Guest Blog- The 5m Scrum Fiasco

So I have had a couple of days to think about what happened on Friday night at the Rec and I am still angry for several reasons. 

The first and maybe most important reason is that we failed to kill off a game with three chances. Now, I am not laying the blame solely at the golden boot of our little maestro this season George Ford as both drop goals seemed to be taken very early and a lack of composure/confidence in our own ability to secure the ball and get him into a better position with a little more safety may have helped. I would rather watch Fordy run the game at the gainline so superbly as he has done this season than watch the robotic figure of Owen Farrell at Sarries, but that being said 'Faz' I think would have seen that game off.  This maybe down to the amount of international time he has had to develop that international state of mind - So Mr Lancaster give George more time please.

The second reason for my anger/frustration is what everyone was talking about after the game - myself included, and there are a number of things to think about. I think a big finger needs to be pointed at our stand in captain of the time Dave Atwood (who i rate highly for the record) and I will come back to why shortly. 

Thanks to the wonderful world we live in and the beauty of social media and technology I was able to get confirmation from two well respected referees Jonathan Kaplan and Nigel Owens about why the penalty try was not given. According to both of them the old rule of persistent repetition of rule breaking is not enough for the referee to go under the sticks for the penalty try, the rule states that probability must be brought into the referees decision making. Therefore if Bath had been pushing the scrum back and it was collapsing then the referee could give a PT, but Sale were collapsing before the 2nd push was coming after the hit and stopping it from going back, and even when the push did come it was being wheeled and popping up causing reset.

Mike Ford after the game made a great point, how can a scrum go back if it was continually being brought down?! My argument to mr Dean Richards would be this, because the Sale scrum was under so much pressure and forced to being brought down, surely that was increasing the probability of Bath scoring had the scrum stayed up?!

So for arguments sake the 14 minute 5 meter line debacle could have gone on until the entire front row had been sin binned and we went to uncontested scrums.

So this is now why I look at our decision making and leadership. The only reason I can think that we took scrum after scrum is because we felt we had the advantage and were going to get the penalty try, why didn't stand in skipper Atwood simply ask the referee for confirmation as to what needed to happen for it to turn to a penalty try. As soon as the referee gave the indication that the scrum would need to go forward we could argue that we weren't being allowed to OR change the plan and go for the lineout and drive over. This could have gone on for the duration of the half and still not seen the penalty try given.

On another point the IRB need to change the scrum somehow, it is killing the game. 14 minutes on a scrum (8 minutes of gametime) is too long, despite how tense it made the situation for a rugby purist - imagine the thought process of a casual viewer or maybe somebody taking their children to their first rugby game. Its the equivalent of watching a corner be reset for 8 minutes in football or a golfer spending 14 minutes to lineup a shot. It is dull and they need to come up with a solution, one idea is that the first time a scrum is reset the clock goes off and it only comes back on when the ball has left the scrum and therefore the scrum is completed. Any other ideas should be sent to the IRB as this is a case and study of why the scrum laws are wrong at the moment.

At the end of the day we should have been smarter and it will undoubtedly be a learning experience for Mike Ford and the boys, but when you get the opposition director of rugby admit we were unlucky not to get more out of that you know you have been unfortunate. Teams will employ this sort of anti rugby tactic against us as we want to play an expansive brand so we must learn to have other strategies. Confirmation needs to be clear on certain rules for players and supporters to prevent the scrum fiasco from stopping our beautiful game becoming ugly! Onto Brive...

Matt Johns 

Five rounds, Four teams and Two places!

                  

The Aviva premiership is now building up to the business end of the competition, five games left and the third and fourth play off spots are still looking to be hotly contested.

Four teams are in a sub competition for the final two play off positions, with Saracens and Northampton Saints looking to be secure in first and second.

Bath are currently in third although Tigers are equal on 54 points, and only separated by points difference. Nipping at their heels are Sale and Quins who both can't be ruled out of those making the play offs. 

All four teams have some difficult and very important games left, we could see some some interesting "do or die games".

Bath have been many peoples surprise team this season, drawing lots of plaudits and still very much a developing team. With a wealth of young talent Bath seem to be improving game by game, even the learning curve they received against Saracens at the Rec will also help drive them forward hoping to chase the Play offs. 

Bath's remaining fixtures are far from easy, wins and even bonus points will be tough to gain, but it is within their grasp. Having to play two of the teams who are also competing for a top four position, second place Saints and their West Country counterparts Gloucester, all makes for a difficult run in to the end of the season. Worcester Warriors who unfortunately haven't had the rub of the green this season will be classed as Bath's easiest game, yet Warriors still chasing that first elusive win will not make it an easy game for Bath.  

Tigers have had quite an indifferent campaign this season, as last years champions they have potentially under performed for the majority of their games; yet still sit in fourth matching Bath in points. 

Injuries have certainly hampered Tigers this season, which has left them searching further down their ranks to find replacements. With returning players from injury or international duty Tigers tails are lifting and has seen them pass 40 points in their last two premiership ties, the clinical display in which they dispatched Chiefs saw them back to the Tigers we've been used to. 

The five remaining fixtures for Tigers are definitely the harder set of games within the four contenders, playing the top two teams plus two of your competitors for the play off spots which may well hamper their final flourish.

Sale are on a recent run of one loss in six premiership games, as are Bath, both of the the teams loss has come at the hands of Saracens. Sale at the beginning of the season were tipped as a mid table team, yet have raised the bar in their game this year. 

Their recent win over Saints has shown their intent of chasing a top four finish, Steve Diamond has certainly pushed them on in this campaign, with belief and expectations running high. 

With Danny Cipriani hitting some of his best form and the try machine Mark Cuato still showing no sign of tiring of crossing the line, the team headed up by captain Dan Braid are seeming relentless in their drive to be considered one of the big clubs in the Premiership.

Quins on paper should be flying high at the top of the table, but with inconsistent performances, close wins and players on international duties they find theirselves in sixth place. With their returning 6 Nation players; Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, Joe Marler and man of the moment Mike Brown, they can look to take the final five games by the scruff of the neck and push for a top four finish. 

As with the other three teams it's not an easy run in to the finish line, nine points behind with five games to go is a big ask. Still left to play Sale, Tigers and their final game against Bath the play offs is looking like a very difficult task. 

As a Bath fan I am trying to look at this objectively and without my Blue, Black and White tinted glasses on, but I am looking at this as a fan of the game as opposed to a supporter of a team.

Looking at the remaining fixtures for the four teams I've made my predictions on if the teams will win or lose plus how many points they may well be taking away from the game ie W-4.

Cast your eyes over the table bellow see my predictions and feel free to agree or disagree. 

                       

Friday night lights- The rock and hard place of success

They say that success comes at a price, and this season it could well be that the Bath Fans may well be paying that price.

Bath this season are going from Strength to strength and are making encouraging signs for the future. Currently sitting in 3rd in the Aviva Premiership, Quarter finalists of the Amlin cup, also making the Semi finals of the LV=cup and winning the Aviva 'A' league, their progression is becoming all the more apparent.

This season has seen some good rugby being played by the boys in Blue, Black and White, from the power in the back to the open running of the backs. This leads to an attractive team to watch and more television airtime coming their way, but at what cost does that come to the faithful fans, some of which travel huge distances to watch their beloved team?

When you glance your eyes across the fixture list for Bath this season it makes interesting reading! Including preseason matches but Excluding possible further Amlin matches and potential Play off games, at he end of this season Bath will have played 37 fixtures-

Home Thursday- 1

Home Friday- 5

Home Saturday- 11

Home Sunday- 3

Total- 20

Away Friday- 6

Away Saturday- 7

Away Sunday- 3

+1 to be confirmed against Quins

Total- 17

If you look at those fixtures only just over 50% of the home fixtures have been played on a Saturday! 

There are many season ticket holders who travel from outside of Bath and are faced not only with travel issues but also the possibility of finding accommodation for a Friday or Thursday night game. Some children attend Saturday games and enjoy seeing their heroes playing live, yet evening games mean that some of the younger ones cannot attend, a loss for the future Blue, Black and White faithful. 

The infamous Friday night traffic of Bath is a pure delight normally, with a home game thrown into the mix it just becomes that little more entertaining staring at the bumper of the car ahead of you.

The most alarming of the fixture list are the away games, with only 7 of the away games being played on a Saturday, this also leads to huge travel issues for the fans? A Friday night in Newcastle or Manchester aren't the easiest destinations to get to, leading to people not going or having to take time off of work. The Home advantage (as shown in the 6 Nations) becomes a huge benefit, but taking as many travelling fans to an away game can help ease the pressure for the travelling team. 

The latest change of fixture has been the Northampton Saints game which has been moved from a Saturday to a game under the "Friday Night Lights". This has caused a huge element of upset for many of the fans, yes yet again a Friday game but which Friday it is.......Friday 2nd of May, the Friday of a bank holiday weekend. Schools break up, people trying to get away for the first long weekend of the "summer", all this will add to the extra hassle of travel and also extra cost involved with accommodation, especially with Bath being a tourist destination. All in all not the best option for a rearranged fixture because of television.

There is a flip side to this as well, always positives and negatives. With more games being televised there also are many positives. 

More airtime for Bath Rugby brings more revenue to the club, which hopefully the club may be able to pass on down the line to the supporters (hopefully).

It also means that supporters who can't afford a season ticket or even go to all the home games they will able to watch Bath live. There are many fans who can't get to all the games so the ability to watch them play or the more often is a huge bonus to them. 

More people watching Bath will encourage the #BathFamily to grow and encourage more to take the plunge and visit the Rec to watch Bath play. 

Also it can help draw more people to go to their favourite watering hole and enjoy the game on a screen with friends over the occasional alcoholic beverage. 

With more travelling fans coming into Bath it will also aid the local economy, another reason to keep rugby at the Rec!

BT Sport have taken a novel approach to this seasons schedule; by not speculating at the start of the season by picking the games to be shown, they have opted to choose games of interest as the season progresses. A great option for fans of the game, as they get to see more competitive matches, unfortunately an inconvenience of many supporters who have to leave arrangements to the last minute or even totally change plans.

So as you can see for every downside there is an upside, but is it rewarding the ever present faithful......no! But how can there be a win-win solution with this, sadly there isn't one. We all dream of our clubs becoming a successful, competitive and winning team, sadly with that at times there is a price to pay. We want Bath to becoming the force it once was and are enjoying the direction they are moving, it's a positive vibe that is filling the Rec at the moment with the enjoyment of watching good Rugby emerging from Bath.

Although perhaps the club itself could look into solutions to ease the pain of the suffering season ticket holders, who do invest a lot of time and money into the club. Enjoy the club moving forward but don't lose sight of the ones who have been there through the arduous journey so far! 

So however you look at this situation Bath Rugby really are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and have to choose what they feel is best for the club.......what Would you do? 

#AllezBath 

Bath are in a good spot to win some silverware- Nathan Catt

For somebody who didn't start taking rugby seriously until he was 14, Nathan Catt hasn't done too bad. Working his way up through the Bath academy and representing England in U18's, U19's and U20's his progression to the Saxons seemed certain, which he gained five years ago against Portugal.

His first start for Bath came against Tigers in 2008 in the EDF Energy cup, with his first league appearance against Worcester Warriors a year later.

Growing in confidence as the season progresses the Prop is becoming more prevalent in the Bath match day squad and enjoying a lot more game time.

After his stint away with the Saxons he's geared up for some big games ahead for Bath, also with his lengthy time at Bath Catt is glad that they are back to their winning ways and deserve some silverware, and he's keen this could be the season to grab some. 

Loving life in the Bath squad I managed to catch up with him at Farleigh house for a quick chat.

It's been a great season so far Bath, the pack are becoming a force in the Premiership, what has helped make it become so much stronger this season?

It's been kind of a mixture really; the coaches laid down their foundations last year and have managed to push it through this year, backed up by some good acquisitions and the players really coming into form, making it into a solid pack and where we are now.

You've managed to work your way up through the Bath Academy who has been your biggest inspiration at the club?

That's a hard one...... I've been here quite a while now, I've had quite a few different coaches and many different senior players who have all chipped in and helped. To be fair, I couldn't just say there's been one person. There's been the likes of Haag, Hats even Flats just too many really.

While Paul James away on international duties during this season it has meant you have had a lot more game time, do you think this has helped improve your form? 

Yeah, definitely! I've obviously been second choice for a while and pick up LV games things like that, so to get a good run of regular games, even in the Premiership has given me some good confidence and a chance to show what I can actually do. 

Your form hasn't gone unnoticed as you've been called back into the Saxons, was it a big surprise to get called up again.

I wasn't expecting it to be honest, as I hadn't started too many games but was delighted! It was great to get that little game time with the Saxons. 

You represented England at U18', U19' and 20's then onto Saxons, which led to much acclaim, was it hard as a young player to take on board?

Not really, because I didn't really think about it to be honest. I just thought about what I needed to do to get even better, I didn't really think about the external factors, I just thought where am now, where do I want to go and how do I get there. You have to make it all about yourself and not listen to opinions, you take them in but you cut off and try not to take too much notice.

For a few seasons you seemed to have drifted off the international radar, how hard has it been to recapture your form and work to getting back up the English ladder? 

Yeah, to a certain degree it's been about getting game time and staying injury free. So hopefully if I can keep getting game time, be in good health and play in a pack playing as well as it is....in a team playing as well as it is, then it should stand you in good stead to get some international recognition in the future.

Between club and international training is there much difference, does it become hard training for a short time with players who you normally play against?

Kind of, You build relationships up in your club and I know most of the Bath boys inside out especially the pack. With the Saxons you meet on the Monday and played  on the Saturday; so you have to quickly get to know people find out how they work, figure out what's going to work best for the team when put together in that short time period, to get enough information through but not to overload us and we end up running around like headless chickens.

Who has been the hardest player you've had to prop up against?

Hard one, Dan Cole is good on his day, yeah probably Dan Cole.

In your time at Bath what has been your most memorable moment? 

Hard to say, unfortunately I've not won any cups since I've been playing. Probably games against Leicester are always good.

Is there any team in particular that you look forward to playing and hope you get selected to play against? 

Yeah!! Any local derby like Gloucester or Exeter and the Leicester games also.

When it's announced that players are leaving, what is the general feeling within the squad?

That's quite difficult really. Because obviously some players are in and out and then other players like Claasens for example, have been there for ages and are a real core of the squad. It just depends really, I suppose it's just the way of the game now, people leave for whatever reason and you just have to get on with it.

This coming weekend Bath are taking on Exeter, with the 36 year unbeaten record against them does it ever play a part in how you look at the game or do you just treat it like just another game?

Well the records there, it always gets mentioned by both sides, it's also a local derby so it's not really just a normal game so both teams will really be out to win this one. It's obviously an important game for either team, so it does always add that little bit of spice. We've got quite a few games against them this season so we need to keep the record rolling.

With the majority of the Players on twitter, have you never been tempted or doesn't it interest you? 

To be fair, the main reason I'm not is I'm quite mischievous and have a dark sense of humour, with players like Ross Batty if I got into a bit of banter with him I'd probably say something that may get me in trouble with the club, so to be safe I try stay away from it. With Ross being a Geordie he's normally hard to understand, if you go out for a drink with him and Davey (Wilson) they become even more and more Geordie until you can hardly understand a word they say!

What would you want to see from the club this season, what do believe they can actually achieve from them this year?

As I mentioned earlier, I've been here a long time now and haven't won anything, so I'm desperate to win something. Bath want some silverware and we're in a good spot to win something, 3rd in the Premiership, a home 1/4 in the Amlin and a Home Semi in the LV this could be the season to do it. Obviously the Prem is the first prize, but the LV and Amlin definitely look good, we need to keep on pushing and hopefully pick something up.

The 'A' league was a good start, unfortunately as it was Franklins Gardens we couldn't travel with the team, it would of been great to be there and celebrate with the team, but getting back at 12 and having training the next day we couldn't go, it would of been a great little day out for the whole squad.

As a squad you do all have time outside of rugby together and seem to have a good bond between you all.

It's important we all get together, go and have a little laugh and joke together outside of rugby, choosing to do it not just being put together. Building bonds and spend time with your mates which is another thing that's making us as more of a complete team this season.

A big thanks to Nathan, let's hope Bath keep to their winning ways and keep the Cheifs record alive this weekend!

#AllezBath

Caught between a rock and a hard place!

The dust is starting to settle slightly from the eruption that happened at Bath Rugby on Monday. When the news broke that Gary Gold and Bath had parted company; the fans, the press and everybody in English rugby went into meltdown.

Disbelief, anger, confusion filled the internet, and the most asked question was 'why?'
A question Bath were unable to answer, and as lack of answers followed so did the anger and speculation. Driven by the growing pressure to speak out Bath released their statement.

“Bath Rugby can today confirm that Gary Gold has left the club with immediate effect.

“The decision was taken following a restructure in the rugby department and with the best interests of both Gary and the club in mind.

“No further comment will be made until it is appropriate.”

A statement that was surely the work of Bath's legal team, leading to further speculation and a sence things hadn't finished to amicably.
We can speculate and guess at the reasons for the untimely departure but we just don't have the information and with the back up tweet from Bath it seems their hands are legally bound.

"@bathrugby: We know today's news was big, but we have said all we are currently permitted to say. If we can tell you more soon, we promise we will."

From this it seems that Bath are "caught between a rock and a hard place".
They have received a barrage of Tweets, Facebook messages etc. demanding answers, yet they can't!!

How could Bath get it so wrong? Because no matter how you weigh this it was a catrascophic PR disaster.
As the news was leaked Bath had to rush a statement, but why were they already not prepared for the chance this could happen?
For some reason Bath leaks information like somebody has left the plug out (sorry terrible pun); for example players linked with the club, then denied leading to them actually signing. With this knowledge surely a contingency plan surely needed to be put into action.
Even as the supporters had their backs up another rumour began to speculate; Steve McNamara the England Rugby League coach was coming to join Bath as skills/attack coach, more perfect timing!

Bath has suffered some serious bad PR in the past; drugs, punches and even previous parting of coaching staff members, yet Bath seems not to of learnt from these episodes. Unfortunately due to this a top class professional rugby club is starting to look very poorly run.

Gary Gold was a big favourite with the supporters and a big loss in our eyes. He put himself out there and happily interacted with the fans helping to build the #BathFamily.
I was lucky enough to visit him at Farlirgh and he showed me the aims and targets he had for Bath, a truly knowledgeable and passionate human being.
After his departure the fact that he even made the effort to Direct Message the fans thanking them for their support, indicating what the club and its supporters meant to him.
A huge shame that at the end of his tenure we as fans didn't have the chance to bid him a proper fair well with a round of applause at the Rec.

All in all we are passionate about the club, this shows in the attendances at home games, but a little faith has been knocked and I for one hope Bath can work to regain it.

Rugby world cup ticket prices

The excitement for the Rugby world cup coming to England is starting to grow with less than two years until kick off. Today saw the full schedule and ticket pricing being released for the Rugby World cup 2015, coming with some interesting results.

High ticket prices had been expected, but I feel many rugby fans hadn't quite realised the full extent of what faced them.
Mainly what it will cost to be an English rugby fan and to follow and support them at live games.

There is a large spectrum of price ranges through the group stages. Broken down into four categories; A,B,C and D.
Class D being the cheapest and A being the most expensive. There are a few fixtures running with category D tickets for £15 for an adult and £7 for a child, a category A in the same fixture will cost £60. Great pricing and will enable more fans to go to visit some of the lesser teams play and create a good atmosphere in which some of thw teams nay not of played in.

In an opposite pole of this other fixtures featuring the "big name's" in rugby certainly are priced differently. A prime example is France v Italy at the millennium stadium where a category D is £50 and category A £250.
It is England (the home nation) that will cost the most to watch in the group stages. Starting prices at Twickenham are £75 then raising up to £315!!!!

The biggest shock comes with the tickets to the semi-finals and final; category D £150 and category A £715 with no concessions at all.

So why are the English fans being hit so hard and are the everyday fan being priced out of the bigger matches? Is the greatest spectacle in the rugby world being overrun by corporate side of rugby?

What's your view?
Are the cost of rugby world cup tickets out pricing fans?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QVY5X5W

Monday night lights

In and around the Aviva Premiership there are many tournaments in which the teams take part in. There is the league itself but tournaments such as the Heineken cup, Amlin challenge cup, LV=Cup also the JP Morgans 7's tournament . But a tournament growing pace now is the Aviva 'A' league, in which popularity is growing amongst the supporters.

The popularity of "Monday night lights" is ever growing. Many spectators making the away journeys as well as making sure they see the home fixtures. 
The clubs themselves are publicising the fixtures more, giving match updates on Twitter for those who have not made the journey or are unable to make the game. Bath rugby even went through a stage of live streaming the home matches on Facebook.

For any rugby fan the 'A' league is a great place to learn more about your adopted club and also opposing clubs. With a mixture of academy, returning injured players or just squad members needing more game time the 'A' league boasts them all. The standard of rugby for the 'A' league is really of a high standard, the players are out to prove their abilities to the coaching staff and potentially stake a claim for a first XV place. There's an edge of rawness about the play, as I had it described to me " they get to play instinctive rugby rather than a procession of pre-planned moves".

With the 'A' league running along side the premiership you have all 12 teams represented in the league, then it is split into two separate divisions of Northern Conference and southern Conference. The  semi finals are then held between the top placed team of one sub division against the runner up of the other, with first place drawing the home fixture. 

The Northern Conference consists of - Northampton Wanderers, Sale Jets, Leicester Tigers, Gloucester United, Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Cavaliers.

The Southern Conference contains the other six teams - Exeter Braves, Bath United, London Irish, London Wasps, Harlequins and Saracens Storm.

At the end of the the league stages the Northern Conference finished with Northampton topping the table and Sale as runners up, the Southern Conference was topped by Bath and Harlequins taking second place. The semi finals are now set to take place on Monday the 25th of November - Northampton Wanderers v Harlequins at Franklins gardens and Bath United v Sale Jets at the Recreation Ground.

As a Bath fan I've visited many Monday nights at the Rec, with free entry, food and the bar being open it adds to the enjoyment of a true rugby evening, just sit back and enjoy some great rugby!

This season Bath United have put a good campaign together and had a great run in the league, winning 4/5 games, scoring 189 points with 24 tries, conceding 84 points. Their only loss came at the hands of Exeter Braves at the Rec with Braves scoring a last minute try winning the game 27-32.

Bath have put a lot into their United team, coached by the Academy Director of Rugby Ex-Bath, England and Lions legend Danny Grewcock and fielding some top players who could walk into many first teams. This season we've been shown the talents of Biggs, Agulla, Henson, Gilbert and Heathcote to name just a few. Captained by local boy Kane Palma-Newport the team has performed well and show some flashes of skill that the first XV would be proud of.

Within the 'A' league new discoveries can be made and a special note for Bath definitely goes to Saeed Agboke who showed with his brace of tries against Braves great pace and tenacity, definitely one for the future.

 

All pictures courtesy of  Ian, TakingPictures-Sport.co.uk @uksportingspics