Bath v Quins

(18/02/17) Bath Rugby 22 Harlequins 12 - My thoughts

So Bath managed to back up their last minute victory against the Saints last Friday with a hard earned win against Londoners Harlequins. It certainly wasn't pretty, in a game strewn with handling errors and mistakes. As a result the game never seemed to quite get going with neither side really stamping their authority in the first half. 9-7 to Bath at half time seemed a fair reflection, but not a half we will be talking about in years to come.

However the standard of play wasn't surprising at the same time, with both sides missing key players to international duty and number of academy players having to step up to the mark. The new Bath centre combination of Max Clark and Rory Jennings had not started a premiership game together and at times this showed. Rhys Priestland was often too deep and static for my liking and I don't think that helped ignite any pace or go forward for the Bath backline. If you compare this with George Ford, we all now how flat he plays by taking the ball to the line and really challenging defences. George is probably the best in the world at this and overall I've been impressed with how Priestland has played in the last few games. His place kicking has been solid (not least holding his nerve to kick the decisive penalty against the Saints), he likes to have a dart which has resulted in key line breaks and overall he's managing the game well. Being named as co-captain alongside Francois Louw clearly shows that Blackadder sees the Welshman as a key leader for Bath when George departs at the end of the season.

 

Overall Bath applied enough pressure to force penalties to keep the score board ticking over, even though Quins outscored Bath by two tries to one. At times Bath just seemed to move side to side on the pitch, with no penetrating carries or incisive lines of running to open up defensive line and get in behind Quins. They really do miss the bruising ball carriers like Matt Garvey and Dave Attwood, who provide the platform that Kahn Fotuali'i thrives upon. Faletau is clearly short of match fitness as is David Denton, but with each game I hope they find their form, albeit Taulupe will now join up with the Wales camp!

The ability to execute basic skills under pressure is a key attribute that all top sides have. Bath are just about doing that at the moment, by grinding out the last two wins. However they will be ruing a missed opportunity in the second half where they had created a three on two as they were approaching the Quins 22. All it required was for Max Clark to draw the last man, give the pass and Roko was away, the most lethal finisher in the premiership. Instead he decided to take the contact and attempt an off load out the back door. He wasn't the only Bath player guilty of this in the match and I think the dry, sunny weather had an influence on the team's mindset here!

I shouldn't paint a bad picture; as a Bath fan the squad have performed exceptionally well considering the injury crisis they're facing, and the youngsters have stepped up admirably. I'm looking forward to attending the Bristol game at Ashton Gate to see how the boys in blue, black and white kick on from the last two encouraging victories.