Exeter Chiefs
Big Bob gives his take on the forthcoming Bath game.
By Big Bob
February 22 2011
So it’s ninth versus sixth, a mid table battle with just five points separating the teams!
I know, I know, Bath have a game in hand but the Chiefs current winning streak has changed the club’s situation somewhat. Sale are eleven points behind us, Gloucester at third in the table are nine points ahead of us – I know, I know the Cherry and whites have played one less than us but you get the picture. If you don’t get the picture then check out this visual. We can start to look up, the players are allowed to according to Rob Baxter; "I don't mind the boys looking up the table or looking down the table or having aims of where they want to be, as long as every Saturday they play flat out." NB Note the “play flat out”.
So let’s have a look at Bath, they are on a four match winning run, their last match being the 38:8 demolition of Northampton – very impressive, certainly more convincing than the previous home win 16:13 against Leeds (apologies to any Leeds fans who read this). Slightly puzzling is that when Bath scrapped home against Leeds they had all four of their current England Elite players (David Wilson, Lewis Moody, Matt Banahan, Shontayne Hape) in the starting line up but when the trounced the Saints they only had Matt Banahan with his three tries. We will see the this talented quartet at Sandy Park on Saturday but only on the big and small screens as they take on France – good luck gentlemen.
So we will face a “weakened” Bath team, but they do have some “names” left including; Grewcock, Claassens, Abendanon and Barkley. Trust me I could have gone on, they have a lot of names left! I suspect that we will face a team similar to the one that beat the Sharks two weeks ago 7:19 - with the boot of Ollie Barkley doing most of the damage, aided by a try by Nick Abendanon. Details of the Bath team that day can be found here.
So who will Rob pick to face Bath? – in short like Manuel from Fawlty Towers “I know nothing”, except that Rob knows far more than I ever will. But I do think that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The squad that played on the ploughed field in the frozen north last Friday showed a lot of spirit and endeavour . The squad that played in the chilly south on Sunday played well too, with many hands being ”put up”, but personally I would only bring in Ignacio Mieres in to the twenty three, to warm the bench in place of Ryan Davis. Nine out of nine kicks, some very testing deserves recognition I think. Oh if Hoani Tui is fit then I would bring him back to the bench.
I feel that I know more about the sixteenth man than I do about the match day twenty three. If you add up all of the home attendances (Premiership and cups but not the pre-season games) the total to date is 92,807. As the forthcoming fixture should be a sell out, or close to it, we will go over the 100,000 mark – ker ching! We will need to out sing the Bath supporters – but we will – “If you add into the mix the hostile and passionate home environment created by Exeter’s home crowd, then it seems they have a pretty strong formula for consistent performances. “
I will finish by quoting Rob in the latest Chiefs TV video. “It’s going to be a tough game for us, but you know is it going to be any more tougher than Harlequins was a couple of weeks ago or going to Newcastle, probably not . If we train well and we perform well we give ourselves a chance ..”
We have a chance – a good chance – I can’t wait!
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22/02/2011 08:58
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Agree that Mieres vice Davis should make an appearance on the bench (IE: investing in our future) if Davis is indeed headed for pastures new. Like him though, he has played well for us. As for JP and Nadalo, agree that JP should get a start. Cmon Chiefs (oh and the other big game that day at Twickenham).
Like your quote from RB,will be great see the CHIEFS show
their quality right to the last game.
21 standing places left according to the website - looks like a full house then !
