Play-off hopes still alive after Sarries win
“At Bath there’s been so much change for so long,” says Todd. “We’ve gone through a bit of an identity crisis to make sure we’re all on the same page. “You’ve just got to be really clear on the type of game you want to play and be able to stay the course and see that through.” The Bears, who were promoted back to the Premiership last May, started their season with a bang by beating Bath 17-10 in front of a record crowd of 26,079 at Ashton Gate. While it hasn’t always served them well, Lam’s side have built a reputation as being one of the most entertaining and attack-minded teams in the league. “Everything evolves but what doesn’t change is your principles,” says Pat. “People always say we [ have] a running style but that’s not the aim. The aim is around being comfortable to do whatever it takes to win games. “What I have very clear in my head is: I don’t like my game to be dependant on the players. I need the players to be able to step up and do the game. “If they’re highly motivated and coachable then my role is to find those ones and make sure I’ve got good staff who, in their areas, are specialists. -“If I’ve got motivatedd and coach able players, the magic happens. When I speak to coaches and they ask for a bit of advice I say: ‘Have real clarity and belief in what you do’.” - ■■ W-atch video one of the Thatch ers Gold Series by visiting www. s.omers et live. co.uk/s port ■■ More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for The Clash. Call 0844 448 1865 to buy one. Todd Blackadder was delighted Bath Rugby put the disappointments of recent weeks behind them to topple the Premiership champions at the Rec. They won the battle of the breakd-own and set-piece against Sara cens. Rhys Priestland’s six penalties delivered an 18-9 victory. And, whereas the last two games against Northampton Saints and Harlequins have gone astray at the death, even with 14 men the hosts had enough to finish the job this time. The director of rugby said: “We didn’t really refer back to the last couple of weeks, but I’m sure it was in the back of people’s minds. We just focused on what we needed to do. “These moments are a character test. You’ve got to come out fighting and I thought the boys executed the gameplan brilliantly and deserved the win tonight.” That plan was to match fire with fire. Not many teams get the better of the champions in contact, but the hosts did just that as they spoiled ball and forced numerous turnovers. “We basically based our game on kick-chase and counter-rucking; p-utting pressure on them and try ing to outwork Sarries in that area,” Blackadder explained. was heavily contested, but we“knew we had to put bodies into the breakdown, slow their ball down and put their kicking game under pressure. “It was an arm wrestle and we got the better of it, I think. I thought our s-et-piece was really good, our deci sion-making was really good.” The one blot on the game for the director of rugby was Ross Batty’s yellow card. The hooker came off the bench and when Sarries already h-ad a penalty advantage ten min utes from time he shouldercharged Alex Lewington as the winger chased a kick over the top. Blackadder had flashbacks to W-orcester Warriors away in Janu ary, when Batty’s red card for a tip tackle sparked a second-half col lapse and Bath lost in added time. The Rec chief said: “I’m relieved about the result, but I’m absolutely furious about that yellow card and the situation that put us in. “It was the same thing at Worces- t-er - a red card. Basically, our phi losophy and our gameplan was to work harder back [get back into position after the kick], so to stand there and put a shot on, get a yellow card, then we have to take Zach off [Mercer, to enable a contested scrum] when we’re down to 14. that’ s just stupidity. could have easily been a Saracens win on the back of that. That’s the stuff we’ve got to eradicate out of our game.” Due to injuries and England duty, Bath had to shuffle their pack. Elliott Stooke moved from lock to six and academy forward Miles Reid made his first Premiership start on the openside. Jackson Willison was picked ahead of Jamie Roberts at inside centre due to the gameplan, Blackadder said. “There were a few boys out of position but I thought they really took their opportunities,” the director of rugby added. “I thought Miles had a great game at seven. He took his opportunity. “I thought Jackson played really well at 12 before he went off with an HIA. I thought everyone really stood up and Nathan Catt had one o-f those games. It was a good, con solidated effort by everyone.”