The 'we are growing' Bath mantra at odds with a 25-point hammering
It was rather apt on Saturday that the media conference auditorium at the Aviva Stadium is a sorry sight these days, its furniture and pathways decorated with bundles of black and amber hazard tape to ensure no one dares get too close to the people occupying the top table in these socially distant times. The only surprise was that the tape wasn’t wrapped around the Bath contingent when they ventured in to say their hazardous piece in the aftermath of yet another weekend pelting, this time in the Champions Cup as opposed to the Gallagher Premiership.
It’s ten Ls now on the bounce for the English side and six minutes of listening to Stuart Hooper and Charlie Ewels in Dublin left you wondering if this duo is in denial about the crisis their club is in, this latest loss excused by some youth getting its Champions Cup fling and that this type of a 45-20 beating can somehow only be beneficial to Bath in the long run.
Here’s the rub, though: When you are slap bang at the heart of a crisis, talking about aspirational benefits was quite the stretch when the bruising reality was that your team had just taken an embarrassing shellacking, conceding the four-try bonus point to Leinster as early as the 25th minute in a seven-two try hammering massaged by a late consolation score.
You can understand the excuse-making coming from Hooper. His two-and-a-half-year stint as director of rugby is reaching the critical stage where club owner Bruce Craig could justifiably call a sudden halt and go with a different boss-man, hence Hooper’s narrative in trying to spin some positivity out of another wretched afternoon.
But you’d expect a bit more from skipper Ewels than to also dwell on this youth factor rather than accept that what was generally produced wasn’t up to scratch and should be called out. Ewels even began his spiel by suggesting there was no connection between the abject Premiership form of Bath and a loss in Europe, claiming it was somehow a clean slate taking on an Irish side in Champions Cup round one when the reality was the defeat was yet another sobering loss in a sequence that will ultimately have heads rolling if it doesn’t end any time soon. That’s the grim reality in this business of sport.
ANALYSIS: Stuart Hooper claims he is in the people business as the Bath boss but excuses regarding poor performance are wearing very thin judging by their latest effort, watched in Dublin by @heagneyl ???#Bath #LEIvBAT #HeinekenChampionsCup #Leinsterhttps://t.co/GRqSJ9EFwS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 11, 2021
“This was coming into a new competition,” he deflected. “Domestically we are not where we want to be but in this competition, it was a clean slate, an opportunity for players to get experience and play a side that is as close as you are going to get to a Test match team in club rugby, an international stadium against a near enough international side.
“The performance didn’t quite make it today but it was better than the performance we had in the first game of the season, so we are growing. It’s a long time coming but it is about keeping the focus on that, which is easy to say and hard to do. But when you bring it back down to the little things, how we are trying to play, how we are trying to step forward, that is how things start to push on and start to click.
“That [Leinster] is effectively a Test side and it would be fair to say we had the upper hand in the scrum at times, around the lineout and set-piece which in international rugby is massive. But then you saw the difference in quality around some of the open play stuff, the breakdown, their ability to hold and move the ball and their decision making.
“So there are massive steps forward and there are other parts there where you have just got to hold your hands up, get humble and go, ‘How can we get better because it is coming again (with La Rochelle) next week?'”
Ewels was speaking under the impression that painful losses in Europe can be invaluable. He had been beaten up before by Leinster, Bath humbled at the RDS in January 2016 in the Champions Cup. But losing again in Dublin guarantees this particular Bath XV nothing given that the club has now won just five of its 21 Champions Cup games since that match Ewels referenced from nearly six years ago. That’s quite the pitiful record.
“They will be better for it, they will learn,” claimed Ewels about the Bath youth that was painfully on the receiving end on Saturday. “I came here as a 20-year-old and played against a very good Leinster side then and there are lessons I learned that I still hold with me now.
“They will be better for it. They will understand now when we talk about breakdown in training, they will understand that is why we have got to be at that level. They will understand when we talk about our decision making, when to run, when to kick, that is why we are saying those things because if you want to push on and play at that level that is how important those things are.”
What of Hooper, whose set-up seems to need more than an elusive defence coach to sort out the messy situation that is getting messier by the week due to the reputation-damaging results?
“It is very important from a player and club perspective we understand the context of where we are right now. It doesn’t cover over any of that as a performance and as a result, but there were lots of people playing their first-ever time in Europe which is a big step,” he reckoned, hoping his squad can somehow pick itself up with crack French side La Rochelle coming to The Rec next weekend.
“There were some people making their club debut, six people making their European debut, and then you have got seasoned internationals who want to be in this competition consistently and putting themselves in a place to win it, so there is a whole range of people and across the group, they will pull each other through and pick each other up.
“The energy of some of the young guys who came on was outstanding. Similarly with the leadership of some of our experienced guys, and we need all that again in the home game versus La Rochelle next week.”
All that and much, much more by the sounds of it.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
9 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
9 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments