Bath v Gloucester, Sunday

[Which Tyler]

Assuming it goes ahead...
I gather the pitch is "dry" but the entry ways may be a H&S hazard

Ref: Christophe Ridley
TJs: Dan Jones & Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: Rowan Kitt

Bath:
1 Beno Obano
2 Tom Dunn
3 Will Stuart
4 Elliott Stooke
5 Charlie Ewels
6 GJ van Velze
7 Miles Reid
8 Jaco Coetzee

09 Ben Spencer ©
10 Finn Russell
11 Will Muir
12 Cameron Redpath
13 Ollie Lawrence
14 Joe Cokanasiga
15 Tom de Glanville

16 Niall Annett, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Alfie Barbeary, 23 Sam Underhill
21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Sam Harris, 23 Sam Underhill

Gloucester:
1 Mayco Vivas
2 George McGuigan
3 Fraser Balmain
4 Freddie Clarke
5 Matias Alemanno
6 Ruan Ackermann
7 Lewis Ludlow (c)
8 Zach Mercer

09 Caolan Englefield
10 Adam Hastings
11 Ollie Thorley
12 Seb Atkinson
13 Chris Harris
14 Jonny May
15 Santi Carreras

16 Seb Blake, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Jack Clement
21 Stephen Varney, 22 Max Llewellyn, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit



Pretty sure that having du Toit, Sam Underhill and Alfie Barbeary all sat on the bench is called "psychological warfare"
Otherwise, delighted to see TdG back at FB, and TCS and Sam Harris trusted on the bench, still disliking the 6:2 split though. I felt MOjo did enough against Leicester to deserve keeping a starting shirt as well, but I'm not complaining about the Redpath, Lawrence partnership.
It's going to hurt seeing Mercer back on the Rec, in the wrong shirt

[Which Tyler]

Friday lunchtime

[Peej]

"Bring your long studs, lads"

[Which Tyler]

[Beasties]

"Bring your long studs, lads"

Fine work sir.

[Which Tyler]

Bath also with a change - Cloete to the bench instead of Underhill

Not happy with that change. If Underhill has failed a late fitness test, then fair enough, but we already had too many forwards on the bench. IMO should have brought Ojomoh in

[twitchy]

Bath just score as I type this but some of their players look cold and "cba" today.

[Which Tyler]

Yeah, looks like we thought we just had to turn up, and be given the win.

[Which Tyler]

Now we've got a bit of time - can any forwards or refs explain the calls for Ackermann's 2 turnovers?

First seemed late, and in at the side, but ref gave him the okay, second one was very late, but the ref actively told him to go for the ball.

[twitchy]

[Which Tyler]

Bath have been doing it all season.
Today is pretty much the first time our opponents have done the same.

And it's not "you can advance from an offside position" any more than it's Bath alone doing it today.
Once the carrier has run 5m, there are no offside lines anymore, it's open play. No offside lines in open play is pretty fundamental in rugby IMO. Mutual exploitation of it is... not terribly interesting to watch.

[Spiffy]

In the lead up to deGlanville's second try, Cockanasiga was tackled to ground then got up and played on without releasing the ball. Clear as the nose on your face. Next phase Bath score. Very sloppy stuff from the refereeing team. Only Monye mentioned it.

[Puja]

In the lead up to deGlanville's second try, Cockanasiga was tackled to ground then got up and played on without releasing the ball. Clear as the nose on your face. Next phase Bath score. Very sloppy stuff from the refereeing team. Only Monye mentioned it.

I'd've also disallowed it for Lawrence bodychecking a potential tackler while in front of the ball. The TMO and ref said that it was fine because "he just kept running his line" but he wasn't behind the ball carrier, so he wasn't entitled to keep running if it meant blocking a defender - he was offside.

Puja

[FKAS]

Well Hastings really choked at the end there didn't he. Always good when your big money flyhalf can't throw a simple pass under moderate pressure.

[Puja]

I've never got any of the hype around Hastings. CAtkinson should overtake him by the end of the 6N.

Puja

[Puja]

Bath have been doing it all season.
Today is pretty much the first time our opponents have done the same.

And it's not "you can advance from an offside position" any more than it's Bath alone doing it today.
Once the carrier has run 5m, there are no offside lines anymore, it's open play. No offside lines in open play is pretty fundamental in rugby IMO. Mutual exploitation of it is... not terribly interesting to watch.

I'd question whether the carrier has run 5m in any of the examples in that video excerpt there. Sometimes they haven't even run 5 paces.

Puja

[Captainhaircut]

I've never got any of the hype around Hastings. CAtkinson should overtake him by the end of the 6N.

Puja

Contract up at the end of the season. Considering how dreadful he is, they should start picking Atkinson now. Looks like they’ll be spending the money saved on Tomos Williams which would give them a decent half back pairing.

[FKAS]

I've never got any of the hype around Hastings. CAtkinson should overtake him by the end of the 6N.

Puja

Contract up at the end of the season. Considering how dreadful he is, they should start picking Atkinson now. Looks like they’ll be spending the money saved on Tomos Williams which would give them a decent half back pairing.

With Carreras at 15 doing to kicking for goal you eliminate the big Charlie Atkinson weakness as well. Am I right in thinking Hastings is the Glaws marquee player as well? Really hasn't been good value for money for them. Tomos Williams in as a replacement will certainly help them and be for a lot less you'd imagine.

Glaws have been linked with some tightheads as well, that would be a better use of their marquee spot. Give them some depth up front with a high quality prop.

If I was the Glaws board I'd see if the SRU fancy taking Hastings back early.

[Banquo]

Bath have been doing it all season.
Today is pretty much the first time our opponents have done the same.

And it's not "you can advance from an offside position" any more than it's Bath alone doing it today.
Once the carrier has run 5m, there are no offside lines anymore, it's open play. No offside lines in open play is pretty fundamental in rugby IMO. Mutual exploitation of it is... not terribly interesting to watch.

its a loophole that needs closing and easily done. Its not even tiring other sides out, they just stand and wait for a mistake. Not picking on Bath, all are now on it.

[Banquo]

I've never got any of the hype around Hastings. CAtkinson should overtake him by the end of the 6N.

Puja

Contract up at the end of the season. Considering how dreadful he is, they should start picking Atkinson now. Looks like they’ll be spending the money saved on Tomos Williams which would give them a decent half back pairing.

With Carreras at 15 doing to kicking for goal you eliminate the big Charlie Atkinson weakness as well. Am I right in thinking Hastings is the Glaws marquee player as well? Really hasn't been good value for money for them. Tomos Williams in as a replacement will certainly help them and be for a lot less you'd imagine.

Glaws have been linked with some tightheads as well, that would be a better use of their marquee spot. Give them some depth up front with a high quality prop.

If I was the Glaws board I'd see if the SRU fancy taking Hastings back early.

Both Hastings and Carreras were poor today, again. I get rid of both. Quite liked Englefield til he was nutmegged

[Spiffy]

Contract up at the end of the season. Considering how dreadful he is, they should start picking Atkinson now. Looks like they’ll be spending the money saved on Tomos Williams which would give them a decent half back pairing.

With Carreras at 15 doing to kicking for goal you eliminate the big Charlie Atkinson weakness as well. Am I right in thinking Hastings is the Glaws marquee player as well? Really hasn't been good value for money for them. Tomos Williams in as a replacement will certainly help them and be for a lot less you'd imagine.

Glaws have been linked with some tightheads as well, that would be a better use of their marquee spot. Give them some depth up front with a high quality prop.

If I was the Glaws board I'd see if the SRU fancy taking Hastings back early.

Both Hastings and Carreras were poor today, again. I get rid of both. Quite liked Englefield til he was nutmegged

Englefield looked sharp in both passing and running. I think Carreras could make a bigger contribution at 10.
What do posters think of Muir? He is having a good season so far. Not an out and out flier, but quite fast with good acceleration and footwork, a bit of power, decent in the air and some rugby smarts. An all rounder who looks as effective as any English wing at the mo.

[Oakboy]

In this match, on several vital occasions, Coka's hands were not good enough. Muir looked a better player but I would not rate him higher than 'good club standard'.

[FKAS]

Muir looked good in his first two seasons at Bath (well he joined mid season in the first one), started attracting attention and then was injured for virtually all of last season. His strike rate initially for Bath was I think almost 1 in 2. Not at that currently but he looks a good all rounder, a little in the Roebuck mold. At 28 height be considered a bit to old to develop given the number of younger options and a serious injury last season.

[twitchy]

He does seem like a very borthwick style winger.

[Which Tyler]

He's a solid all-rounder on the wing, and especially given his 7s experience, I'm sure he wouldn't let anyone down at international level, but... we've got so many better options available. (better as in good all-rounder + a point of difference, which is what Muir lacks)