Losing to La Rochelle hurts, but it doesn't mean it makes things more difficult to advance out of the group. Their next opponent is Benetton who employs a plethora of talented players and even a good portion of the Italian national team. While Bath is favored, they shouldn't be taking Benetton lightly. Benetton has been on the rise for a while and should be a tough matchup for Bath.
Key Players For Benetton
Simone Ferrari-Prop
Thomas Gallo-Prop
Mirco Spagnolo-Prop
Agustin Creevy-Hooker
Siua Maile-Hooker
Scott Scrafton-Lock
Eli Snyman-Lock
Niccolo Cannone-Lock
Michele Lamaro-Back Row
Sebastian Negri-Back Row
Manuel Zuliani-Back Row
Toa Halafihi-Back Row
Alessandro Garbisi-Scrumhalf
Andy Uren-Scrumhalf
Tomas Albornoz-Flyhalf
Jacob Umaga-Flyhalf
Malakai Fekitoa-Center
Tommaso Menoncello-Center
Louis Lynagh-Wing
Paolo Odogwu-Wing
Onisi Ratave-Wing
Matt Gallagher-Fullback
Rhyno Smith-Fullback
Disrupt Their Kicking
Using their speed to getting to whomever is kicking the ball for Benetton, plus the physicality of Bath's forwards will need to disrupt their kicking as much as possible. Albornoz and Umaga are very solid, plus Bath should have some familiarity with Umaga as he was once with Wasps. That familiarity could come in handy.
Work Them At The Set Pieces
In the match against La Rochelle, the lineout was not very good. If Bath wants to have any chance at winning that is one area that needs to improve on. That being, Bath should have no problem dominating the scrum even if it is effectively the Italian National team's scrum. However, with Tom Dunn's struggles in the last match, that needs to be improved on.
Being Set Defensively
If you look at some of the names they have in their attack such as Louis Lynagh, Umaga, Malakai Fekitoa, then you know how strong it is. While Bath is great defensively, they will have to be on their toes a lot to keep them at bay. They will try to gain ground as much as possible to give whomever kicks the ball a chance at racking up some points with their boot.
Starting XI
1 Francois van Wyk
2 Niall Annett
3 Billy Sela
4 Ewan Richards
5 Ross Molony
6 Josh Bayliss
7 Ethan Staddon
8 Miles Reid
9 Louis Schreuder
10 Orlando Bailey
11 Ruraidh McConnochie
12 Cameron Redpath
13 Max Ojomoh
14 Regan Grace
15 Tom de Glanville
Replacements
16 Kepu Tuipulotu
17 Arthur Cordwell
18 Thomas du Toit
19 Quinn Roux
20 Ted Hill
21 Tom Carr-Smith
22 Louie Hennessey
23 Jaco Coetzee
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