JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK
BATH have got a very good shout of winning the Premiership for the first time in almost 30 years, for all the reasons we’ve seen this season – and which were on display again against Sale at The Rec last weekend.
With five regular-season fixtures left until the play-offs, you can see the form guide taking shape, and Bath are in a strong position, despite having to play four of the top five sides during that period.
What Bath have shown is an ability to stay in the game, whereas in previous seasons it was lacking. Whether they were just behind on the scoreboard, or just ahead, in the last 20 minutes you were always worried that Bath were going to blow up, and frequently they did.
However, there are signs that that has changed significantly, because against Sale, although it was incredibly close after an hour, Bath were able to hit the accelerator and pull clear by scoring two more tries.
And yesterday, despite a woeful first half against Harlequins, they got their act together and very nearly pulled off a sensational comeback win having trailed 40-3.
At the moment the top four clubs heading into the weekend are all in the hunt – Northampton, Bath, Saracens, and Exeter – and I would put Quins, Leicester and Bristol in there too. The top of the Premiership is a bit like the round-robin at the top of international rugby over the last 18 months, where everyone appears to have beaten each other.
For example, Northampton in first have lost four games, while Sale, who are down in eighth place, have lost six. However, people will obviously lean toward Saracens as favourites because of their record in terms of winning titles.
It’s all about getting the top two slots, and at the moment it’s hard to take anything for granted. Everyone who is keeping an eye on this run-in is saying that it is going to be nipand-tuck.
One factor that is going to be hard to ignore is the impact that the European Cup will have on the title hopes of Premiership clubs. Those involved in the knock-out stages in Europe are going to have a hell of a run-in, and overall I think that fighting on two fronts is probably going to count against you – although the flipside is that when you are in a great run of form, you just want to keep on playing.
Ultimately, it all depends on injuries, the strength of your squad, and how well the club responds to pressure. Even so, there’s no getting away from the fact that if you lose in a European Cup semi-final, you will need to get your heads around it very quickly to go on and win a domestic title.
As for Bath, I’m not surprised with what Johann van Graan has done this season as director of rugby in terms of overseeing a big improvement. The arrival of Finn Russell at fly-half, and the way there appears to have be
