Is victory at Bath a turning point for Glaws?


Big Les - try
By Cherry Picker
October 3 2010

Winning at Bath doesn’t happen often, but it's always a result to be savoured by Gloucester fans - after all, it's only happened once before in Premiership rugby. So winning 18-3 on Friday night was a perfectly-timed bonus for a Glaws side which had struggled to find its rhythm in the early stages of the season.

This performance, which comes at the end of the first phase of Premiership games before a short break for cup rugby, suggests that while Glaws might not have been at their best so far, they are on the up.
We suggested that the game could be a turning point for Glaws – let’s hope that turns out to be the case.
It was Gloucester's biggest-ever win at Bath and the first time they have restricted opponents to less than 20 points this season.
They stunned Bath with a wonderful first half display, then defended well when the inevitable Bath fightback arrived in the second half.
After Lesley Vainikolo finished an impressive team move with the opening try, Nicky Robinson took over the scoring by converting that try, scoring one of his own and notching two penalties to put Glaws into a match-winning position they might have given up a few weeks ago, but were in no mood to submit this time.
Robinson missed the second half injured, but what a match for the man who was dropped (yes, dropped) last week.
Coach Bryan Redpath told the BBC: "The conditions we knew would be a leveller. It was crucial to get field position, turn them and put pressure on their back three. We got two tries from that.
"Nicky Robinson pulled a hamstring after 25 minutes. He struggled on with it but at half-time it just tightened up.
"The tries came first from his high ball which we turned over and his grubber through for his try. There were a lot of good things from him - people say this and that but he is a very talented rugby player.
"When he sticks to that script that we have and he plays the game that he is comfortable with, he's one of the best around."
Well said that man. Hopefully the hamstring injury won’t be too serious.
Olly Barkley kicked a Bath penalty while they still had a chance in the first half, but Glaws were superior in all aspects of the game as Bath failed to adapt either to the conditions or to the way Glaws took the game to them.
Redpath added: “I am chuffed to bits for all the players. I won't get carried away, but our intensity was the level it should be."
Glaws are in Europe for the next two weekends, away to Agen and at home to Rovigo, and get back to Premiership duty on October 23 and October 30 with home games against Harlequins and Leicester buoyed up by the Bath win and a Premiership table that shows them in fourth place.
Not bad after that shaky start is it?

 

Is victory at Bath a turning point for Glaws?
Posted by: Shedloads (IP Logged)
Date: 03/10/2010 17:50

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