1
Bath close on Premiership's top four by beating Worcester
By PA
Bath rested many of their big names yet still ran in six tries against Worcester to keep up the pressure on the Gallagher Premiership’s top four. They now sit just a point behind Wasps, but with an extra win under their belts ahead of Sunday’s visit to second-placed Sale.
Warriors too had to dig deep into their squad to make 14 changes after the defeat at home to Bristol. Yet they took the lead after just six minutes as Billy Searle latched on to a wayward pass from Jack Walker to score under the posts. The fly-half kicked the conversion.
Bath were back on terms almost straight away as Cameron Redpath made ground down the right and Semesa Rokoduguni and Tom de Glanville supported before Will Chudley found Tom Ellis on an unstoppable charge to the line. Ex-Worcester player Josh Matavesi converted but missed a straightforward penalty soon after.
Bath went ahead on the scoreboard as the pack made the most of a five-metre scrum and Elliott Stooke was heaved over the line, Matavesi converting for 14-7.
Few players were more conspicuous in the first quarter than Bath’s energetic number eight Zach Mercer. Except that he then dropped the restart kick at the feet of Samoa wing Ed Fidow who scored with ease. Searle’s kick struck the post.
Neither side had settled into much of a rhythm but Worcester had the most dangerous runner on the field in Ollie Lawrence, the only player retained after the home defeat at Bristol. However, their cause was undermined by the loss of skipper Will Butler on 24 minutes, stretchered off with his left leg in a pneumatic splint.
Bath added a third try through hooker Walker on 32 minutes and de Glanville rewarded some serious grunt from his forwards with the bonus point score shortly after. Matavesi converted. Searle’s penalty on the stroke of half-time offered some encouragement to the visitors. Yet given a penalty to touch five metres out from the Bath line early in the second half, he somehow hooked the ball the wrong side of the corner flag.
Stooke grabbed his second on the blindside of a ruck before Matavesi took the direct route to the line, unceremoniously bumping two defenders out of his way to clear space. With both tries converted by the fly-half, Bath led 40-15 after 53 minutes but there was no further scoring. Worcester enjoyed plenty of possession but just could not make a meaningful dent in a resolute Bath defence.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Rassie Erasmus explains so-called Willie Le Roux selection snub
3
Mitchell hints England's much-maligned habit is a thing of the past
4
Gregor Townsend breaks silence on his Scotland future
5
Latest Comments
I’ve seen an improvement in both.
Go to commentsFrance using the 7-1, England using the 6-2, Ireland and Scotland have used it a few times as well and many nations are starting to adopt it. The reality is the game is changing. Administrators have made it faster and that is leading to more significant drop offs in the forwards. You have 2 options. Load your bench with forwards or alter your player conditioning which might mean more intense conditioning for forwards and a drop off in bulk. The game can still be played many ways. Every nation needs to adapt in their own way to suit their strengths. France have followed the Springbok model of tight forwards being preferred because it suits them. They have huge hunks of meat and the bench is as good as the starters so why not go for it? The Springboks have also used hybrids like Kwagga Smith, Schalk Britz, Deon Fourie, Franco Mostert and others. England are following that model instead and by putting 3 loosies there who can do damage in defence and make the breakdown a mess in the final quarter. It worked well against Wales but will be interested to see how it goes going forward against better opposition who can threaten their lineout and scrum. All the talk around bench limitations to stop the 7-1 and 6-2 for me is nonsense. Coaches who refuse to innovate want to keep the game the same and make it uniform and sameness is bad for fans. The bench composition adds jeopardy and is a huge debate point for fans who love it. Bench innovations have not made the game worse, they have made it better and more watchable. They challenge coaches and teams and that’s what fans want. What we need now is more coaches to innovate. There is still space for the 5-3 or even a 4-4 if a coach is willing to take it on and play expansive high tempo possession-based rugby with forwards who are lean and mean and backs who are good over the ball. The laws favour that style more than ever before. Ireland are too old to do it now. Every team needs to innovate to best suit their style and players so I hope coaches and pundits stop moaning about forwards and benches and start to find different ways to win.
Go to comments