The fairytale ending was not to be when Bath took on Leicester in The Clash. Bath lost the game at Twickenham 19 - 34 to Leicester.
Bath started the game well and Aled Brew's take off the kickoff really set the game up and put Bath fans on the edge of their seats. The team had a sense of belief and when I was speaking to Todd Blackadder earlier this week he said to 'expect a team that will really want to actually play with some pride and show everyone what we've got.' There is no denying that Bath did that as they put on a real performance and showed everyone what the team can do.
A thrilling game at England Rugby's HQ. Bath vs Leicester has always traditionally been a fierce and physical game and today was no different. Bath's attack was physical and their defence was monumental. It was just the fact that they didn't keep enough possession that ruined their chance of winning in front of 50,000 supporters at Twickenham.
Bath started the game well and Aled Brew's take off the kickoff really set the game up and put Bath fans on the edge of their seats. The team had a sense of belief and when I was speaking to Todd Blackadder earlier this week he said to 'expect a team that will really want to actually play with some pride and show everyone what we've got.' There is no denying that Bath did that as they put on a real performance and showed everyone what the team can do.
The return of Francois Louw and the international players lifted the team but the injury crisis surrounding the club can be blamed for the loss once again. An epidemic in the tight head position meant that Shaun Knight was to start and it wasn't long until he was given a yellow card for penalties in the scrum. Combined with the fact that Khan Fotuali'i had also been yellow carded, Bath were down to 13 men. Victor Delmas had to step up and make his premiership debut but stepped up and played really well. It was his first time playing at this level and had he been a weaker player, Bath would have faced further difficulty at the scrum.
Despite two yellow cards Bath were ahead 13 - 10 at half time thanks to a Rhys Priestland penalty. When speaking to Blackadder this week I asked who the first choice fly half at the club was and the answer was Rhys.
Listen to the interview by clicking below...
The second half saw Bath make a high number of tackles with the total number being over 200 for the whole game. Bath struggled for possession which meant that they were unable to break Leicester down and score tries. Their defence was so physical with players doubling up in the tackle which was really encouraging to see. The fact that there were so many tackles meant that Bath weren't attacking and although having a strong defence is important, it's more important to have the ball.
It was a close game and credit has to be given to Leicester who were the better team on the day. The fact that they were able to bring on some top quality players off the bench really confirmed their dominance. They were so strong in the set piece and always seem to up their game at this time of the season.
It was a close game and credit has to be given to Leicester who were the better team on the day. The fact that they were able to bring on some top quality players off the bench really confirmed their dominance. They were so strong in the set piece and always seem to up their game at this time of the season.
It seems as if Bath are so nearly there. Although a spot in the top 4 is now out of reach it is easily possible for Bath to finish top 6 if they can play the way they did today for the next three games. The Clash seems to be a success and hopefully next year it will be Bath who are victorious and fighting for a space in the top 4.
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