By T
October 14 2006

After spending the last few weeks going through the motions in the EDF, the competition has gone on hold to December. We only have a dead rubber to look forward to anyway, which looking on the bright side offers a perfectly good excuse to get out of the Christmas shopping! With the EDF out of the way we’re back to the bread and butter of the Guinness premiership with the visit of Bath.

The teams go into Sundays game with similar… well everything. Both sides have lost three of their last five games, including back to back defeats in the EDF competition. Both teams still struggling to throw off the shackles of previous coaching regimes and move to a more expansive game plan, and both sides have been struck down with injuries to key personnel who are slowly feeling their way back to fitness.

Last weekend was a disappointment for the Fez Boys; 30 minutes of good rugby put us in charge against Cardiff only to see the resurgent Welsh side walk away with a deserved win. It was much the same story last Saturday at the Rec where the Ospreys trotted into a lead only to see Bath peg them back then only to run out of steam. Quite what that means for Sundays game I’m not sure, but I guess neutrals will be happy to see a bit more quality than both sides showed last week for the fans of either side all they care about is a win.

For Saracens, Skirving came through his first full game this season against Cambridge University for the A’s, his surges off the back of the scrum and his lineout contribution have been sorely missed in the first part few games of the season, it’s great to see him back at 8. He’ll be eager to press his England chances with a good performance and makes up a very strong back row unit with Hugh and the Pony Tailed Assassin.

The pack arguably the strongest we have put out this season, it’s great to see Fullerton back in the first XV after a period of injury while I’m sure Raiwalui will be desperate to make up for last weeks bad day in the office. I don’t think anyone is surprised to see the hookers ‘rotated’ with Cairns coming into the side and Byrne dropping to the bench.

De Kock and Jackson linked up well against Cardiff and this fledgling partnership is given another chance to impress. Scarborough, returns to fullback allowing Haughton to take up his position on the right wing.

There is no sign of ‘him’ in the matchday 22 which if the things we are reading this week about him playing at 12 are true is probably the right decision. Having been schooled in back row play for the past 12 months we’d be asking Farrell to play in a position he’s played for less than 60 minutes and had a week of training to learn. As great as he might be it takes longer than 4 days on the training pitch to learn a sides defensive patterns and attacking plays. Rightfully Ben and Kev continue to be first choice pairing with Penny providing back up from the bench.

Bath have beaten Saracens in six of the last seven games and will be hoping that Messers Barkley and Berne will be fit to try and add to that impressive record. Old boys Walshe, Flatman and Grewcock return to vicarage road hoping to put one over their old team mates, it’ll be interesting to see if Yates might have a point to prove in return! Sunday could be explosive hopefully for the rugby on the pitch rather than settling of old scores…