RugbyRebels

15. Jason Woodward; 14. Tom Marshall, 13. Chris Harris, 12. Billy Twelvetrees, 11. Ollie Thorley; 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Willi Heinz (capt); 1. Josh Hohneck, 2. Franco Marais, 3. Fraser Balmain; 4. Alex Craig, 5. Franco Mostert; 6. Freddie Clarke, 7. Jake Polledri, 8. Ruan Ackermann

Replacements:
16. Todd Gleave, 17. Alex Seville, 18. Ciaran Knight, 19. Gerbrandt Grobler, 20. Lewis Ludlow, 21. Joe Simpson, 22. Owen Williams, 23. Louis Rees-Zammit

Unavailable for selection: Mark Atkinson, Ruan Dreyer, Jamal Ford-Robinson, Corné Fourie, James Hanson, Jaco Kriel, Ben Morgan, Val Rapava Ruskin, Charlie Sharples, Ed Slater, Henry Trinder

15. Tom Homer
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Jonathan Joseph
12. Jamie Roberts
11. Anthony Watson
10. Rhys Priestland
9. Chris Cook
1. Beno Obano
2. Tom Dunn
3. Will Stuart
4. Josh McNally
5. Elliott Stooke
6. Francois Louw (C)
7. Sam Underhill
8. Taulupe Faletau
Replacements
16. Jack Walker, 17. Lewis Boyce, 18. Christian Judge, 19. Mike Williams, 20. Tom Ellis, 21. Ollie Fox, 22. Freddie Burns, 23. Aled Brew

Two impressive sets of backs... I fear front row is where we may come unstuck tomorrow.

Gloskarlos wrote:Two impressive sets of backs... I fear front row is where we may come unstuck tomorrow.

Great backrow battle

The Louw, Underhill and Faletau backrow has a lovely balance to it - got to be the best back row combo in the league?

Adam_P wrote:The Louw, Underhill and Faletau backrow has a lovely balance to it - got to be the best back row combo in the league?

although it might have JNGF blowing a gasket over the numbering.

Definitely helps having three top internationals there

Banquo wrote:

Adam_P wrote:The Louw, Underhill and Faletau backrow has a lovely balance to it - got to be the best back row combo in the league?

although it might have JNGF blowing a gasket over the numbering.

Definitely helps having three top internationals there

....and Polledri rightly motm. Cips both classy and careless.

Baths attack underachieves and too many tackles missed

Bath really do need to do far more with the ball they win, and to be far more clinical and composed in their opponents 22.
Glos defended well and turned the tide with Polledri leading the way. Cips was certainly a mixed bag.
From an England POV, Stuart advanced his case for a call into the 6N squad.

fivepointer wrote:Bath really do need to do far more with the ball they win, and to be far more clinical and composed in their opponents 22.
Glos defended well and turned the tide with Polledri leading the way. Cips was certainly a mixed bag.
From an England POV, Stuart advanced his case for a call into the 6N squad.

A Bath backline with Watson/Joseph/Roko should be doing a lot better. Don't really see what the lumbering Roberts at 12 brings to the party any more.

Cook is a rank average (being kind) passer, and Priestland plays so far behind the gain line I don’t think he could see it with binoculars. Basically kills their attack stone dead.

Will Stuart and Tom Dunn could be right in the England squad mix.

Timbo wrote:Will Stuart and Tom Dunn could be right in the England squad mix.

Yep. Thought they were both excellent. Their mate at lh wasn’t too far behind.
Both Joseph and Watson were top class; though, Joseph did fall off a couple of tackles.

Happy our front row survived, much better second half, nobody carries like polledri. Agree, for all Baths ball I wasn’t really worried about conceding tries at any time other than Taulupe’s break, fairly toothless. Glos do have to stop conceding stupid pens tho, gifting points and territory week in week out.

Timbo wrote:Will Stuart and Tom Dunn could be right in the England squad mix.

Agreed. Both have been good all season and are good all-rounders with solid basics and some ability in the loose too.

Mellsblue wrote:

Timbo wrote:Will Stuart and Tom Dunn could be right in the England squad mix.

Yep. Thought they were both excellent. Their mate at lh wasn’t too far behind.
Both Joseph and Watson were top class; though, Joseph did fall off a couple of tackles.

he did, but one was Polledri being driven on by two other Glaws players

Banquo wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:

Timbo wrote:Will Stuart and Tom Dunn could be right in the England squad mix.

Yep. Thought they were both excellent. Their mate at lh wasn’t too far behind.
Both Joseph and Watson were top class; though, Joseph did fall off a couple of tackles.

he did, but one was Polledri being driven on by two other Glaws players

Knew that might garner a response from you. Now just waiting for Dors to tell me Slade would’ve dump tackled all three.

Timbo wrote:Cook is a rank average (being kind) passer, and Priestland plays so far behind the gain line I don’t think he could see it with binoculars. Basically kills their attack stone dead.
.

This- Healey was banging on about Priestland running onto the ball, ignoring that he was starting where a 10 would have been in the 60s, so every time Bath were trying moves, they were so deep glaws could just watch them and close it down at their leisure and behind a normal tackle line mostly

Banquo wrote:

Timbo wrote:Cook is a rank average (being kind) passer, and Priestland plays so far behind the gain line I don’t think he could see it with binoculars. Basically kills their attack stone dead.
.

This- Healey was banging on about Priestland running onto the ball, ignoring that he was starting where a 10 would have been in the 60s, so every time Bath were trying moves, they were so deep glaws could just watch them and close it down at their leisure and behind a normal tackle line mostly

Coupled with the Bath forwards not even looking for offloads or passes and it was all a bit predictable.

Mellsblue wrote:

Banquo wrote:

Mellsblue wrote: Yep. Thought they were both excellent. Their mate at lh wasn’t too far behind.
Both Joseph and Watson were top class; though, Joseph did fall off a couple of tackles.

he did, but one was Polledri being driven on by two other Glaws players

Knew that might garner a response from you. Now just waiting for Dors to tell me Slade would’ve dump tackled all three.

it wasnt his best game, though he looked sharper running. He had to work hard in defence and it showed

Mellsblue wrote:

Banquo wrote:

Mellsblue wrote: Yep. Thought they were both excellent. Their mate at lh wasn’t too far behind.
Both Joseph and Watson were top class; though, Joseph did fall off a couple of tackles.

he did, but one was Polledri being driven on by two other Glaws players

Knew that might garner a response from you. Now just waiting for Dors to tell me Slade would’ve dump tackled all three.

I don't think Slade would have been caught by Polledri once he was a good yard clear but Joseph was in the first half. I still think Joseph is a yard short of his pace of 3/4 years ago, not that it makes him a bad player, just a slower one.

Oakboy wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:

Banquo wrote: he did, but one was Polledri being driven on by two other Glaws players

Knew that might garner a response from you. Now just waiting for Dors to tell me Slade would’ve dump tackled all three.

I don't think Slade would have been caught by Polledri once he was a good yard clear but Joseph was in the first half. I still think Joseph is a yard short of his pace of 3/4 years ago, not that it makes him a bad player, just a slower one.

Possibly and probably

Slade is reasonably quick, but I’m having a hard time believing he’s quicker than Joseph.

Timbo wrote:Slade is reasonably quick, but I’m having a hard time believing he’s quicker than Joseph.

I think he's quicker than Joseph is now but it's only opinion based on observation. Injuries have affected both. I think Slade has come back quicker and stronger than he used to be. So far, I think Joseph has lost pace. Based on age and injury-records, I suspect that Joseph might not get any quicker as he recovers but Slade still might. I really hope that I'm wrong about Joseph, mind, but their international selection record of late tends to confirm it perhaps.

I admit to have not rated Joseph a few years back and then changed my mind following so many being convinced about him. 3 or 4 years back he was arguably the best centre defensively as well as one of the best in attack. Now, he has lost a little something, IMO, but I really hope he can regain it.

I think Joseph is still quicker off the mark (possibly not over the distance) but that’s the one that tends to matter more.