Bath Will Rue Round 7 In Final Reckoning
We might be just a third of the way through the Premiership season but we’ll look back at this weekend as a pivotal one in May when the race for the top four is reaching its conclusion.
Bath and Leicester were the two sides fighting it out for the all-important fourth place in the Premiership in Round 22 last season and the Tigers edged it as they won away at Worcester and Bath lost at Sale.
The same pair will be in the hunt again this time around and game management gives Tigers the edge on the evidence from this weekend as they controlled proceedings expertly in the North East, while Bath lost a West Country derby on their home turf that they definitely should’ve won.
They got the ball back from Gloucester on the edge of their own 22 with 50 seconds left on the clock and just booted it into touch instead of killing the clock by picking and going. They had an advantage and could’ve even taken the ball backwards for a few phases, so they lost the match due to poor game management.
I guarantee that Saracens would have won that game if they’d turned the ball over with 50 seconds to go and Exeter would have done as well. Winning when you’re not at your best and managing those small moments in games is the difference between the very top teams and those just below them.
Bath seemed to lack a bit of energy at times but there’s no doubt they should’ve won the game once they got ahead. And, with the Premiership being so close this campaign, it could end up being a huge turning point in the season, not just the match.
The margins are so fine nowadays and poor decision-making will prove costly in the final reckoning. Exeter and Saracens are nailed on to make the play-offs but everyone else is beating each other and Bath might look back it this derby in May and think not being able to see the game out was the reason they didn’t make the top four.
We’re a third of the way through the Premiership season now and teams are still jostling for position but the table normally begins to take shape now and that was a big three points dropped.
Leicester, on the other hand, controlled the game perfectly against Newcastle and it was great to see George Ford performing like that against Toby Flood, who was the reason he had to leave Leicester in a way in 2013 because Richard Cockerill preferred the more experienced man and wasn’t giving him enough game time.
Telusa Veainu was ridiculous again, scoring one and setting up another, and fellow Tongan Valentino Mapapalangi is quickly making a real name for himself as well.
The Tigers are the only team in the Premiership yet to notch up a try bonus point this season, which is surprising given the form of Jonny May and co, but they’ll be delighted with how they’re going at this stage of the campaign.
They’ve probably gone under the radar a little bit, given that they lost their first couple of games of the season at home to Bath and away at Northampton, but they’ve won five in a row and are the form team in the league.
They’ve got Sale and Worcester at home after the break for the Anglo-Welsh Cup, which are ideal fixtures for them at a time when they’ll be missing their England internationals, and look like top four material for sure.
Matt O’Connor has bedded in now and are getting back to the efficient Leicester style of play that they’re renowned for but with an extra element as well. They might not have set the world alight yet but the try bonus points will come in time and they look like a team to be reckoned with.
It’s too early to say that they can win the Premiership but they’ve reached the play-offs for 13 straight seasons and surely will do again. After that it’s about one-off games and we’ll see how they manage those big matches later in the season.
It was amazing to see Kingston Park sold out for the first time since Jonny Wilkinson was at the club in 2008, although I was a bit surprised by that fact as I thought it was packed every week when I was playing up there!
The Falcons faithful will be disappointed with the defeat to Leicester but that is a mark of how much the team has grown in the past 18 months.
Newcastle are really growing but it has to be a gradual process and their target this season will definitely be to finish in the top six. They haven’t spoken about the top four but some of us in the media have done because they’ve been doing so well and have got more ability in their squad.
They will see this campaign as another stepping stone where they want to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish and continue building towards being a top four side.
Just three points separate Leicester in third and Gloucester in eighth at the moment, and that’s with Wasps still down in ninth, so it’s going to be incredibly competitive for those top six spots but I think the Falcons have enough to make it if they continue building on what they’ve done so far.
Bath will expect to be fighting with Leicester for third and fourth rather than Newcastle for fifth and sixth and they will be kicking themselves. If they want to reach semi-finals and finals and win those games, it will come down to the finest of margins and they have to learn their lessons from this weekend.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments