The first team that Bath will face is the reigning defending Premiership champion Northampton Saints. Bath will be looking for revenge as the Saints defeated them in the Premiership Final at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. That being said, getting this season started with points on the board will be absolutely key especially in what probably will be a very difficult league to navigate for a playoff spot. Northampton come into this season looking to defend their title and are a very tough first opponent especially with the wealth of talent this side has. Saints did lose Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Sam Matavesi, Alex Moon, and Alex Waller (due to retirement) and those are major losses. Will those subtractions be impactful in each matchup the two sides have this season?
Key Players For Northampton
Curtis Langdon-Hooker
Trevor Davison-Prop
Emmanuel Iyogun-Prop
Alex Coles-Lock
Juarno Augustus-Back Row
Tom Pearson-Back Row
Alex Mitchell-Scrumhalf
Fin Smith-Flyhalf
Fraser Dingwall-Center
Rory Hutchinson-Center
Burger Odendaal-Center
Tommy Freeman-Wing
Tom Seabrook-Wing
Ollie Sleightholme-Wing
George Furbank-Fullback
Keys To The Match
Slow Down Alex Mitchell And Fin Smith
Last season, the partnership of Mitchell and Smith was dynamic and probably was the best in the league based on results. The Saints absolutely need both of them clicking on all cylinders to win. Mitchell's speed and creative ball distribution is incredible that any opposing defense's will find difficult to stop. There is a good reason Mitchell gets selected to England's national team as he changes the tempo when he's out on the pitch. His fast pace is his calling card, so possibly having a lot of bruising defenders is best to have out there for Johann van Graan's squad as that could disrupt the whole game plan otherwise Bath will be guessing all match long. Smith on the other hand is going to be a very difficult one to defend regardless of what happens with Mitchell. Smith is absolutely dynamic as his kicking makes things incredibly difficult and it will literally have Bath guessing. What could help Bath in this match is using speedy players to disrupt his kicking abilities, making Smith panic whenever someone like McConnochie or Bailey encroaching on him when he makes a grubbing kick. If Smith kicks the ball tactically to a weakness on Bath, how will they counter? Whatever game plan van Graan might have is going to be crucial to win it. That being said, Smith goes wherever Mitchell goes as they have to both be in sync for them to click. It's be difficult to disrupt both of them, but if they can rattle one of them, that will be huge.
Who To Matchup Against Ollie Sleightholme
Sleightholme was a sensation last season for Northampton as he was a delight to watch as he lead the league in tries. Sleightholme is electric and speedy as all hell making any opposing defenses scratching their heads knowing how to stop him. So for van Graan, it's a question of whom he has to line up against Sleightholme. Should it be Joe Cokanasiga as he could use his agility and physicality to stop him? What about McConnochie so that he can catch up to Sleightholme with his speed? Is Will Muir needed to defend him as a like for like matchup? Or will van Graan need to have a double team coverage on Sleightholme when he runs as whoever is at fullback can converge with whoever might line up against him to disrupt his decision making? There's a lot to think about here.
Dominate The Scrum
A lot of fans don't understand how crucial winning scrums are in rugby and in a matchup like this will be key. Bath's pack has the ability to win any scrum regardless of it being distributed by Ben Spencer or if it's someone who is on the opposition. Bath's scrum is so strong that it's hard to wonder why it's not breaking any backs (joking of course), but if the team can dominate the scrum then that means more possession thus less amount of times the ball is in both Mitchell and Smith's hands controlling the game. The Saints losing Lawes, Ludlam, and Waller makes their scrum significantly weaker and hard to replace. Have Northampton been able to replace them well? Bath clearly has the advantage, but can the Saints go toe to toe? The fact that question is even asked should help Bath a lot.
Ross Molony
How can a second rower be the key to this match? Quite simple, the lineouts. Molony has been known as a lineout wizard and this will be a central focus for the club. Now that Lawes is gone, has the Northampton lineout gotten worse? The Irishman now has a chance to make a difference because of his abilities. If Molony can frustrate the Saints then things will be easier for Bath. Now whether they should pair him up with either fellow Irishman Quinn Roux or with the leadership of Charlie Ewels will be interesting, but either way, Molony might actually be the single most important forward in this match for this to go to Bath as victors.
Kicking And Speed From Ben Spencer, Finn Russell, And Others
It's well known that the secret to Bath's attacking success is their kicking game. What's interesting about it is that no one knows how to stop it. However, what will be interesting is how they will go about it in this match. Ben Spencer might actually be the most fun scrumhalf in the league because of what he brings. Yes, Spencer's ball distribution in controlling the tempo is elite, but his speed and his kicking abilities makes him even more dynamic. Finn Russell's kicking ability is elite whether it's slotting it in across the posts, grubbing it, or hitting it tactically, there's a reason why he's a world class fly half. Russell's speed does play a factor too, but his kicking is much more important as he's pinpoint at it especially when he goes crossfield. That being said, if Russell is able to run and kick, then it will frustrate and tire opposing defenses. Now what will be interesting will be whom van Graan employs at wing and/or fullback. Having Muir and Cokanasiga start at both wings makes sense, but having someone like McConnochie on the bench or starting makes a whole lot of sense too if you need both speed and kicking abilities. McConnochie's speed is elite, but his kick and run abilities are great and could be useful at either wing or fullback. Then there is Orlando Bailey, who might actually be the best option to play at the 15 jersey as his speed and kicking abilities are incredibly useful as a fullback. Bailey is a great player who needs as much playing time as possible as he should be starting, but his natural ability to play flyhalf is useful in the kicking game for Bath. Bailey's speed on the other hand is useful at fullback and his run and kick ability will also tire out Northampton's defense. If the Saints are going to constantly chase down balls and kick it out of the red zone it will be advantage Bath. Especially in the second half having the four of them having those abilities will be incredible.
Who Should van Graan Start And Have On Bench
1 Beno Obano
2 Tom Dunn
3 Will Stuart
4 Ross Molony
5 Charlie Ewels
6 Ted Hill
7 Sam Underhill
8 Alfie Barbeary
9 Ben Spencer
10Finn Russell
11Will Muir
12Cam Redpath
13Ollie Lawrence
14Joe Cokanasiga
15Orlando Bailey
Replacements
16Niall Annett
17Thomas du Toit
19Francois van Wyk
20 Miles Reid or Guy Pepper
21 Louis Schreuder
22 Max Ojomoh
23 Ruaridh McConnochie
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