1
Former Bath player wants to extend club's misery by at least one more game
In normal circumstances any team with a 16 point lead over Bath would expect to be enjoying a top-four place in the Premiership, however, this is anything but a normal season as Christian Judge, their former tighthead prop acknowledges.
ADVERTISEMENT
Judge will arrive at the Recreation Ground with his Worcester teammates keenly aware that Bath are bottom of the Premiership after 10 successive defeats. Judge left Bath after two years with the club to join Worcester in the summer and the prop, who was a Premiership title winner with Saracens, is also conscious that 12th placed Worcester have to end their own dreadful record at the Rec to contend with.
Remarkably, Worcester have never won on Bath’s famously heavy pitch – a surface that is in stark contrast to the Sixways artificial grass that has helped develop their running game. He is joined by two other former Bath players in the Worcester match squad Matt Garvey and Will Chudley to increase the inside knowledge of the opposition but with 16 defeats and one draw in their last 17 away games in the Premiership, Judge knows Worcester have massive odds to overcome. Warriors have won only once away from home in any competition since their trip to Russia to face Enisei in November 2019.
Judge, who is celebrating his 29th Birthday today (sat) said: “They are looking for a first win of the season but we are going there to win and both sides will be fired up for it. Our away record is poor and you cannot be climbing up the table if you don’t win on the road.
“It isn’t what you expect to see – Bath with the points they have – but a season can change with one result. You look at the current top four with Gloucester and Harlequins and not long ago they were going through transition periods and are now doing well.
“Any time you play against a former club it is a huge game and I still have a lot of friends at Bath. There are a lot of familiar faces and it will be a big occasion in front of a passionate crowd at the Rec. Bath are going through a tough period and if you look back at previous years there have been teams who have gone through similar problems like Leicester and even ourselves last season when we didn’t have a great record.
“You can’t predict from one season to the other and as a group Bath are searching for that first victory and will be well up for this game. They have a lot of quality players and just because they are having a tough season doesn’t mean you can’t respect them. What has gone in the past doesn’t count for much and they can be dangerous with all their talent. It is no secret that we like to move the ball around and the Rec does get boggy at this time of the year and it is something you can’t ignore but just have to carry on.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments