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Rugby . Cricket . Football . F1 .

Close Encounter of the Irish-Bath Kind

 

For me, there were a couple of match ups that were interesting to see - Banahan v Hape (great mates and two direct centres), Catt v Lahiff (two young English loose heads), Abendanon v Armitage (fighting it out for the England second choice full back slot...!) and also interestingly Attwood v Kennedy (who will both be looking to take advantage of the void left by Simon Shaw in the England set up.) All of these little sub-plots added interest to the build up in my opinion.

 

The warm ups were complete, the London Irish fans were beating their drums (which had the potential to get infuriating) and the referee Dave Rose had carried out his rather odd stretches, I couldn't quite work out whether it was yoga or if he was auditioning for a dancer at one of Max Moseley's basement house parties!! The players then ran out onto the field at the Madjeski, which to me is quite an odd place to watch a game of rugby - a great view but an odd atmosphere with the spectators being rather scattered. London Irish kicked off and the battle commenced. The first exchanges were fairly even but as the half progressed, Bath started to get on top through what was turning out to be a strong performance from the pack. 

 

Delon Armitage put up a Gary Owen but the wind blew it back almost to where he'd kicked it from and it was caught by an Irish player that was deemed to be offside by Rose. Vesty didn't need to ask Hooper for instructions, it was a kickable penalty about 15 metres in from the right touch line and just in front of the 10 metre line. I'm not sure if I'm the only one with reservations about Vesty's boot but even with a favourable wind, this was not bread and butter for Vesty. The attempt was not a confidence booster for either the kicker or the Bath faithful, it sounded, well, rather tinny! Bath though were not flustered by this and they continued to pressurise the London Irish defence, which was well marshalled by Shontayne Hape - a man who is a very good leader in defence. Irish conceded another penalty in a kickable area, an Irish player had come in at the side after Mercer made a good steal. Despite being kickable, Hooper sensed that it was time to up the ante and go for the corner. The line out went to the front and Bath formed the maul, after some encouraging forwards work, Claassens released Mears who tried to then shift an inside ball to Banahan but Rose adjudged Banahan to be offside (I think - I found that decision quite strange as I thought it was merely a forward pass). Despite the confusion, it was clear to me that this game was rapidly reminding me of the away game at Gloucester where we just couldn't capitalise on first half dominance.

 

Midway through the half, and it was still 0-0, Bath were running out of ideas and Irish were having a bit of a mixed bag. That was continued when Delon Armitage kicked dead from inside his own half and Bath were given yet another platform to build from. But yet again Bath were unable to take advantage and Irish ventured into the Bath half for one of the first times in the game. Bowden threaded a kick through which Abendanon gathered while flirting with the touch line, and he almost gifted Irish with a try when he tried one of his maverick like flick passes as he was going into touch. Despite not being able to capitalise on this, Irish used this tactic more as the half went on with Bowden using the corners with more frequency. The Irish game plan soon became more clearer, play territory and counter ruck aggressively. This tactic worked well until Bath started committing more men to the breakdown, and that's where Bath's next penalty came from. After a sustained few minutes of Irish pressure, Bath regained possession on their own line and Rose penalised Irish for being a bit too zesty at the break down. The penalty was taken quickly by Anthony Perenise (!!!) who passed out to Vesty to clear the lines, it was well worked but did nothing for the hearts of the Bath fans!

 

With the half nearing its end, it looked as if it could have been a pointless (interpret as you wish...) first half. Bath had possession just inside their own half and after a few phases, Claassens fed Mercer in centre field who then threw a cracking pass out wide for Tom Biggs. Biggs then skuttled up the left wing only to be clotheslined by Delon Armitage, I have to say, from where I was sitting it did look an awful tackle. There were shouts of 'Red card ref!!' from the pockets of Bath fans, but Rose saw sense and took his time in awarding a yellow card, Biggs though lay motionless on the turf. After having time to consult with his players while Biggs was receiving attention, Hooper again decided to go for the corner. With Biggs back on his feet and Irish a man down, Bath fans sat their thinking "we must score now". Again there was good work from the forwards at the line out and at the subsequent pick and go's. With the line becoming only inches away, Irish defenders were dragged into the narrower channels, so Claassens saw this as the opportunity to release Vesty and others. It was only Vesty needed as he show'd and go'd, crossing the whitewash with ease. Bath had finally got reward for their hard work, possession and dominance. Vesty missed the conversion and the players went in to the changing rooms soon after.

 

It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing first half, but it was a very dogged and typically English half of rugby. Both defences had been very tight and the deadlock was only broken after a Bath attack that sapped the energy out of the Irish defence. In terms of the match ups I spoke of, Banahan was probably just beating Hape, Hape was nulified in attack because he has yet to add to his inside step that the Bath players know so very well. Max Lahiff was probably edging his battle with Nathan Catt, Lahiff was very strong in the scrum and he was proving to be Irish's best ball carrier. Abendanon was winning his battle with Armitage, who was giving his critics that question his discipline even more ammunition. Finally, Attwood was probably edging out Kennedy in their contest. Kennedy, winning his 200th cap for Irish, was seeing his line out ball stolen by Bath hands in the line out. 

 

As the players ran back out again for the second half, I could not help but think that the match was going to liven up a bit after the first half that was hardly a spectacle for the neutral (not that I am!). Bath had made a change at half time with Jack Cuthbert coming on for Tom Biggs. I really feel that Jack Cuthbert is playing for a his position in the squad for next season, his contract ends in 2013 but if he doesn't have a strong season I think/hope that he might get moved on. After the early exchanges in the second half, Dave Attwood took a knock and went off for blood, his replacement Ryan Cardwell, sorry Caldwell's first involvement in the game was to give away a penalty. Caldwell has had a very encouraging start to his Bath career and it is widely thought that if he can lower his penalty count, he'll be a certain starter. Anyway, Tom Homer made no mistakes with his kick and brought the score back to 3-5. Only a few minutes later, a grubber kick was put through into the Bath 22 where Cuthbert, under not a great deal of pressure, knocked on. From the resulting scrum, Perenise was adjudged to have taken the scrum down, so Homer was given the chance to edge Irish in front, which he duly did. 6-5. 

 

For the pessimistic Bath fan (and possibly the realistic Bath fan), you may have been wondering if this was going to be our day. This thought was backed up when Armitage (now back on the field) sent up a bomb into the Reading sky, the wind carried it over Cuthbert's head and he reached out a hand but wasn't able to catch the ball, it would have been a great take. But after the ball hit his hand, Cuthbert watched the ball roll from about 10 metres out over the try line and then over the dead ball line. It was a very poor bit of play from Cuthbert, and that's me trying to sound forgiving! So Irish had a 5 metre scrum and the home crowd sensed a try. The Irish front row won a penalty from the scrum and despite being very kickable, Bowden opted to go for the scrum again, he sensed the kill. But Wilson (on for Perenise) and Mears got stuck into Lahiff and Bath won the penalty, this really silenced the Irish crowd and it was a massive lifter for Bath and their pack. Lahiff was then replaced by Alex Corbisiero, Lahiff for me was the pick of Irish's players, he had a really good game for such a young prop - like Palma-Newport and Catt, Lahiff has a really bright future if he is managed well.

 

Bath made a good break down the right with Banahan and Carraro feeding Olly Woodburn, it took a good covering tackle on Woodburn from Armitage (and/or Homer) otherwise Bath would have been over again. The following minute or so saw a lot of kicking, with rugby ping-pong coming into play (god I hope this isn't going to start up again, I thought we'd gotten rid of it). The home crowd had also had enough and their were shouts of "run it!", but Bath knocked on and Irish had another scrum. It was a scrum that saw Nathan Catt struggle in and I think the referee was about to give Irish a penalty but scrum half Allinson released Bowden and his backs. Catt was replaced at the next break in play with the ever impressive Charlie Beech. London Irish had moments of looking dangerous with Topsy Ojo giving the home crown plenty to shout about and also Shontayne Hape carrying hard up the middle and always making good yards (something England missed at the World Cup). 

 

Michael Claassens had had the better of his opposite man Allinson all game, always badgering him at the breakdown, and when Claassens charged down a box kick there was a foot race to the ball. Irish weren't able to secure possession and Bath again looked to turn the screw in the Irish 22. After a number of phases Bath looked as if they'd been turned over only for the ball to find its way out to big Dave Attwood on the right touchline. Attwood went over in the corner and it looked for all the world (from where I was) that he'd gone into touch. But after the TMO reviewed the footage a number of times, it became clear that Attwood had been able to do what Mark Cueto hadn't in the World Cup final four years ago! It was a great finish for a second rower, any winger would have been delighted with it. Vesty missed the conversion leaving the scoreline 6-10. London Irish looked to hit back quickly and Jack Cuthbert was put under pressure in his own 22 and tried to flick a pass back to Davey Wilson before being put into touch, it was a poor pass and Wilson knocked on. I hate to be damming, but Cuthbert was having a real stinker. Wilson then went down at the scrum and conceded a penalty that Tom Homer converted, Homer really had his kicking boots on meaning that Bath had to keep their discipline. 

 

The rugby ping-pong returned in the last ten minutes and it gave me time to think that at 9-10 with ten minutes to go, this is typically the kind of game Bath find impossible to win. Bath were then penalised for being offside, I think it came from Banahan and Vesty being too eager to put pressure on Allinson at the breakdown. With the penalty being right in front of the posts, Homer had no problems in adding to his points tally for the day. With around five minutes to play, Irish were leading 12-10. From the restart, Vesty tried a short grubber, and it worked when Simon Taylor (I think) dived onto the ball in a Lewis Moody like way. And after a few phases of Bath play in the London Irish half, Irish players were again too zesty at the breakdown and were penalised for hands in the ruck. Vesty had a chance to put Bath ahead with his first successful kick, and he managed to send the ball through the posts. Bath were one point ahead at 12-13 and all it now needed was for Bath to close out the last few moments of the match, easy? Not for Bath! After seeing Saracens pip us at the Rec in a similar match, I was adamant we were going to lose...! Attwood knocked on at the restart and Irish had a scrum, with the scrum being well inside the Bath half and with Homer being as deadly as he is with the boot, it was a nerve wracking scrum to watch. But the trio of Wilson, Batty and Beech won the penalty to the pleasure of all in Blue, Black and White. With thirty seconds left on the clock Vesty kicked for touch and found it. But Irish stole the ball out of the hands of Ryan Caldwell at the line out and the game was still not over! Irish flooded forward and the crowd were expecting, Bath were under the cosh. I'm not sure who it was, but some hero in a Bath shirt stole the ball and Bath now had possession, Claassens passed to Vesty who kicked the ball into the crowd and gave Bath the win!

 

It was a great game in the end and London Irish is not an easy place to go and get a win. Bath's pack were utterly colossal and the defence was outstanding. Despite Homer kicking four penalties, I thought our discipline was excellent as well. Matt Banahan had a very solid game at 12, Ben Skirving and Simon Taylor both provided stability and Guy Mercer was everywhere. It was a squad effort and every single player (bar Cuthbert) played very well and every single player (inc Cuthbert) made the travelling contingent and I'm sure all Bath fans very proud. Special mention must go to Olly Woodburn who had a very assured match, he looks like a real find. 

 

I'll make just one last point, was todays game the turning point for the more 'pragmatic' Bath? The 'Bath' that it seems McGeechan and Bruce Craig want to develop. Would a Steve Meehan team have won that game? 

 

I hope all who watched the game enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope for those who didn't see it gain some idea of what it was like from this report.

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