Hooper hurting after conceding too many
Bath Rugby suffered a humbling and demoralising 52-44 defeat to Wasps Rugby at The Rec on a cold Friday night as the homeside’s season continues to stutter.
The Blue, Black and Whites’ attack has been struggling for much of the season, but they scored four tries, and 21 points from the boot of Rhys Priestland, to record the second highest tally without winning the game in Premiership history.
Unfortunately the result is what will be remembered in the history books, not the impressive swashbuckling rugby which saw Bath race out to a 13-0 lead after 15 minutes, including an 80-metre counter-attack which was finished by the outstanding Priestland, who showed impressive speed to run in from 60m out despite turning 34 on Sunday.
But just like at Leicester Tigers last weekend, where Bath lost 36-31 having gone 14-0 up, the fragile Blue, Black and Whites cracked under pressure applied to them by Wasps.
Against a side infamous for their ability to throw the ball around and attack from anywhere, Bath let the game get loose and Wasps played up to their reputation, with hooker Tom Cruse and winger Paolo Odogwu both recording braces, and Brad Shields and Josh Bassett also getting in on the act. A penalty try made it seven tries conceded. To make matters worse full-back Lima Sopoaga was having a good day with the boot as he landed 15 points without missing.
Bath did produce moments of magic, with Taulupe Faletau offloading off the ground to set up a try for Sam Underhill - remarkably his first in the Premiership, and Cameron Redpath scoring an equally impressive try, stepping inside the attempted tackle of Shields, handing off Dan Robson and then goose-stepping his way beyond Jacob Umaga.
But Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper said he was in no mood to find the positives, as the proud Bath man was visibly hurt by conceding 50 points at home.
For once the eerie silence of an empty Rec, with fans still barred due to COVID-19 pandemic, was a welcome reprieve from what would likely have been a chorus of jeers and boos from home fans, unimpressed with their Ferrari of a side struggling to move through the gears. Those on display in the Blue, Black and White will hardly have helped their cause with the watching England boss either.
Hooper said: “I am massively disappointed and hurt at conceding 50 points at home, and obviously the result as well. And it should hurt. That is a fact.
“Results, performances and defence like that is going to hurt.
“I am frustrated with how sloppy we were at times and the mistakes we made, they are a team that takes advantage of that.
“I don’t want to pick positives because it burns and hurts and it should.”
After Friday’s display Bath’s record this season in all competitions reads played six, lost five, with no hope of advancing to the knock out stages of the European Cup, whenever that will be restarted following its pause.