Ford: Faith in Depth

By PG Tips
November 11 2014

After a month of stuttering performances and fortune, it’s time for Bath to get the show back on the road. The Aviva Premiership show, that is. Inconsistent form across 3 competitions since the heady early October victory against Saracens has been accompanied by near unprecedented international representation. Seven made Stuart Lancaster’s 23 for the All Blacks match & of course, Paul James and Horatio Agulla were also in international action – for Wales & Argentina respectively.

Therein lies the rub: Bath must now face 3 AP matches without these 9 players, with an additional risk of losing 2 more (Henry Thomas & Jonathon Joseph) should injury curse England.

So – time for the bench and squad players to prove Mike Ford’s point about strength in depth. A mostly youthful side could not pull off a win at Sandy Park last Saturday against a Chiefs lineup close to full strength. They did share the score spoils in the first half and even briefly took the lead, before conceding 2 tries in the final quarter. Bath spent most of the second half tackling, but Ford was far from downbeat: “We had some excellent performances out there by the young guys, in particular in the forward pack" was his comment. Newcastle Falcons, lying 11^th in the Premiership will not pose the same threats as Exeter, but they will scent an opportunity to catch Bath with their pants down.

A Dean Richards selection is always likely to be dogged and direct, so more tackling looks like the order of the day for Bath’s tyros this weekend. What then, will be the Geordies’ threats? They have some dangerous runners behind the scrum, but for an away win they will probably trust to the Richards staples of a confrontational and streetwise pack backed by a territorial kicking game. After losing away to Cardiff in the LV there have been some harsh words up north already this week. Deano is likely to get them very fired up and a feisty forward performance can be expected. Should they gain any form of edge through a route one approach, then expect breaks from Blair and charges by Tuilagi, hoping to exploit a young midfield. Newcastle have tried to expand their game this season and in Cato & Tait in the back three offer a speedy and more subtle compliment to the more direct threats in front of them.

That Bath midfield should pose enough threat of their own. Henson, Devoto & Joseph is an exciting mix of pedigree and promise who will want to lay down some markers while others are absent with England. Their success will depend on the quality of possession the pack can get for them and the game plan. Will it be the aggressive line speed in defence (and resulting turnovers) that beat Leicester? Or could it be the kick-chase game that undid Saracens? Either of these could prove a fruitful strategy, as would the “basics before bravado” plan that conquered London Welsh 2 weeks ago. Any of these, or a mix would delight a home crowd who can be expected to provide the vocal lift required.

Second string selection this may be, but Bath have a strong front five (while Falcons lose their best front rower) and a mix of pace, power and guile behind. Exeter fans commented on Bath’s performance in defeat, giving particular praise to Ewels, Sisi & Devoto. A sprinkling of more experienced players – Batty, Hooper, Houston, Henson, Banahan must set the tone and ensure Bath match flair with pragmatism. A close encounter to start, but Bath to get the show back on the road with a win.

Possible Teams:

Bath:
Auterac, Batty, Thomas , Hooper, Day, Sisi, Mercer, Houston. Cook, Henson, Banahan, Devoto, Joseph , Woodburn, Arscott
Bench: Catt, Dunn, Palma-Newport, Ewels, Northcote-Green, Young, Clark, Lane.

Newcastle Falcons: Vickers, McGuigan, Wilson; Green, Barrow, M. Wilson, Welch, Hogg. Blair, Socino, Cato, Powell, Tuilagi, Sinoti, Tait
Bench: Rogers, Hawkins, Tomaszczyk, Furno, Mayhew, Tipuna, Clegg,Tiesi

Let’s Get the Show on the Road, Bath v Newcastle

Discussion started by Comeonmylovers.co.uk (IP Logged), 11/11/2014 15:55

Comeonmylovers.co.uk
11/11/2014 15:55

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:11:17:17:48:03 by Stuart Anderton.

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