AWC SF ! Bath V Saints (19:45 friday 9th March BT sport 1)

[Tigersman]

Bath fans will be watching this behind the sofa praying no more injuries....
BATH V Saints
15. Tom Homer Ahsee Tuala
14. Darren Atkins Nafi Tuitavake
13. Will Hurrell Rob Horne
12. James Wilson Piers Francis
11. Cooper Vuna Ben Foden (capt)
10. Josh Lewis Stephan Myler
9. Chris Cook Cobus Reinach
1. Beno Obano Campese Ma’afu
2. Nathan Charles Reece Marshall
3. Max Lahiff Kieran Brookes
4. Levi Douglas Api Ratuniyarawa
5. Charlie Ewels (c) David Ribbans
6. Tom Ellis Jamie Gibson
7. Josh Bayliss Heinrich Brüssow
8. James Phillips Teimana Harrison

Replacements
16. Michael van Vuuren Charlie Clare
17. Nathan Catt Francois van Wyk
18. Henry Thomas Jamal Ford-Robinson
19. Elliott Stooke Michael Paterson
20. Paul Grant Ben Nutley
21. Kahn Fotuali’i Nic Groom
22. Aled Brew Tom Stephenson
23. Matt Banahan Ken Pisi


That feeling when not even Collins, Hill and Ludlam can get game time in the AWC. (Hill is only an english international though....)
Bath putting anyone they can find, This is literally all their fit players......

[fivepointer]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

[Tigersman]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Yeh also plays in the style Eddie likes his 6's to play. (Long way off england but could see him playing Saxons next year)

[Mellsblue]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Yep quality.

[Mellsblue]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Long way off england

You say that but isn’t he a lock converted to blindside

[Scrumhead]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Yeh also plays in the style Eddie likes his 6's to play. (Long way off england but could see him playing Saxons next year)

Agreed. As you say though, it’s a shame that Collins, Ludlam and Hill can’t get a look-in at the moment.

I wonder if Tom Collins’ dad will Tweet again?

[Which Tyler]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Long way off england

You say that but isn’t he a lock converted to blindside

Not quite. He's a lock converted to Openside. It's just that Bayliss is even more specialised as an Openside.
It's also worth noting that he was injured at an England training camp, so Eddie's already noticed him.

As for watching from behind the couch - sounds like every match for the last 18 months!

[Digby]

I thought the last Bath game on TV was a good chance to earn Brownie points by agreeing not to watch a game one cared little about anyway. I stand corrected.

[Mellsblue]

Long way off england

You say that but isn’t he a lock converted to blindside

Not quite. He's a lock converted to Openside.

So:
6. Lawes
7. Ellis
8. Hughes

Jones will be in his backrow element.

[Tigersman]

Pleased to see Tom Ellis back. He looked really good last season.

Yeh also plays in the style Eddie likes his 6's to play. (Long way off england but could see him playing Saxons next year)

Agreed. As you say though, it’s a shame that Collins, Ludlam and Hill can’t get a look-in at the moment.

I wonder if Tom Collins’ dad will Tweet again?

I hope he does I think some saints took it as a dig at North instead of a dig at Saints selection.

[twitchy]

Balmy evening.

[Mikey Brown]

Harrison really is a spastic. Enough to get a red without remotely managing to make an impact on him. That's almost impressive.

I've totally forgotten why we ever thought he was worth looking at for England.

[Digby]

Did Harrison ape Hartley on George, or did he miss entirely?

[p/d]

Looked like he went for a head butt, made minimal contact and Catt might have exagerated the contact made.

[Digby]

Looked like he went for a head butt, made minimal contact and Catt might have exagerated the contact made.

We can blame players for behaving like footballers. But when Owen Farrell can get neck rolled 2-3m from Nigel Owens who is looking right at that area and has nothing blocking his view and still gives nothing you can see why they do.

[fivepointer]

he basically placed his head against Catt's. No force but once you do that you are putting yourself in a difficult spot. It was pretty brainless.
Shame about the weather. Spoiled what might have been a decent game.

[Mikey Brown]

It really wasn’t that bad. I think Watson’s arm, although going over the top of Farrell’s head, was on Farrell’s shoulder. You can see Farrell still able to pivot his head around as he watched the ball go.

There are a bunch of these in most games it seems.