
our team to move in to the Final against
either Wasps or Pontypridd.
Bath dominated the first half of this game
but again could not convert possession and
dominance in to points and after going 0
- 10 up following a Tom Voyce try and Olly
Barkley conversion and penalty the Bath fans
looked on in horror as their team allowed
Saracens back in to the match to snatch a
13-10 half time lead after Haughton scored
a try just before the break and Little struck
home a penalty well in to injury time. But
worse was yet to come.
Bath started the second half with a Barkley
penalty to draw level but then a few team
changes were made, with Perry and Cooper
being replaced by Blake and Malone, Barkley
moving to full back and what a difference
this made - unfortunately. Within the space
of 15 minutes of these changes Bath had sunk
from 13-13 to 35-13 and the tie appeared
dead. But Saracens had not reckoned with
The King; off came the one piece glittering
jumpsuit and on came the blue suede running
shoes as Elvis Seveali'i twice crossed the
whitewash under the posts to get Bath back
in to the game.
So instead of meeting again on 26th April
for a meaningless Cup match these two teams
will almost be starting square and Bath must
now be narrow favourites to move to the final
at Reading in May.
Let's look at the result of your prediction
for this game:
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49%
So what did you think of the Bath players
in this game? Vote by clicking on to here
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Saracens 38
Tries: Sparg, Haughton, Shanklin, Johnston Pens: Little 3, Goode Cons: Little 3 Bath 30
Tries: Voyce, Seveali'i 2 Pens: Barkley 3 Cons: Barkley 3 |
Saracens: Castaignede, Haughton, Shanklin, Johnston, Sparg, Little, Bracken, Califano, R. Russell, Marsters, Benazzi, Yandell, Peacey, Roques, Skirving. Replacements: Ross, Cairns, Hooper, B. Russell, Williams, Goode, Winnan.
Bath: Perry, Voyce, Seveali'i, Maggs, Danielli, Barkley, Cooper, Barnes, Long, Galasso, Borthwick, Grewcock, Scaysbrook, Beattie, Lloyd. Replacements: Blake, Humphreys, Stevens, Delve, Malone, G. Thomas, N. Thomas.