By Adrian Laws
January 1 2012

New Year is a funny one isn’t it? In the aftermath of Christmas, you’re encouraged to believe that the passage of a night will make it all right; it will be a new world in the morning; the slate is wiped clean and chance for renewal is there for all.

But that’s just so much balls, isn’t it? The world is pretty much as it was before the (hugely disappointing) 2011/2012 Hootenanny was broadcast. It was a grey, wet day in January.

So, how do we explain what we just saw out there on the Recreation Ground?

Sorry, if you want blow by blow detail you’ll have to go elsewhere. This was not a day to distance yourself from what was going on on the pitch to make copious notes, this was a day to lose yourself in the action and shout it out loud.

Let’s take a look at some key areas:

Intelligence
On paper, it made no sense to kick possession away to the Irish back line. In reality, the mixture of the wet conditions and the near farcical disorganisation of that same Irish backline allowed Donald and Claassens opportunities to get behind the defence with beautifully weighted kicks.

Execution
What would the final score have been if we had been able to build an attacking platform from our lineout? Sadly, this was the one area of Bath play where our recent transgressions were still on display.

Elsewhere, the Bath pack was dominant and unfortunate to find its efforts going unrewarded by the TMO. We certainly got our use out of him today, right?

Support play
A massive improvement. The Claassen’s try was on from the moment Bendy skinned his man deep in the Bath 22.

We’ll need to look at this result later in the season to put it into any kind of context. But, right here and right now, I’m happy with that. I’m going to leave it up to the naysayers now to point out what was wrong out there today and why the coaching team need to be done away with. From my perspective  – season ticket holder with little or no influence on the management of my club beyond how loud I can shout on a match day (‘perspective’ – that’s important) – the passion and intensity we have been asking for were in evidence this afternoon. Francois loved wearing that Bath shirt today.

Big time.

(By the way - Bath won 30 - 3)

New Year’s Resolution

Discussion started by BathRugbyEre.co.uk , 01/01/2012 17:03

BathRugbyEre.co.uk
01/01/2012 17:03

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:01:04:18:57:33 by Glen The Ed.

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timfrombattle
01/01/2012 17:31

Adrian, I agree with everything except your verdict on Jools' Hootenanny which was marvellous. Betty Wright and Sheer Class the heroes of the past 24 hours!

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Bod
01/01/2012 21:08

I quite enjoyed Cindy.

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