Top of the table clashes are never easy to call at the best
of times. But chuck in some significant
injuries to key players and international call ups, and the whole thing becomes
muddled with unknown factors. Seriously –
nobody ever thinks of the poor amateur blogger when determining international
windows. It’s a travesty.
The hosts are recently discovering why being at the top can
have negative repercussions for a side – with a Bath backline that has being
tearing sides from all over the continent to shreds at various points, the West
Country outfit have seen their lynchpins pinched – and subsequently starring –
for the national side. It’s given their
backline a sort of cobbled-together feel, but with the likes of Eastmond,
Burgess and Rokoduguni there, there’s still plenty of talent and speed. However, it’s in the pack – which has in
previous seasons been a bit of an Achilles heel at the Rec – where Bath have
really made strides this year. With a
back row of Garvey, Fearns and Louw, they have a trio of loose forwards capable
of outmuscling anyone in the league.
Conversely, it’s the pack where the visitors are suffering
the most – and in an area of traditional strength for them. With skipper Dylan Hartley away with England,
and Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes injured, and Alex Corbisiero still not firing
on all cylinders, the East midlanders have lost the nucleus of the most
physical pack in the Premiership, even if the likes of Manoa and Clark are
still thundering around. The backline
does look more settled at first, but injuries to Ben Foden and George North,
coupled with the international selection of Luther Burrell, means that even in
a line-up as exciting as Saints’, there are some big holes to fill.
It is an odd set of circumstances that the absence of so
many big names actually adds to the tension, to the uncertainty, but that’s
what’s happened here. I might as well
give up now.
Bath Team News
Bath's new signing Tom Homer makes his home debut as
Northampton visit for the meeting of the Premiership's top two. The home side, beaten 34-24 at Saracens last
Sunday, are also strengthened by the return of Wales prop Paul James.
Starting Line-up:
Homer; Rokoduguni, Burgess, Eastmond, Woodburn; Devoto, Young; James, Webber,
Thomas, Hooper (capt), Day, Garvey, Louw, Fearns.
Subs: Batty,
Auterac, Palma-Newport, Faosiliva, Houston, Stringer, Jennings, Arscott.
Key Player
Francois Louw. He
was, in my view, the player of the year in 2013 and although injury has
scuppered his chances of replicating that form over the last 12 months, he is
starting to emerge as a dominant figure at the breakdown once again. He has all the characteristics of a classic
openside – aggressive, powerful and with great technique over the ball, his
ability to disrupt Saints’ ball with his canny and timely interventions is
probably Bath’s best hope of disrupting that often relentless momentum
generated by the Northampton pack.
Northampton Team
News
Leaders Northampton have England scrum-half Lee Dickson back
from international duty to captain the side. Prop Gareth Denman and lock James Craig also
come in at The Rec as Saints make three changes from the side that beat London
Irish 15-9 last Friday night. Denman
replaces Australia international prop Salesi Ma'afu, who incurred his second
ban of the season for striking London Irish's Tom Court, while Craig's return
is accommodated by Samu Manoa's switch to the blindside flank.
Starting
Line-up: Wilson; K Pisi, G Pisi,
Stephenson, Elliott; Myler, Dickson (capt); Waller, Haywood, Denman, Craig,
Day, Manoa, Clark, Dickinson.
Subs: Williams, Corbisiero, Mercey, Harrison,
Dowson, Fotuali'i, Olver, Tuala.
Key Player
Samu Manoa. What a
loss the giant American will be when he heads to the sunny south of France with
Toulon next year. Bath’s backrow – in fact
the whole pack – does not lack for physicality, unlike in previous years, and
they will be more than happy to take the Saints on in a heavyweight slugfest. But Manoa does have that x-factor that nobody
can teach, the ability to make jaw-breakingly big hits that can swing the
momentum of a game in a moment. Saints
players and fans will be looking to him for inspiration on Saturday.
Key Battle
Sam Burgess v George Pisi.
I said it before he moved, but I’m a bit worried about Burgess’
potential in union. I don’t know if he
has the pace or footwork to operate at international level in the centres, and
I think he may have moved too late to pick up the nuances of playing in the
back row, to where he’s physically probably more suited. That said, he is improving with every game
and it is of course still early days – but a game against Pisi will test his
defensive abilities to the limit. Pisi
is one of the best in the league at isolating his man and standing him up with
fleet footed acceleration. It will be
fascinating to see how Burgess fares and how much space Pisi can find.
Prediction
I’m pretty crap at predictions anyway, but it’s even tougher
during an international window. Neither
side particularly impressed last week but they’ll certainly raise their game
for a top of the table clash – and I think home advantage will be the deciding
factor. Bath haven’t lost at home this
season and their pack is relatively unaffected by injuries and/or international
call ups. The backline does not look as
settled as Northampton’s but there is still talent and speed in abundance, and I
have the feeling that the loss of Wood, Hartley and Lawes will hurt the
visitors. Bath by 4.
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