By BrianC
March 25 2004

After what had been a series of disappointing performances on field many of us were somewhat cheered by our performance, if not the result, against Bath last Sunday. This week we again find ourselves playing them in our return match at the Rec. 

It's quite unusual in the Zurich Premiership to be playing each other back to back. What it does mean is that both teams have had a good look at each other and will be working during the course of this week on the weaknesses and strengths that each saw in the other.

Where Bath really put us under the cosh last week was up front. On several occasions they set up powerful driving mauls and had us in all sorts of trouble. Not least of these was when they scored a try having pushed us all the way from our 22m line. The whole way through the game their lineout and scrum looked sound whilst ours, particularly the later, looked shaky.

There is little question that we had the upper hand in the backs. There was joy unfounded when O'Sackey danced round a couple of their defenders after ten minutes to put the ball down. Later in the game he twice managed to get over the line, being held up on both occasions. To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, one is unfortunate, two is....unusual. On a different day, with a different rub of the green we could well have emerged victorious.

Bath are again seriously depleted by injury and international call ups. What must be particularly galling to them is the loss to England duty of Ollie Barkley for the second week running. To their credit, despite these losses, they look to be well set up to top the league at the end of this season. Few of us would have thought this possible in September. Back then one bookmaker was offering odds of 100/1 against that happening.

The Rec. will be full for this game. I earn no prizes for predicting that, it is for most. The time is coming near where Bath, if the are unable to expand that ground, are going to have to move. They may even, horror of horrors, have to move out of Bath and into a soccer ground. 'Over my dead body' I hear some Bath supporters say as they read this 'It would never happen.' Well I think it will, sooner or later, such a move certainly didn't do us any harm.

Most of the pundits have written us off for this game. We will no doubt go into it as underdogs. I wouldn't write off our chances just yet.