Bath v Northampton Saints: Five takeaways as ‘Bath Bomb’ come in clutch but ‘weak’ defence could prove ‘fatal’ against French opposition
Bath v Northampton: Five takeaways from a scintillating match at the Recreation Ground
Following a 43-41 win for Bath over Northampton Saints in a scintillating Investec Champions Cup match, here’s our five takeaways from the Recreation Ground.
The top line
The showcase of European rugby is nearing its peak, and these two sides played with the intensity and passion that one would expect of such an occasion.
Straight from kick off, Northampton were on the attack, with Fin Smith sliding a grubber kick towards the Bath line to put Will Muir under pressure. An attacking lineout and a yellow card for Miles Reid later, and the visitors were under the sticks for the opening try. Naturally, it had to be the beaming face of Henry Pollock that emerged from the floor with the ball in hand.
After the restart the Bath scrum immediately failed, and Saints were straight back on the attack, scoring through Fraser Dingwall with an ultimate team try just minutes later. Bath weren’t just about to lie down and die in front of their home support, however, and returned fire just moments later through club stalwart Tom Dunn.
As would be the theme for the rest of the evening, it was the opposition that would score next, as Josh Kemeny converted an astonishing length-of-the-field try off the back of some lazy Bath defending. Next, the majestic Finn Russell took the game into his own hands, or rather feet, as he dribbled the ball over the line to secure seven points.
Saints were still unwilling to allow the hosts back into the game, with Ollie Sleightholme powering over the line after profiting from some weak Bath tackles.
After a poor performance last time out, Russell’s slick hands were in fine working order this week, as he put the electric Henry Arundell through a gap to drag Bath back into the game. It took a while for their next score, but Francois van Wyk would continue Bath’s comeback by dotting over from close range as the 61-point half came to a close.
The second half was a lot tighter, with only a kick from Smith altering the scoreboard in the opening 15 minutes. It was Bath’s Kepu Tuipulotu that would break the relative deadlock later when he drove over from the scrum to bring the scores to within five points.
Bath’s indiscipline continued to cost them, however, giving away a penalty in front of the sticks for Smith to dutifully convert.
The home side had their own duties to attend to, and a penalty from Russell gave them a fighting chance as they looked to bring home the win in front of their expectant fans.
Bath looked to have won the game with five minutes to play when Tuipulotu dived for the line, only to be denied by the referee for knocking the ball on. Moments later, Bath won the scrum penalty and took the lead for the first time in the match through Ted Hill with three and a half minutes left on the clock.
A huge driving maul later and Bath were back in the Saints’ half, but a failed lineout resulted in one last gasp effort from the exhausted Saints. Bath did the job in the end, securing victory as Russell hoofed the ball into the neighbouring River Avon.
Old-school physicality
From the get-go, it was all about who could make the hardest hit and which collision could create the most reverb around the ground, and from the opening moments, it appeared that Bath were very much in the ascendancy. Three huge hits on Saints players in their opening attack were enough to get fans out of their seats as the action met the intensity of the event.
There was no pulling out of tackles, zero half-baked efforts, it was pure 100% unrivalled aggression from minute one to eighty.
Two huge hits in particular summed up the day. Arundell’s perfectly executed tackle on George Furbank was the first. It was something to behold watching the full-back wait an age to collect the falling high ball, while the Bath wing lined him up like a cheetah preparing to pounce on a gazelle. The other was Tommy Freeman’s huge try-saving hit on Ben Spencer, which sent the Bath captain careering off the pitch as he stopped a certain try.
Such was the physical nature of the evening that before the half-time whistle had sounded, both Northampton Saints and Bath had lost players to injury. Both sides will be looking towards a big finish to the season, with Bath now juggling both European and domestic title hopes, so injuries will not be welcomed at this stage of the season.
Old-school indiscipline
With physicality generally comes a higher risk of indiscipline, and on this night, it proved true. There were three yellow cards, with one of them causing a genuine change in the match.
When Reid was yellow-carded, Saints scored twice. When JJ van der Mescht was carded, Bath scored. When Pollock was carded, Bath scored again.
It wasn’t just the disciplinary issues that were punished with a yellow that altered the match; the little niggles and the needless penalties all came into account.
To name just a couple, Rory Hutchinson gave away a penalty early on for a trip on Arundell deep into the Saints half, which eventually led to a try. Hill was punished for holding the ball on the floor as Pollock went for the jackal, conceding half the length of the pitch as a result. These actions turn what could be a small metreage loss into huge gains for the opposition.
Indiscipline doesn’t always mean law-breaking. It can mean a disregard for basic rugby skills, or effort levels, or anything in which due care or attention isn’t fully shown.
Bath’s discipline in attack still left a lot to be desired. Dropped balls at the most inopportune moments, and forced kicks left the game trickling out of their hands in the early exchanges. Tuipulotu’s fumble, even in the final moments, was indicative of the issues they had all evening.
On the other side, Saints conceded a shocking 18 turnovers – both showing a lack of respect for the ball and a lack of attention, and making devastating statistics for any coach to read.
Elsewhere, the tackle completions in the first half were just 74% and 79% respectfully. Although they rose by the end of the match, the damage had clearly been done on the scoreboard for both sides.
Discipline in the basic skills can make a whole world of difference, particularly at the top level of elite sport.
Bath-Bomb comes in clutch
Thomas du Toit arrived on the field with 30 minutes to go with the expectations of a city resting on his shoulders. Bath were behind at the time and looked short of ideas. The crowd were willing them on, but on the field, they were chasing the game.
Bath had used two of their substitutes by the time the ‘bomb squad’ was set to arrive on the field. Alfie Barbeary and Van Wyk were already 20 minutes into their day when Du Toit and Hill arrived on the scene. But the changes, even rippled as they were, made their impact all the same.
Three of the eight replacements got on the scoresheet to snatch victory from the tiring Saints squad. It was when Van der Mescht received his marching orders in the 55th minute that the tide truly started to turn. It was the beginning of the end for the Saints, whose own replacements had failed to make quite the same impact.
Du Toit’s scrum penalty win at the death was as signature as it comes. Hill diving over to level the scores, and Barbeary receiving the Investec Player of the Match award, should tell you all you need to know about Johann van Graan’s strategy behind his bench.
Start slow, finish fast will not win a semi-final
With Bath set to face the winners of Bordeaux-Bègles v Toulouse, they will need to seriously tighten up their defence if they’re to compete against a free-flowing Top 14 outfit.
Their tackle percentage did rise to 81% by the end of the match, but that won’t be enough to deal with the likes of Antoine Dupont or Matthieu Jalibert if they break the line.
Both French sides are known for their fluid attacking styles and can break the gainline with ease against even the greatest defences. So if Bath start as slowly as they did against Northampton, then they could fall well beyond any chance of a comeback.
Defence proved a weakness against Northampton; it could prove fatal against Bordeaux or Toulouse.