Bath vs Exeter

[Puja]

Bath Rugby team to face Exeter Chiefs

15. Freddie Burns
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Jackson Willison
12. Cooper Vuna
11. Joe Cokanasiga
10. Rhys Priestland (c)
9. Max Green

1. Nathan Catt
2. Tom Dunn
3. Henry Thomas
4. Dave Attwood
5. Charlie Ewels
6. Zach Mercer
7. Tom Ellis
8. Taulupe Faletau

Replacements

16. Jack Walker
17. Jacques van Rooyen
18. Anthony Perenise
19. Elliott Stooke
20. Josh Bayliss
21. Chris Cook
22. Max Wright
23. Darren Atkins


Exeter:

15 Phil Dollman
14 Jack Nowell
13 Henry Slade
12 Ollie Devoto
11 Santiago Cordero
10 Gareth Steenson (capt)
9 Stuart Townsend

1 Ben Moon
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
3 Harry Williams
4 Dave Dennis
5 Sam Skinner
6 Dave Ewers
7 Don Armand
8 Matt Kvesic

16 Jack Yeandle
17 Alec Hepburn
18 Tomas Francis
19 Ollie Atkins
20 Tom Lawday
21 Jack Maunder
22 Joe Simmonds
23 Ian Whitten

[Stom]

That's another round of impressive rotation by Bath...This is only going 1 way.

[fivepointer]

Burns at FB? Is an out of position Vuna a better bet at 12 than Wright? At least the Bath pack are looking a bit more like it, though no Underhill which is a shame.
Skinner back for Exe is very timely. Even without Simmonds, thats a very decent looking back row.

[Timbo]

Skinner back for Exe is very timely. Even without Simmonds, thats a very decent looking back row.

It is, and Tom Lawday off the bench is a hell of a player just waiting for an opportunity to show it.

[Scrumhead]

Agreed. Lawday looks like a late-developer, or at least someone that’s developed off the radar like Gary Graham.

Sam Simmonds is a big loss for Exeter though.

[Which Tyler]

Did LOL really just say that the biggest thing Ex will miss wth Simmonds out is his experience?
Isn't this his second season?

[16th man]

The ongoing question: Will tonight be the game when a ref pings Exeter for going off their feet at pretty much every attacking ruck?

[Mellsblue]

Did LOL really just say that the biggest thing Ex will miss wth Simmonds out is his experience?
Isn't this his second season?

Sadly, it won’t be the most ridiculous thing he says this evening.

[Which Tyler]

The ongoing question: Will tonight be the game when a ref pings Exeter for going off their feet at pretty much every attacking ruck?

Nope

At the corner of the defence, had that gone to hand it was 2 on 1 with Zach and Roll; tried a touch too hard, nice easy steal and try

[Which Tyler]

Did LOL really just say that the biggest thing Ex will miss wth Simmonds out is his experience?
Isn't this his second season?

Sadly, it won’t be the most ridiculous thing he says this evening.

He's just challenged it, ref says "tackle off the ball" 4 times, Mullins repeats it, Lol says "going back for the offside"

[Which Tyler]

Frenetic match though

[16th man]

We lay into Blackadder a bit on here, but you have to be a bit sympathetic when you watch some of the passing and decision making from what are quite experienced Bath players.

[Oakboy]

LCD's throwing at the lineout is horrendous.

[Which Tyler]

FFS!

[16th man]

LCD's throwing at the lineout is horrendous.

Exeter would be out of sight by now if he wasn't.

[16th man]

That's brainless from Kvesic. Not a Bath player in sight to compete with him if he releases and then goes for the ball, but he clings on like he's killing a dangerous attack.

[16th man]

It's not a shabby replacement front row is it?

[16th man]

And there's this week's example of a bemusing failure to give a blatantly obvious penalty.

[Oakboy]

Mercer and Attwood have looked special on the losing side.

[16th man]

Mercer and Attwood have looked special on the losing side.

There's been plenty of good from Bath, but the energy they've burnt trying to make up for their errors has killed them.

That's a brutal bit of play from Cokanisiga. He must be getting very close to an Autumn starting spot.

[Which Tyler]

And there's this week's example of a bemusing failure to give a blatantly obvious penalty.

Same for a card

[16th man]

And there's this week's example of a bemusing failure to give a blatantly obvious penalty.

Same for a card

It's getting like the Ref's in football, where you see them not giving obvious decisions and it looks like they're doing it to try to show that they're more knowledgeable and have seen more than the common observer.

[Oakboy]

I think you can debate one or two decisions but in the main the referee was excellent, IMO.

[Beasties]

Apart from getting most of the scrum pen decisions the wrong way round.

[Beasties]

Mercer and Attwood have looked special on the losing side.

There's been plenty of good from Bath, but the energy they've burnt trying to make up for their errors has killed them.

That's a brutal bit of play from Cokanisiga. He must be getting very close to an Autumn starting spot.

I'm totally onboard the Cockasiga bus. You never know with Eddie, he's prob gone backwards in his odd mind. You'd think Bath would try to use him more. Faletau seemed to not want to pass to him at all this match in spite of having plenty of opportunity.