Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Bath's world-class back row is finally starting together for the first time in two years

By Josh Raisey
The Holy Trinity of the Bath back row are finally starting together

Ahead of their Gallagher Premiership trip to Kingsholm to face local rivals Gloucester this Saturday, Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper has been given the opportunity to name a combination he has never been able to before.

ADVERTISEMENT

In what is a strong squad to face the Cherry and Whites, Francois Louw, Sam Underhill and Taulupe Faletau will all play together in the back row for the first time in two years.

Incredibly, injuries have prevented all three from starting alongside one another for quite a while, despite this being the third season that have all been part of the squad.

Underhill moved to the Rec in 2017, which was roughly the beginning of a slew of injuries for Welshman Faletau, which included multiple knee injuries, two broken arms and recently a broken collarbone.

However, the No8 has now recovered from the injury that prevented him from making the World Cup, a tournament where his back row partners starred.

Louw was part of the Springboks squad which lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, while Underhill formed one of the tournament’s most exciting back rows, labelled the ‘Kamikazee Kids’, alongside Tom Curry.

ADVERTISEMENT

The South African’s expertise at the breakdown, married with Underhill’s resolute defence and Faletau’s ball-carrying, helps make one of the most dangerous and well rounded trios in England.

Fans are hailing this back row as world class, which is justified and a reason to be excited for the rest of the season.

Both flankers come from fantastic RWCs, and while Faletau may be working his way back to form in only his second game back, his reputation precedes him as one of the premier No8s in the world.

ADVERTISEMENT

This promising partnership at the back of the scrum also comes at a time where Bath are building some momentum after a troubling start to the season.

Two wins on the bounce mean Hooper’s side sit in fifth in the Gallagher Premiership, and a win would mean they leapfrog their bitter rivals and could end the weekend in the top four.

WATCH: Follow every game from the Gallagher Premiership and Guinness PRO14 LIVE in the RugbyPass Match Centre with live commentary, scores, stats and more including HD streaming in some countries

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'It's an All Black discussion': The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys
Search