By Peter Snow's Swingometer
October 17 2004

What are the odds on a third straight 10-6 result for London Wasps over Bath? Pretty steep, given Wasps injury woes. But out of adversity comes strength, judging by both team's travails over the past season or so. London Wasps injury count resembles Bath's of last year. The secret to both teams' successful league runs has been a defence that constricts the opposition like a boa. While Wasps tend scramble forwards to lasso their opponents in midfield, Bath use a sliderule to snuff out potential breaks. It isn't as harem scarem as Wasps, but it is just as effective.

Both teams started this season with two reverses before building the kind of rhythm that brought them to the Zurich Championship finale last term. A measure of Bath's improvement is both teams' respective results at home to Newcastle. The Falcons steam-rollered Bath in the second round of the Zurich Premiership by 33-18. London Wasps beat a declining Newcastle team 43-29 last weekend.

Another measure of both teams' respective strengths is their performances at Franklin's Gardens, where Saints stuffed Bath in the first round of the Zurich Premiership whilst Wasps throttled back Northampton during a second half of dogged, back-foot resistance.

What of this encounter then? Bath are buoyant after taking two points off Leicester at Welford Road. They may not put many points on the scoreboard, but Bath rarely let many teams over their whitewash. They have all bar two of the team that started the Zurich Campionship Final in May, whereas Wasps are shorn of eight of their players through injury and departure.

We should expect another back foot display from the Blackened Golds. Our defensive form away from home has been just as unyielding as Bath's, even if it has been much looser at home. If Wasps team repeats this trend, Bath's frustrations might be their undoing. And we should take heart from our recent record at the Rec, with two wins and a draw.

And a look back further into the mists of time should bring a glow to travelling Wasps' memories: bask in the memory of a game just over 13 years ago:

9 Mar 1991 Courage League 1 at The Rec
Bath 15 Wasps 16
Scorers:
Bath: R.Hill(T) J.Webb(C2P) S.Barnes(P)
Wasps: F.Clough(T) R.Andrew(4P)

Quite some characters were on the scoresheet that day as we inflicted Bath's first home defeat for years. Recent form dictates that it shall be just as close today. Wasps by one?

How times change...
Results Summary between 1987 and 2000
Played 20
Wasps Won 6 30.0%
Bath Won 13 65.0%
Drawn 1 5.0%

Bath: Best/Malone; Higgins, Fleck, Tindall, Daniel; Barkley, Wood; Barnes, Humphreys (c), Bell, Borthwick , Grewcock, Beattie, Lipman, Feaunati

Bench: Walshe, Mears, Stevens, Malone/Crockett, Davey, Scaysbrook, Fidler

London Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Thrower, Richards, Erinle, Voyce; Brooks, Biljon; Payne, Greening, Green, Hart, Birkett, Worsley, O'Connor, Dallaglio (c)

Bench: Leota, Nwume, Lock, Haskell, King, McKenzie, Hoadley

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