Shocker in the lineout sees Bath condemned

How to judge a curious match like this? In many positions, Bath Rugby’s was a third or fourth team up against a Newcastle Falcons selection which, particularly in the backs, contained plenty of first-team faces to complement squad players. The scoreline at a very wet and windy Kingston Park, for starters, was no embarrassment for the men in white. Given the respective approaches they were never going to win this one – no Bath side has won here since early 2015 – so to hold the Falcons to 22-7 deserves some credit. The hosts made their fair share of mistakes but the plucky visitors inflicted the odd body blow in defence and frightened them late on when they kept hold of the ball. Was it a good overall performance from Bath? No. They had a shocker in the lineouts. It got to a point where anything to the middle of the lineout was an overthrow or not straight, so Michael van Vuuren and later Ross Batty had to go to the front, where the Falcons were waiting to spoil. And, in such wintery conditions, if you can’t win your lineout you can’t do very much at all. Bath were brutalised in the first-half scrums but eventually came good when both packs were much changed. The brightest light was in the shape of Ruaridh Mcconnochie who, after two quiet games, finally got some ball. Ironically, it didn’t come from his teammates. It was mostly counter-attacks from kicks, but on his first such run he weaved his way past five or six tacklers, made 60m and went on to have an eye-catching game in the wet, working well with his full-back Tom Homer. Levi Douglas was his usual abrasive self and Josh Bainbridge - on loan for the week from Yorkshire Carnegie - put himself about at openside. Off the bench, Josh Bayliss and Joe Cokanasiga were both busy and Sam Nixon worked well late in the game. Having held firm for the opening quarter, Bath conceded a try to one of their old number. They didn’t cover the blindside after a kick-chase, man-of-the-match Andrew Davidson sent Alex Tait away down the right and he cut inside to feed the scrumhalf formerly known as Micky – now Michael – Young. Joel Hodgson was the chief tormentor for the Falcons. Along with Simon Hammersley at fullback and Johnny Williams at 12 he looked very dangerous. Hodgson’s conversion and a penalty into the teeth of the wind made it 10-0 at the break. That lead soon became 17-0 when another failed lineout ended with Bath scrambling and Hodgson sending Hammersley over the whitewash with a lovely inside pass. Bath were in survival mode and weren’t helped by chopping and changing up front. Miles Reid went off after half an hour with a leg injury and was replaced by hooker Tom Doughty, who went to blindside (where he has played before). Douglas went off just after half time which meant Jack Davies switched from six to second row and Bayliss went to eight. All of which made the lineouts even more of a seemingly unwinnable lottery yet Max Green, his replacement Chris Cook and fly-half Alex Davies never once took a tap penalty. In the 67 minute, Sinoti Sinoti pulled off a trademark goosestep to evade Mcconnochie and Max Clark, and score the try which put the result beyond doubt. As the rain and wind died down, Bath finally had some continuity in the final quarter. Eventually, the visitors’ luck was in. Bayliss pounced on a Falcons mistake and there was no catching the pacy backrower. Bath almost scored again late on when Levi Davis chipped and chased down the right and was seemingly pulled back before referee Anthony Woodthorpe blew for time.