Bath Rugby supporter Glyn Edwards gives his take on events at The Rec…
The consistent theme emanating from Bath Rugby’s post-match and weekly press conferences for the past few weeks has been “we’ve won nothing yet†and are still really “unproven†in terms of being an end-of-season top-four team and genuine contenders for the Aviva Premiership crown.
All well and good, of course, for there would be little to be gained by seeking to talk up our chances of ‘arriving’ this season by winning the most significant competition.
No, ‘on the journey’ is still where we are at this stage of the season, but it is clear for all to see that we are certainly travelling in the right direction and undeniably making pretty good progress.
The goal of being firmly in contention for honours come the conclusion of the competitions in which we are currently doing so well now appears to be a realistic one at least, and an achievable one given current form being maintained.
Last week’s triumph of the United side in lifting the Aviva A League championship will have given everyone involved with Bath Rugby – from the coaching staff and first-team squad, through support and backroom staff, to fans looking in from the outside – an enormous and welcome boost as 2013 draws to a close.
The hard-fought but well-deserved victory over Harlequins at The Rec last Saturday served to dispel some of my concerns about the potential disruption to team affairs and in playing terms of Gary Gold’s abrupt departure from Farleigh in mid-season.
There were certainly no signs of a management hangover affecting the team on the field as a committed and at times dominant display dispatched one of Bath’s main rivals for the coveted play-off spots, who did not even have a losing bonus point to return to West London with.
The pack – or packs as they perhaps should be described in view of the tremendous strength in depth within our group of forwards this term – continues to look like one of the very best in the league and has undoubtedly built the platform for potential victory in virtually every match so far.
Against Quins the two front rows performed admirably and were superbly led by Stuart Hooper, who now seems to have benefited personally from the challenge of being part of an excellent set of second-row forwards at the club by developing his own game to a new level in recent weeks.
The playing riches available across the back-row also compare favourably with the considerable resources of the tight-five this season and while injuries will inevitably play their part as the season progresses, the squad looks to have sufficient quality to cope rather better than has been the case in recent years.
The absence of key players will always be felt to an extent, of course, but we have seen already during the autumn how even the lack of availability of our world-class openside has not resulted in a failure to secure a very healthy league position as the season approaches its mid-point.
Reflections as a new year prepares to dawn are always appropriate, and it is particularly apt to assess just where Bath Rugby are at this time in accordance with Bruce Craig’s long-term vision.
He announced at the beginning of his tenure that his aim was to create a side which can start to dominate consistently on the domestic stage and then go on to succeed in the European theatre – whatever its future design and build emerges as at the conclusion of the current negotiations.
The world-class training headquarters at Farleigh House is now established, and the long-awaited new arena on The Rec appears tantalisingly closer than ever before.
And on the pitch the stark contrast in fortunes between this season and those of a couple of years ago also serve to illustrate why Bath supporters can look forward to the future with considerable optimism.
Happy Christmas, Bath fans!
Article source: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Jack-Rowell-backs-Bath-Rugby-finish/story-20361485-detail/story.html
FAN"S VIEW: “Unproven†Bath Rugby now in danger of establishing their title ...
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