Tuesday 4 March 2014

Premiership Review - Bath 10 - 23 Saracens



There is a fine line between supreme self-confidence and arrogance.  The best sides in the World are all supremely confident – the current All Black side, Martin Johnson’s 2003 England side and even the Leinster team of recent years.  That confidence is also commonly misinterpreted as arrogance by jealous people – but there is a difference.  To be confident is the mental acceptance of the fact that you are good, and the realisation that your superior ability should win you games.  Arrogance is exactly the same, but without the on-field ability to back that confidence up.  Think of your average office co-worker after a couple of beers in a karaoke bar, and you’ll know the mentality.

Two sides that certainly do have supreme levels of confidence (or at least did, going into last Friday’s game at the Rec) are Bath and Saracens.  The hosts for Friday’s pulsating encounter between 3rd and 2nd hadn’t lost a home game all season, and have been applauded this season for the vibrancy of their young backline and their attacking mentality.  A win against the Londoners would not only go a fair way to securing a playoff spot, but would also throw their name into the mix for a home playoff spot as well.  What perhaps didn’t bode as well for the West Country boys was the fact that Sarries were also very confident – sitting comfortably in the top 2, they were the last side to win at the Rec in the league, and did so with an easy 22 – 0 victory back in December 2012.  It is a deep routed confidence borne from victories, and a confidence that couldn’t be shaken even after the withdrawal of veteran fly half Charlie Hodgson due to illness moments before kick off, forcing regular fullback Alex Goode into action in the 10 shirt.

Goode, of course, is himself an intelligent footballer even if he has his detractors over the attacking threat he offers from fullback, and demonstrated his very handy skillset by orchestrating some smooth Saracens attacks in a hectic opening 10 minutes.  Despite the damp conditions and the slippy surface, there was a refreshing ambition from both sides to try and exploit the wide spaces and get around the aggressive midfield defences.  It was high pressure stuff which yielded a first penalty attempt of the night for young England fly-half-to-be George Ford, but his attempt was so sliced it could have quite comfortably been served with cream.

Luckily for the hosts, Ford has shown that he is a much more mature and reliable player off the tee this year, and knocked over a straightforward penalty after 19 minutes to give Bath a 3-0 lead.   That advantage was short lived, however, as Matt Banahan was bundled into touch following the restart and Paul James was penalised for collapsing the ensuing lineout maul.  Goode stepped up to demonstrate his all-rounder credentials once again with a fine kick to bring things level.  But Bath were looking marginally the more dangerous side in the opening period, and it seemed that they had got their reward when a quick throw in from the quick thinking Stringer allowed Banahan to coast in round the posts.  The touch judge, however, correctly adjudged that the throw was forward, and Bath were left frustrated and still level.

To make matters worse, the visitors were beginning to dominate the breakdown.  Despite thunderous defence from Dave Attwood – who left Steve Borthwick eating turf with one particularly memorable hit – the likes of Ernst Joubert and especially Jacques Burger were hitting rucks with greater intensity, even keeping the likes of Francois Louw quiet.  It allowed the Londoners to slowly work their way back into the game, and they took full control in an explosive final 10 minutes of the half.

Firstly, a smart half-break and offload from Joel Tomkins gave Duncan Taylor the chance to give a scoring pass to Chris Wyles, allowing the American to coast in for the game’s opening score, converted by Goode.  Bath then attempted to strike straight back and claim a try just before halftime, but were dealt a sporting version of a kick in the crown jewels when Saracens turned the ball over and Taylor hacked the ball ahead, forcing Banahan to fumble and allowing Brad Barritt – not known for his cultured boot – to plant a delightful kick into space for David Strettle to run onto, gather and score.  It was a fitting score for the England winger on his 100th appearance for Saracens, and was made sweeter by Goode’s conversion, giving the visitors a 17 – 3 lead at half time.

It was an odd feeling at half time.  It felt like Bath had been in control of possession and territory for most of that half, but they had never really looked like scoring, whilst Sarries had been defending for the majority of the game but were looking ruthless when presented with opportunities.  And opportunities just weren’t forthcoming for the hosts, despite their best endeavours.

Time and again, the Bath backline tried to generate some go-forward ball, with Kyle Eastmond looking dangerous, but Saracens were just so dominant in the tackle area, with Burger wreaking havoc.  The Zimbabwean always plays ‘on the line’ though, and was lucky not to see yellow for a bone-juddering late hit on Dobby’s uglier cousin, Peter Stringer, forcing the scrum half from the field.  Goode compounded the sense of injustice for the West Country outfit by smashing over a wonderful drop goal just minutes later.

Eventually, Burger’s luck did run out, and the flanker was yellow carded in the 66th minute for a horrible looking swinging arm in a tackle on Anthony Watson.  The extra man gave Bath the chance to lay siege to the visitors line, but they came up short time and again, with Leroy Houston appearing to have driven over, only for a web of Saracens arms to get between the ball and the ground.  Finally, their pack got their reward for their hard battle with their Saracens counterparts, driving a scrum over for a penalty try, but by now the game felt out of reach – a feeling compounded as they were forced to watch Goode slot another penalty just moments after the restart, to leave the score at 23 – 10.

There was still time for Wyles to see yellow for a no-arms hit on Rokagaduni as the big winger went for the corner, but the hope and spark had petered out for the hosts.  The swashbuckling confidence that was surging through the team had dissipated and, when the final whistle went, they were left to reflect on a game in which they just didn’t look dangerous for the first time this season, and on the fact that a place in the top two may well be out of their grasp for now.

For Sarries, well – a win against one of the form teams, away from home, with your fly half dropping out minutes before kickoff.  And a convincing win at that.  I think they’ve earned the right to be a bit arrogant confident.

 
What else was happening in the Premiership last weekend?

Exeter Chiefs 18 – 0 London Irish:  The out-of-form Chiefs claimed a comfortable win over the in-form Irish thanks to tries from Phil Dollman and Ian Whitten.

Harlequins 21 – 20 Worcester Warriors:  Quins handed out more heartbreak to Dean Ryan’s Worcester by coming from behind to sneak a narrow win.  Tries for the hosts by Sam Smith and Harry Sloan were cancelled out by Warriors’ scores from David Lemi and Chris Pennell.

London Wasps 17 – 21 Sale Sharks:  The Sharks kept up their great run of form with an impressive win in Wycombe.  The hosts crossed through Joe Simpson but were outscored as Sale scored two tries through Daniel Braid and Johnny Leota.

Northampton Saints 39 – 13 Gloucester:  A dominant second half display after a tense opening period saw the hosts ease to victory and maintain top spot.  Saints scored tries through Ken Pisi, Calum Clark, Tom Stephenson, Alex Waller and Will Hooley, with Henry Trinder claiming the Cherry and Whites’ only 5 pointer.

Newcastle Falcons 18 – 41 Leicester Tigers:  An impressive second half and a decent run out from Manu Tuilagi helped Leicester find some form and ease to victory in the North East.  Despite scoring tries through Noah Cato and Scott Lawson, Tigers picked up a bonus point with Niki Goneva (2), Thomas Waldrom and Pablo Matera all crossing.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Share your views