Everytime Ref, Everytime

It was the then Crystal Palace football manager Iain Dowie who coined the word ‘bouncebackability’ some twenty-two years ago. The Collins Dictionary defines it as “the ability to recover after a setback, especially in sport.”It is a quality that both teams will be searching for on Sunday. Both are coming back off successive defeats, one each in the Prem and in Europe. Both are rueing the impact of decisions around head contact and counting the cost of mounting injuries. Both know a third defeat could... Читать дальше...

The European Champions Cup has developed into an unbalanced competition where some clubs simply have a head start depending on which part of Europe you come from.This discrepancy is like getting your old-fashioned match program printed on high gloss paper compared to that diaphanous absorbent paper comics were printed on that yellows with age. It looks the same from a distance but clearly is different when you get your hands on it.The major bone of contention is evidently the salary cap. The top... Читать дальше...

In JvG we trust, reads the banner often seen proudly displayed by Bath supporters both at home and away games. And yes, we do, but the next couple of games are arguably season defining. As JvG and his team finalise their preparations for huge challenges in the Prem and in Europe, the thoughts of another South African, Nelson Mandela, who also understood a bit about hard decisions seem to strike a chord.

As the last echoes of "Come On You Bath" fade after one of the most memorable nights at the Rec when the Bath squad, supported by a packed house in full voice, took a huge step forward in this year's quest for the biggest prize in European rugby, it's now time to shift the focus back onto the big domestic prize. Defending the title as Prem champions has challenged the best of teams over the years and we're going to need every bit of the spirit and "dog" that we showed on Friday night in all of the... Читать дальше...

Both sides will be aiming for glory when Bath host Northampton Saints in Friday’s European Quarter Final. Victory will confirm England’s leading candidate to upset five years of French club dominance of the tournament. It will also pitch the winners into a daunting Semi Final, against either last year’s victors Bordeaux Begles or six times Champions Toulouse. That would be at a neutral venue, in England. First  though, this match must be won.

It’s been a long time since The Rec hosted Big Cup knockout rugby at The Rec. 24 years in fact. Louie Hennessey wasn’t even born. On that day, Stephen Jones booted Llanelli into the semi-finals at our expense. There is every reason to believe Saturday might see a very different result.Bath qualified for the knockout stages of this year’s competition as fourth seeds and will have home advantage this weekend – and next week if we win. A further win in the quarter-final against Saints or Castres would... Читать дальше...

…. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come”. Somehow, I suspect that the musings of Dwayne Johnson aren’t high on Johan van Graan’s list of motivational quotes, but I think he’s got a point with this one, especially at the start of the critical phase of our season.

How times have changed! It wasn’t so long ago that we would have regarded reaching the semi-finals of a Cup competition as a success, but these days our expectations have changed and we all probably shared a little of Will Butt’s disappointment when a spirited young team came up short at Tigers on Sunday. So it’s really good to have the visit of Bedford Blues to look forward to on Friday.

Bath will need to be on their mettle in Sunday’s Prem Cup Semi Final in Leicester. Welford Road has seldom been a happy hunting ground for the men from the Rec, even in years of glory. Meanwhile Tigers are performing strongly on all fronts this season. Fourth in the Prem table, they have the strongest record of all teams in this year’s Cup tables. Add in the hope of  ‘revenge’ for defeat in last year’s Prem Final and Leicester will relish the chance to send their old rivals away empty handed.

The equation for both teams in Saturday’s final Prem Cup pool game is a simple one: win and qualify for a semi-final next week against Tigers. Lose and it is two weeks R&R until the Prem proper starts up again.In the (relatively unlikely) event of a draw, Gloucester will go through.As is ever the case with the Prem Cup these days, much will depend on the teams selected.