BATH RUGBY - 2013/14

First topic message reminder :

New Thread for the new season - https://www.606v2.com/t54781-bath-rugby-pre-season-2014-15

So after being a top four team all season we missed out on the playoffs and the loss to sale sealed the deal but to be honest we wouldn't beat sarries without Webber, Garvey and louw, with those guys we can push anyone. Bath are much like England of the past 10 years and can't decide on the best centre pairing, for the past 4 years we chop and change the backline for every game , until we stick with one pair and let them develop we will always be held back. Eastmond and Joseph are either big/good enough or not if not get a world class centre and kick on. I worry about next year as I reckon heathcote will go and along with perenise and the sublime abendonon I think our squad will be a bit weaker. For me we need a world class scrum half to replace a claasens at his peak, we need banahan to stay away from the wings, burgess needs to be developed in the centres and Watson should be a winger or fullback and left to develop there.

Commiserations stc, I agree with some of what your saying, chopping and changing a team every week rarely helps it.

For me I thought JJ and Banahan were both next to useless for you yesterday, Banners just looks lost on the wing now while JJ was pretty anonymous for most of the game. Rest of the backline looked good though. Micky Young showed a lot of promise a few seasons back and if he can get gel a bit more over pre season may be very useful for you.

Otherwise I thought most of your pack fronted up well, just your reserve hooker's throwing and your locks that perhaps underperformed. Never got why Hooper was captain, he's no Borthwick or Deacon and with the other locks you have I can't see why he's a starter.

Good luck for next year (except against us) and in the final.

Cheers Yappy, yup completely agree banahan is a complete liability out wide, seems crazy the amount of game time he gets when we have Rokodguni Watson and Agulla miles ahead of him. Hooper I have also never got, he is meant to be an awesome leader but I would have him behind Attwood, Day and even Caldwell in terms of talent. Next season i would be interested in seeing how a Garvey, Attwood lock pairing looks, with Fearns, Houston/Sisi and Louw in the backrow. Good luck against Sarries I think your'll have the neutrals support and I would love to see your front row do one over on Johnstone !

I think Synkler and Marler will be well up for that!

The Garvey/Attwood combo would be formidable, especially when you then have Fearns, Louw and Leroy Houston (best name in rugby) in the backrow. You guys just need a better third choice hooker then.

Darren Edwards is going to be your backs coach next season

Banahan gets selected so Ford has a crash option and in theory because he should be a good target for Ford's favoured crossfield kick option.

Bath fans
a mate has dropped out so have a spare ticket for the amlin £20
Anyone interested?

formerly known as Sam wrote:Banahan gets selected so Ford has a crash option and in theory because he should be a good target for Ford's favoured crossfield kick option.

Not sure where you have got that theory, as neither of those options have been used this season

Well I'm gutted, I thought we would lose this one but as the game unfurled we could have easily taken it. 1st half bath were dominant, saints looked shattered, ford was controlling the game like a wee maestro pinning saints back and nailing his kicks. 2nd half we come out a different side, (worst half time talk ever ?) Ford is absymal in every facet of play, abendanon falls apart, we commit hari kiri to gift saints the game when it looked like they needed a week off.  Positives: As england fringe players Myler, Watson, Fearns, Attwood, Joseph all had good games in front of stu Lancaster. Corbs was a scrummaging beast, and its a shame he won't tour....its good ford won't be facing the all blacks..given his last 2 performances he is no where near ready for the pressure.

http://designlab164.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/first_aid_choking.jpeg?w=487

munkian wrote:http://designlab164.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/first_aid_choking.jpeg?w=487

Someone must have been doing that to Bruce this evening.

munkian wrote:http://designlab164.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/first_aid_choking.jpeg?w=487

This is funny, but I don't think Bath choked.  They gave a good team a sliver of opportunity, same as Northampton gave an opportunity in the first half.  Saints were just a bit stronger across the pitch and this told in the end.  Not large differences, mind, but just enough.  Teams don't develop overnight.  As long as Craig doesn't panic (!), this team should develop.  It is good to have Bath back near the top.

Cheers Doc.

It was only the amlin anyway, no biggy as long as they learn from it.

Tom McHeathcote joins Edinburgh.

Sad to see him go, but he needs to get game time which he wasn't going to do at Bath with G.Ford and Daddy infront of him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27662942

This was predictable the moment Ford was given the starting shirt week in and week out, Heathcote is simply too good to be a bench player, with ford playing his part in losing our two most important games of the season one has to wonder if we would have been higher up if Heathcote was number 1 all year. C'est la vie...Bath need to make some backline signings with replacements for abendonon and now heathcote, TBH i cant see the squad being as strong next year and all we would need is an injury to Ford/Watson and Top 4 would be a big ask.

Is henson back up 10 next season?

sirtidychris wrote:This was predictable the moment Ford was given the starting shirt week in and week out, Heathcote is simply too good to be a bench player, with ford playing his part in losing our two most important games of the season one has to wonder if we would have been higher up if Heathcote was number 1 all year. C'est la vie...Bath need to make some backline signings with replacements for abendonon and now heathcote, TBH i cant see the squad being as strong next year and all we would need is an injury to Ford/Watson and Top 4 would be a big ask.  

He wasn't even making the bench though, Devoto and Henson took that spot more often.

Heathcote's season stalled in the opening weeks with the difference Ford made coming on for him against Saracens.

At the start of the season we put out a full strength team and won every game until sarries when we rested Attwood, Garvey, James, Joseph and put out an entirely new 9,10,11,12,13 combination with perenise out of position and getting his head shoved through his backside. Unsurprisingly against the best team in the league we got thumped. This was heathcotes first start of the season and was a hospital pass that we had no chance of winning with that team selection...heathcote was never given the chance to show what he could do with a full strength bath pack in front of him and settled backline outside. When Ford came on the game improved but this also corresponded with James, Attwood and Joseph coming on and the game already being won by a conutry mile. I was almost like Ford sr was trying to make heathcotes oppotunity as hard as possible !!!

Does Baths signing of Arnscott mean they view Watson as a wing or is it going to be a rotation thing?

We don't currently have an out and out FB. Watson has played more wing for us, but we desperately needed the cover. We've only got Watson, Banahan, Roko and Arscott as our back three options for the start of the season, with Agulla away and Biggs left. We've got JJ (wing and 15) and Henson (15) and Devoto (15) as cover, but all are far better in other positions.

You don't rate Woodburn Bathite?

Sadly i dont see Banahan as a wing option anymore, he is too lumbering these days and definatley no better than 3rd choice in the centres. i wonder if Bath are going to give the youth a bit more chance with Rich lane and olly woodburn to provide cover.

10
Ford
Henson

12
Devoto
Eastmond

13
Joseph
Banahan
Williams

Wings
Roko
Watson
Lane
Woodburn

Fullback
Arscott
Agulla

Fluxy wrote:You don't rate Woodburn Bathite?

He'd be the next in line

Someone's leaked a rumour that genia is on his way to Bath...usually done to heat up contract talks with the ARU but still would be good !

After the World Cup maybe not before

Been a rumour for a long while, coaches have openly said that they've targeted him, but were told by the ARU to wait until after the RWC. However, his form has been so poor for 18 months that he's now fallen to 2/3/4th choice and there's a possibility he won't make the RWC squad. That's probably why the rumour he resurfaced.

The Will Genia rumours are still doing the rounds in Bath I hear.

Does anyone hear think he'll sign up after the RWC2015?

Yeah, fairly sure he will, especially as his Oz career looks over for the short term at least, with him about 4th choice I reckon. As will many others be tempted to go to Saracens or France I'd imagine.