By Andy Dowthwaite
March 4 2012

Five tries for Bath and one of the best team performances of the season, against a team only one point behind us in the table. I enjoyed my post match pint and this was not against the often ragged Worcester of previous seasons (and the LV game earlier in the season), but a disciplined team with a confidence boosting win last week over the reigning champions. Bath, however, posed the greater attacking threat and created far more try scoring opportunities to continue their record of never losing to Worcester at the Rec

Worcester started well, and after we spent the first few minutes trading scrums on the half way line, they were able to dominate possession and territory. Bath on the other hand appeared scrappy and coughed up possession several times. One of these turnovers allowed Perry to release Arscott for a clear run in for a try. The evergreen Andy Goode kicked the conversion from near the touch line in blustery conditions. Seven nil down after ten minutes but the number of simple turnovers was the main concern.

Fortunately Bath seemed to switch on at this point. The handling suddenly looked sharp and fluid. Sam Vesty running the ball back, instead of the recent pattern of kicking, set of a fluent move with the backs gaining ground and the forwards recycling quickly. Carraro and Biggs were both involved a couple of times with the talented Aussie giving Tom the try scoring pass right in the corner. To top this Tom Heathcote converted from the touchline.

This proved to be a continuing pattern for the rest of the half, with the forward working hard to present fast ball to the backs who duly responded with the best passing moves of the season. Banners was able to capitalise after fifteen minutes when, coming off his wing behind the ruck, he was able to crash over by the posts. That angled run surprising the defence but has been missing recently when Matt played centre. Heathcote converted.

The third try on 30 minutes coming again from the forwards who drove to the line through multiple phases, with Francois Louw heavily involved, allowing Claassy to dart over for a try as he has many times before. Heathcote converted. Bath were looking like a team and working well together. It wasn’t that Wuss were poor, rather continuous pressure from Bath eventually providing opportunities that we were able to exploit.

It took ten minutes of the second half to score the bonus point try. This times the backs making ground and the forwards re-cycling. The first try/attempt was disallowed as the ref got tangled up with the defence as Biggsy cut back inside. From the resultant scrum going forward Claassy was able to dart over again for his second try. Heathcote converted again 28 -10 to Bath.

Worcester then took the initiative (rather than we slacked off after the bonus point). For about 20 minutes Wuss camped in our half and guarded possession really well. Good use of the line out and subsequent rolling maul secured long periods of possession. The difference was that Bath’s defence was strong and Wuss struggled to deliver any real attacking opportunities. The exception was when Miles Benjamin came off his wing after 65 minutes to score by the posts. This followed a raft a substitutions from Bath, which may have contributed to a defensive lapse, but this was an excellent line from the winger coming infield at real pace.

Bath then picked up their pace, as Wuss tended to kick the ball away (frustrated by Bath’s defence). Jack Cuthbert looking surprisingly sharp despite not having much recent game time stood out in the last 10 minutes. A strong kick return, from the 22, saw him breaking a tackle, running clear then releasing Biggsy with a perfectly timed pass to beat the full back. 36 – 17 to Bath. A five point victory, but more pleasing was the manner of victory where we played fast open rugby, with backs and forwards linking well and with plenty of variety. A big improvement very much in evidence with some significant improvements from a lot of players. Stand out improvements over the season for me include;

Tom Heathcote   Seems to make visible progress from week to week. Responded to Andy Goode’s initial difficult conversion with an even better, beautiful touchline conversion that had the North Terrace cheering as soon as it left his boot. Mixed his game up with passes, some breaks and some excellent tactical kicks. Had time to look up and spot what Worcester were doing and react accordingly – for a rush defence he ran at the diagonal defensive line -  spotted a huge gap in the north east corner in the first half to kick into and make 40 -50 yards. This was pragmatic rugby for me, playing what was in front of him. The ability to bring variety to an attack breeds uncertainty in the defence and then creates opportunities. This was one of the big differences between the teams, even though Wuss had plenty of possession they created far fewer opportunities. Just 20 and listed as an Academy player this season, now looks like a seasoned professional.

Tom Biggs    Continues to chase kicks and tackle like a demon as he has all season, but, we’re passing the ball to him as well now (a coincidence that Matt Carraro was back at outside centre?) and in return he is showing us what a winger can do. Another two tries to bring his season total to 10. The first, diving into the corner (straight from a ruck where he had been held up just short of the line), the second perfectly tracking Jack Cuthbert’s powerful break to receive a well timed pass and run clear over 40 yards. He must however, be nicer to those poor opposition second row’s, high tackling one against Glaws and knocking one backwards in a jumping contest against Wuss - naughty, but triggering a spontaneous bout of cheering and clapping from an appreciative East stand.

Lee Mears    Looking like he’s getting back to his best form. Handles like a back, runs good lines and difficult to tackle. Was used a lot more as first receiver  from rucks (with Ryan often as a decoy) and constantly goes past the gain line setting up a good target for the support players. This creating fast ball for Claassy to exploit a key part of our attacking game. Rob Webber will find it tough to shift Mearsy as No 1 hooker.

Jack Cuthbert    Had a definite impact as a sub for the last 15 minutes when he replaced Olly (Sam Vesty moved to inside centre). Playing to his strengths he had two stand out moments. A kick ahead from a loose Worcester kick, but rather than some aimless hoof, this was a precise high chip that allowed Jack to use his height to out jump the full back and recover the ball. The next highlighted his other strength, he can break the line when he runs hard and those long legs make him difficult to stop. Just before the end, one of these runs saw him break the line, leaving a mere 60 yards and the full back to beat. With Biggsy coming up fast on his left shoulder he set himself up perfectly to take out the full back, but, release a perfectly timed pass for the winger to race in unopposed. Good composure for a player who has had little game time. Running the ball back gave us the chance to score rather than kicking it away and allowing Wuss to apply pressure.

Dave Attwood    Dominant in the line out, am not sure if he is the one who was reading the Wuss line out but someone was. For an area in which we were weak in the first half of the season we dominated the line out here and the prime architect was Dave Attwood, though well supported by Ryan, Skirvs and Mearsy clearing up any loose ball.  Carried the ball well and seems to be able to pick a running line just outside the defender making him difficult to stop. Not sure what Botha does to be picked for England ahead of Dave, but selfishly we’ll take it for now. Can’t see how he wouldn’t tour with England in the summer.

Sam Vesty   Versatile and skilful ball player he ran the ball from full back, and whilst he doesn’t have the pace of Bendy, he is more than capable of creating space and linking with other players. His kicking can be awful at times and yet he is an excellent and an effective runner from full back (and a good tackler). Against Wuss he played to his strength’s, running not kicking and looked a lot better. Also slipped into inside centre seamlessly when Olly went off limping.

Bath   One of the best performances of the season. Hard work from the forwards and fast ball from Claassy released the backs who looked coherent, fluent and dangerous. Played to the strengths of the players on the field rather than a rigid and conservative game plan. We just need to be able to replicate this against the top four or five teams and play to our strengths.

Worcester   A distinct improvement from when they visited the Rec in November with much of the same team. Much more discipline, have the ability to hold the ball through multiple phases, had a good rolling maul from the line out which we did well to hold off for sustained periods ( notably late in the second half).  Miles Benjamin was in particular a big improvement from when I’ve seen him before. He was always fast but now looks to have the ability to use it, very dangerous, possibly too fast for the other backs as he overran a couple of times. Couple their current possession and discipline, with the added timing to release Benjamin and Wuss could be very dangerous.