Bath Need To Beat Wasps To End Season On High Note

By Glen Leat
May 9 2002

Here we are at the last game of the season and for the first time in our history we are potentially playing for our Premiership status, what a change for a team which has won the league six times and finished third last season.Fortunately Leeds appear to be desperate to pip us to the bottom spot!

After losing 35-20 to Sale on Wednesday Leeds are rooted to the foot of the table though with a chance of overhauling Bath should they win this week-end, securing a bonus point in the process, and Bath lose or fail to grab a bonus point. Given that Wasps appear to be the team in the ascendancy over recent weeks it will be a tough ask of Bath to take anything from this game.

Bath have both everything to play for and (potentially) everything to lose so there will be enormous pressure on the young players who have been forced in to the starting line-up because of an unprecedented run of injuries at The Rec. Whether these injuries stem from bad luck or something else I am not sure, but I do not remember there being so many crucial absentees during our glory period - or is that me popping on my rose coloured specs? Perhaps the game is a lot tougher these days or now that the players have become finely tuned athletes they are a bit like Formula One cars - great when in top gear but always running on the limit and ready to break down at any time.

I think this game is a tough one to call. Current form suggests that Wasps should win fairly easily but a passionate Recreation Ground has not always been a happy hunting ground for the men in black (or perhaps gold) and we could just sneak a win to save our season.

Let's look at the current league table:
P W D L BP PTS
1  Leicester 21 17 0 4 10 78
2  Sale 21 13 1 7 10 64
3  Gloucester 21 13 0 8 11 63
4  London Irish 21 11 3 7 7 57
5  Newcastle 21 12 1 8 5 55
6  Northampton 21 11 1 9 6 52
7  Wasps 21 11 0 10 6 50
8  Bristol 21 8 1 12 12 46
9  Harlequins 21 5 3 13 9 35
10  Saracens 21 7 0 14 5 33
11  Bath 21 7 0 14 4 32
12  Leeds 21 6 0 15 4 28


Wasps

Click on to the Wasps site for their perspective on things.

Click here to read about the encounter between Bath and Wasps earlier this season.

In preparation for this clash let's have a look at a few recent statistics.

Played 24 %
Bath Won 16 67
Wasps Won 7 29
Drawn 1 5

Biggest Win

Bath 36 - 12 17 Feb 1996
Wasps 35 - 0 7 Feb 1999

Player Greats

Bath top try scorer Jeremy Guscott 7
Bath top points scorer Jon Callard 110
Wasps top try scorer Paul Sampson 3
Wasps top points Rob Andrew 65

Last Meetings (Bath scores first)

2 Dec2001 10- 23 Loftus Road
6 May 2001 36 - 31 Loftus Road
17 Mar 2001 16 - 13 The Rec
27 Aug 2000 36 - 12 Loftus Road
22 Jan 2000 27 - 16 The Rec
5 Dec 1999 21 - 23 Loftus Road
7 Feb 1999 0 - 35 Loftus Road
5 Sep 1998 36 - 27 The Rec
17 May 1998 31 - 17 Loftus Road
14 Feb 1998 43 - 27 The Rec
6 Apr 1997 25 - 25 Loftus Road
14 Sep 1996 36 - 40 The Rec

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