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Watson at the double as Wasps hold off Bath

Marcus Watson flies over for Wasps

Marcus Watson scored twice and was sin-binned as Wasps ran in five tries to Bath’s four to secure a hard-fought 31-26 triumph at The Rec.

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In form Wasps, who have now won six straight Premiership matches, came flying out the blocks as winger Watson dotted down from Willie Le Roux’s excellent offload.

Dan Robson then went over from close range, before Watson had a second after a slick Wasps move on Friday.

Bath grasped the initiative when Watson saw yellow for deliberate knock on, and the hosts made the most of the extra number as Rhys Priestland and James Wilson touched down to leave them trailing 19-14 at the break.

A topsy-turvy second half saw Juan de Jongh and Gabiriele Lovobalavu dot down for Wasps, only for Paul Grant and Zach Mercer to respond – the latter while Le Roux was in the sin-bin.

But Wasps clung on amid late pressure to move up to second in the table, albeit Saracens can reclaim the spot by beating Worcester, while Bath have now lost three on the spin.

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J
Jfp123 39 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

It will be great if Jalibert improves in defence, but unless and until he improves substantially, I think he should be out of the running for the national team. If you look at the French A side, attack is not usually so much of a problem - they scored 200 points in the last 6 nations without MJ on the pitch. Defence however can be an issue, Penaud isn’t the greatest in that area for a start. So a 10 who is solid in defence is badly needed. And given his poor defence record, MJ would be bound to be targeted by shrewd coaches like Rassi and Razor, so he needs to be able to withstand that.

Also, given sufficient improvement in defence, there are still factors which tell against MJ. I think the 7/1 bench has been a very successful experiment, and for that you need flexible backs who can play in more than one position in case of injury. Then there’s how well the 10 plays with France’s best 9, Dupont. And even if you think MJ is better when there’s no Dupont or 7/1 split, stability in a test team is important, so it’s better not to go chopping and changing the 10 needlessly. There’s also the question of temperament - MJ doesn’t shine at his brightest when it really matters, eg WC quarters and Top14 finals, and look at his test record over the past 2 years.

I see Ntamack as by far the best option at 10. Rugby is a team game, and apart from his excellent defence, there’s his partnership with Dupont, his versatility, and all the other skills that go to making a great team player and a great 10. He’s excellent under the high ball, an area where France tend to have a weakness, and has fine strategic and team management skills, great handling skills and so on.

While having star quality is important, it’s not the be all and end all, as illustrated by UBB this season. Imo, though undoubtedly very good, they underperformed. With best wings, best 9, as Dupont barely played in the Top14, with Jalibert and leading centres and 15, plus a strengthened forward pack, they couldn’t match ST in points scored, despite the latter’s huge injury list which left some positions seriously weakened, at least on paper.

For next season, I hope ST are back to their scintillating best with injuries healed, that LBB is back to rude health for UBB, that the exciting promise of La Rochelle’s and Toulon’s new recruits bears fruit, Bayonne continue to defy their budget and we have a cracking, highly competitive Top14 and Les Bleus triumphant in the autumn internationals and six nations!

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