Bath is coming off it's first loss of the season to rival Bristol Bears. It seemed as though the speed of Bristol is what killed Bath, but the scoreline could have been a bit different had a couple of those tries were not disallowed which suggests that the team got a bit unlucky. That being said, it is a new day to try and make up for last week's loss. Bath's next opponent is another high flying attack in Gloucester who is very similar to Bristol's. It's also a massive rivalry game that will be at Gloucester, so the stakes are high. Gloucester has been a big surprise this season especially after their 44-41 win over Bristol thus proving to be a probably headache for Bath. However, this could say a lot if they can hold on here and get back on to their winning ways.
Key Players For Gloucester
George McGuigan-Hooker
Jack Singleton-Hooker
Val Rapava-Ruskin-Prop
Matias Alemanno-Lock
Ruan Ackermann-Back Row
Lewis Ludlow-Back Row
Zach Mercer-Back Row
Albert Tuisue-Back Row
Stephen Varney-Scrumhalf
Tomos Williams-Scrumhalf
Gareth Anscombe-Flyhalf
Chris Harris-Center
Max Llewellyn-Center
Ollie Thorley-Wing
Christian Wade-Wing
George Barton-Wing/Fullback
Santiago Carreras-Wing/Fullback
Hold The Line On Defense
As mentioned before, Gloucester has a lot of speed and seemingly can score at will. While they will not be playing their absolute best lineup, even to see who is listed is scary enough. Ollie Thorley, Max Llewellyn, George Barton, and Santiago Carreras are all featured (Barton coming off the bench) and that's a headache right there. Not having Christian Wade play is huge for Bath here as he is one of the greatest Premiership wingers of all time even after spending some time playing American Football. A tight flat line will be huge for Bath as even having a player like Will Butt in there for defensive reasons hopefully will pay dividends and Cameron Redpath should do the same. With the amount of forwards named to this week's squad, Bath will have to be on their toes and be as physical as possible.
Disrupt the Welsh Partnership For Gloucester
It's a little ironic that Gloucester has two internationals for Wales starting at scrumhalf and flyhalf, but nonetheless what is going for them is the chemistry both Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe have. The problem will have to be whom to target the most and that will come down to what Johann van Graan decides to do with his tactics. That being said, if one of those two doesn't play as comfortably as they could, then it slows down the attack and forces them to make decisions that could allow more mistakes or opportunities for the Bath defense to pounce on/take advantage of.
Take Advantage Of Gloucester's Inexperience
Gloucester is going to feature a lot of inexperienced players in their squad this week, but that doesn't necessarily mean these guys aren't up for the task. Prop Afolabi Fasogan gets a start in this match, so this will have to be something Thomas du Toit has to take advantage of in their matchup on the front row as well as Tom Dunn or Niall Annett against Seb Blake. In the lineout, Ross Molony needs to use his wizardry against Arthur Clark and Freddie Thomas. Then there's Josh Hathaway, whom while has shown promise, is still very young. Gloucester might be playing some talented players, but Bath's experience could be incredibly crucial to winning the match.
Keep On Kicking The Ball
Like against Bristol, kicking the heck out of the ball will be huge. Keep that speedy attack as far away from the try line as much as possible. It allows the defense to set up correctly and it forces Gloucester to make decisions instead of being already prepared to attack. Redpath, Tom de Glanville, Ben Spencer, Finn Russell, and Ollie Lawrence will have to be prepared to kick the ball as much as possible as well as Orlando Bailey off the bench.
Dominate The Scrum
This kind of goes back into the inexperience of Gloucester point, but it's clear on paper that Bath should be significantly better than them. It even shows on the bench for Bath with players such as Annett, Francois van Wyk, and Will Stuart being there. That being said, dig into the trenches and not let the inexperienced Gloucester front row get any traction going. The back row for Gloucester still doesn't match Bath's but that is the strongest part of their scrum as they feature England international Lewis Ludlam and the very tough Jack Clement, but also former Bath player Zach Mercer who is probably the most underrated player in all of the Premiership. That being said, it should be overwhelming for Gloucester with Bath's collection of talent in the back row with Josh Bayliss, Miles Reid, and Alfie Barbeary starting and Sam Underhill and Jaco Coetzee coming off the bench. Gloucester can't match that.
Starting XV For Bath
1 Beno Obano
2 Tom Dunn
3 Thomas du Toit
4 Ted Hill
5 Ross Molony
6 Josh Bayliss
7 Miles Reid
8 Alfie Barbeary
9 Ben Spencer
10 Finn Russell
11 Austin Emens (debut)
12 Cameron Redpath
13 Ollie Lawrence
14 Will Butt
15 Tom de Glanville
Replacements
16 Niall Annett
17 Francois van Wyk
18 Will Stuart
19 Charlie Ewels
20 Sam Underhill
21 Louis Schreuder
22 Orlando Bailey
23 Jaco Coetzee
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