RugbyRebels

Ref: Wayne Barnes
TJs: Simon Harding & Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: Tom Foley


Exeter
15 Stuart Hogg
14 Olly Woodburn
13 Ian Whitten
12 Tom Hendrickson
11 Tom O’Flaherty
10 Joe Simmonds
09 Sam Maunder

1 Alec Hepburn
2 Jack Yeandle ©
3 Patrick Schickerling
4 Jannes Kirsten
5 Jonny Gray
6 Dave Ewers
7 Sam Skinner
8 Jacques Vermeulen

16 Jack Innard, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Richard Capstick, 20 Santiago Grondona
21 Jack Maunder, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Josh Hodge


Bath
15. Tom De Glanville
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Jonathan Joseph
12. Max Clark
11. Joe Cokanasiga
10. Orlando Bailey
09. Ben Spencer

1 Valeriy Morozov
2 Jacques du Toit
3 Will Stuart
4 Will Spencer
5 Charlie Ewels ©
6 Josh Bayliss
7 Sam Underhill
8 Nathan Hughes

16 Tom Dunn, 17 Arthur Cordwell, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Mike Williams, 20 Ewan Richards
21 Joe Simpson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Will Muir

That Bath pack should be competitive. I'm not convinced the Exe backs outside of Simmonds have much in the way of creativity, or much of an inclination to pass the ball. Still. i'm liking Sam Maunder and Schickerling is a bit of a character at tight head.

Bath actually starting to look a little stronger on paper - pity about the form.
12 of the starters who would be in the first choice 23 (though arguable for Hughes and Spencer).
With Spencer, Hughes, Clark and Coka, we've gone from not having any ball carriers, to having 4 - will we know what to do with them?
Even the bench doesn't fill me with fear - for possibly the first time this season.
I'm suddenly not sure this isn't just a really cruel April Fools prank.

You'd have to say that's the first time in a long while where Bath have looked to have a strong team on paper. I still don't hold out much hope for them, but after having a really good result against Sale last up, a half-decent showing here could lead to a strong finish to the season.

Puja

Puja wrote:You'd have to say that's the first time in a long while where Bath have looked to have a strong team on paper. I still don't hold out much hope for them, but after having a really good result against Sale last up, a half-decent showing here could lead to a strong finish to the season.

Puja

Yep, in terms of availability, it feels like we've really turned a corner. But they'll stil be suffering the negative momentum of this season, and still lacking in cohesion. But I'm actually confident that we can put up a good fight, and be capable of finishing strong - even if I don't expect it to be enough and would be pleasantly surprised with a LBP (whereas play this same match in December and I'd have been pleasanty surprised to keep the PD below 25)

Vermeulen in the Sam Simmonds 8 role is interesting.

Which Tyler wrote:

Puja wrote:You'd have to say that's the first time in a long while where Bath have looked to have a strong team on paper. I still don't hold out much hope for them, but after having a really good result against Sale last up, a half-decent showing here could lead to a strong finish to the season.

Puja

Yep, in terms of availability, it feels like we've really turned a corner. But they'll stil be suffering the negative momentum of this season, and still lacking in cohesion. But I'm actually confident that we can put up a good fight, and be capable of finishing strong - even if I don't expect it to be enough and would be pleasantly surprised with a LBP (whereas play this same match in December and I'd have been pleasanty surprised to keep the PD below 25)

Although, if memory serves, you were actually robbed of a win in the reverse fixture in December, weren't you?

Puja

Puja wrote:Although, if memory serves, you were actually robbed of a win in the reverse fixture in December, weren't you?

We've been robbed a couple of times this year - but I don't recall the Exeter match being one of them. IIRC we outperformed our form and team selection, but simply ran out of steam.

Frenetic stuff down at Sandy.
Cola with another try, looking for work, and can't wipe the smile off his face - which is great to see

Anyone not watching this needs to switch over - or at least catch the replay later

Well played Exeter. Bath gave it everything, but your lungs lasted a couple of minutes longer than ours, and then our heads dropped (helped by a couple of outrageous dummies), and the floodgates opened.

Does anyone know whether Patrick Schickerling is an EQP? Can't find any info anywhere, which suggests to me that he's not but you never know.

Think he qualifies on residency having been here since 2018. He played for Namibia, where he was born, at u20 level but i dont think that rules out playing for England.