By Glen Leat
April 24 2002

Any question about the passion of the Bath players for their team could easily be answered in the positive as Chris White blew the whistle on a match which saw Bath beat visitors Leeds 23-12. The home side leapt for joy and one could easily have been forgiven for thinking Bath had just won a trophy.

Skipper Dan Lyle took great delight in kicking the last penalty of the game to touch to seal the end of an enthralling match against the team that started the "season of misery" for Bath players and supporters alike. Replacement scrum-half, Kevin Dalzell, jumped on Lyle's back like a kid at a party in celebration of both securing the vital four league points and, as importantly, ensuring that Leeds did not travel back up the motorway with a losing bonus point in their pocket.

The game got off to a sizzling start as the Bath backs hit the after-burners time and time again. Wave upon wave of Bath pressure bombarded the Leeds defence but, as has been seen all season, there was no break through and a stunned Recreation Ground watched as the visitors took the lead after 15 minutes with the first of four van Straaten penalties. Leeds had hardly touched the ball prior to this penalty and they must have been amazed to see themselves take the lead.

The half-time score of 6-6 was misleading because the game was open, though error strewn, and exciting to watch. Can there ever have been a half played on the Rec this year with so much free-flowing play that did not result in any tries? The Bath players were brimming with excitement and this was almost matched by the noisiest crowd of the season so far. Gareth Cooper set the tone for the Bath style of play by speeding things up and it was great to once again see one of his trademark pick-ups from the scrum and dash for the line. His immediate replacement by Dalzell after this run midway through the second half saw the Bath machine run down a notch and this slower pace is not one that suits the Bath game. Rob Thirlby, Tom Voyce and Simon Danielli, who had his best match so far for Bath, were keen to run with the ball and Iain Balshaw looked like a child who had just run in to the lounge on Christmas Day to find a pile of presents waiting for him; his eyes were wide and wild and he was determined to play his heart out and show the world that he has not lost his touch.

Much of Balshaws' play may not have met his intention but he added a spark that electrified his colleagues, even if some of his drop goal attempts were a little too ambitious. Ronnie Regan was glad to back in the team and demonstrated why his enthusiastic attitude is often worth a place ahead of more gifted footballers and Ollie Barkley suddenly looked more assured in possession - some of his out of hand kicking was sublime and his injury time try was a joy to behold. In a season where Bath tries have been at a premium, to watch Simon Danielli score his own try and then run at and beat the opposition before off-loading the ball to Barkley, who appeared to ghost past all the defenders and then run in for his try, was sheer pleasure and well worth the wait.

But things could have been very different as seconds before Danielli grabbed the ball to set up Barkley for his try, Dan Lyle had been tackled and penalised for holding on to the ball; the Leeds forwards pounced and ran up the Bath narrow side towards the goal line but a last minute tackle ensured they made no further progress. A try for Leeds at this stage would have taken the score to 16-17 in their favour with the conversion to come and probably heralded another loss to Bath - such is the delicate balance of rugby these days for teams who have to win to survive!

This excellent result followed the news that Bath stalwart, Matt Perry, has announced that he will be staying with the club: "I am delighted to re-new my contract with Bath, I am more determined, whatever happens in the current situation, to see Bath Rugby at the top of the Premiership again. I am not going to leave - I want to stay and fight through." Good on you Matt!

Let's look at how you voted on whether Bath would win this match.

Will Bath beat Leeds? Yes - without doubt 14% Yes 48.8% No 27.9% Don't Know 9.3%

So what did you think of the Bath players in this game? Give a rating and this will contribute to a cumulative score throughout the season.

Bath Player Ratings` Click below to have your vote Vote Now

And what about the performance of the referee? Vote Now to leave your opinion.

Bath scorers
Tries: Danielli, Barkley
Cons: Barkley 2
Pens: Barkley 3
Drop Goal:

Bath
Rob Thirlby, Simon Danielli, Mike Tindall, Olly Barkley, Tom Voyce, Iain Balshaw, Gareth Cooper, Simon Emms, Mark Regan, David Barnes, Steve Borthwick, Danny Grewcock, Mark Gabey, James Scaysebrooke, Dan Lyle

What do you think about this game? Leave your views on the BathRugbyERE.com Messageboard