Premiership Review - Bath 13 - 21 Northampton Saints

 

From looking comfy up at the top, all is not quite as rosy as it once was in the garden of the West Country.  A loss to Saracens and a tricky fixture list containing the likes of Exeter at Sandy Park over the coming weeks has put the men from the Rec in touching distance of a chasing pack that is split by all of about 2 points.  Their home game against top-of-the-table Saints, then, held extra importance not just in terms of securing a home quarter final spot, but also in terms of actually staying inside the top 4.  

Mike Ford would have made sure his troop knew this and Bath blasted out of the blocks, moving ahead inside two minutes - although only at the second time of asking.  England wing Semesa Rokoduguni should have scored in the corner after being freed following a sharp break by centre Kyle Eastmond, but he was pulled down short of the line by opposite number Jamie Elliott.  Rokoduguni, since his injury, just hasn't looked the same for me.  At the beginning of the season, he would have strolled in, Elliot would have been eating turf, but he looked about as quick as tortoise with bad arthritis in this instance.

But just when the chance looked to have gone, Bath moved possession to the other wing, and Ollie Woodburn touched down after collecting Tom Homer's borderline-forward pass on the bounce and tip-toeing down the touchline. Homer converted from the touchline after the video ref had given the all clear.

Bath had made their intentions clear and dominated the opening exchanges, but Northampton soon settled into the contest, and they tested their opponents defensively through some quality phase-play.  A Homer penalty sent Bath 10 points clear, yet Northampton hit back 12 minutes before the break after Myler had missed an absolute gimme of a penalty chance.

Saints stretched Bath into both corners before James Wilson touched down under huge pressure from an Ollie Devoto tackle, but the try was only awarded following lengthy deliberation between referee Greg Garner and television match official Keith Lewis.  It was touch and go whether or not the Saints' man had a big toe scraping the white-wash, but after one 50-50 call had already gone in favour of the hosts, a try was probably a fair call.  Credit, though, had to go to Tom Stephenson, who made a sharp outside break outside Eastmond, of all people, to release the kiwi full back for the score.

Myler sent the touchline conversion attempt wide, yet Saints were back in business, having weathered a considerable storm, and they went ahead following another spell of pressure highlighted by slick handling between backs and forwards.  On this occasion, it was Haywood who went over for the try, with Myler's conversion hoisting Northampton into a 12-10 interval lead, having been 10 points down with 30 minutes played.  It was some turnaround.

Saints were good value for their slender advantage, and they increased it seven minutes into the second period when Myler landed a penalty after Rokoduguni, who carried possession into touch five metres from his own line, recklessly threw the ball away.  Having seen Scottish Dougie Fife pretty much cost his side the game in Paris, it was a brainless thing to do – and with Northampton's forwards starting to gain an upper hand, Bath had it all to do in their quest to close the gap on Saints at the Premiership summit.

Another Myler penalty made it 18-10, before Homer found the target from 15 metres out, cutting Bath's deficit as a hard-fought tussle move towards its closing stages.  Bath boss Mike Ford and his opposite number Jim Mallinder both made full use of their replacements' benches, but Saints continued to show impressive composure, patiently building through the phases and retaining a territorial stranglehold.

Myler completed his penalty hat-trick to put Northampton further clear, and Homer's inaccuracy off the tee was underlined when he missed another penalty opportunity after Saints centre George Pisi was yellow-carded for an aerial challenge on Rokoduguni.

That was the end of matters for Bath as Northampton comfortably closed out the game to continue their relentless march in pursuit of back-to-back Premiership titles.  As wobbly as Bath look without their international contingent, that is as ominously good as Saints look right now.  Even at 10 points down, they did not look in trouble – they looked in control, efficient and powerful. 

The Saints go marching on.