With Bath's defeat of Leicester Tigers 20-15 last week, the club has won the first two of the season thus cementing the early predictions of them being in the title hunt. Beating two very quality sides in the first two matches suggests that this is incredibly strong Bath squad who is built to last against all sorts of teams. This week though is an interesting matchup as they face their rivals in the Bristol Bears who are also another quality side. Speed is the name of the game for Bears and their attack is lethal. It will be important for Bath to use their forward pack to their advantage in their defense against Bristol's attack.
Key Players For Bristol Bears
Gabriel Oghre-Hooker
Harry Thacker-Hooker
Ellis Genge-Prop
Jake Woolmore-Prop
Lovejoy Chawatama-Prop
George Kloska-Prop
Max Lahiff-Prop
Joe Batley-Lock
Steven Luatua-Back Row
Santiago Grandona-Back Row
Kieran Marmion-Scrumhalf
Harry Randall-Scrumhalf
AJ MacGinty-Flyhalf
Benhard Janse van Rensburg-Center
Gabriel Ibitoye-Wing
Ratu Maulago-Wing
Max Malins-Fullback
Keys To The Match
Dominate The Scrum
Bristol does have a pretty good scrum, but Bath's is much more tough and deeper. Obviously this is a must do in almost every match, but this one is especially a crucial one. While Harry Thacker is not playing in this match, in any normal circumstance, he and Gabriel Oghre are a 1-2 punch that even rivals Bath's. Genge is one of the best in the league and Lahiff is a former Bath player whom has suddenly become a force. Bath still has the edge, but the front row battle will be fierce. Santiago Grandona and Steven Luatua are great back row players, but the question will be if they even matchup well with Bath especially with the tackling machine Guy Pepper out there.
Dominate The Lineout
While Tom Dunn might not be starting, he is still on the bench which means Niall Annett will have to start off this game right at hooker. Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels are tasked to find some chemistry in this one as they are already the better lineout partnership in terms of talent. Ross Molony coming off the bench might actually be a better thing as in the second half they could use his lineout wizardry. That being said, if Bath can dominate here, then Bears will not have any chance in winning this game.
Defend Bristol's Speed
Bristol's attack is incredibly speedy. Gabriel Ibitoye and Max Malins lead the charge, but don't count out Harry Randall and Benhard Janse van Rensburg coming out in waves as well. So in order to win this matchup fighting fire with fire is the name of the game as that will help pair up well. However, the forward pack will have to be on their toes and hit them hard. Spacing out wide against their attack might be wise for the forwards while the backs fill in the gaps. However, hold the line and their speed will be neutralized.
Contain AJ MacGinty
Flyhalf AJ MacGinty is a really good player. The American uses his legs to his advantage and with how speedy Bears is, that helps a lot in the attack. He's very smart and is very in tuned tactically that disrupting him is very important. Rushing him at all costs could cause him to make bad decisions and rush himself. MacGinty is better at setting himself up instead of going on the fly, so Bath needs to use their speed to attack him. If they can disrupt MacGinty's game, then this is an easy win.
Be Prepared For Bristol's Scrumhalf Tandem
Kieran Marmion and Harry Randall is a dangerous tandem. Marmion is an Irish international who essentially has gotten pushed so far down the Irish national team's depth chart that he made a transition to play in England for a better opportunity to make a difference. Randall on the other hand is a younger and very talented player who has developed an opportunity to play for England. Bears have a very experienced scrumhalf duo that provide different skill sets. If Bath can figure out how to stop them then it will be very difficult for Bristol to get anything going in their attack.
Kick And Chase
How do you counter your attack with Bears' speed? Kicking the ball and chasing it. Ironically before this preview was written, that is exactly what Bath had in mind as they have some players who exemplify that attribute. Ben Spencer, Finn Russell, Ruaridh McConnochie, Ollie Lawrence, Tom de Glanville, and Sam Harris whom are all starting are great kickers will certainly tire out Bristol's backs and them having to defend more than attack certainly benefits Bath.
Starting XV For Bath
1 Beno Obano
2 Niall Annett
3 Thomas du Toit
4 Quinn Roux
5 Charlie Ewels
6 Ted Hill
7 Guy Pepper
8 Miles Reid
9 Ben Spencer
10 Finn Russell
11 Ruaridh McConnochie
12 Will Butt
13 Ollie Lawrence
14 Tom de Glanville
15 Sam Harris
Replacements
16 Tom Dunn
17 Francois van Wyk
18 Will Stuart
19 Ross Molony
20 Sam Underhill
21 Louis Schreuder
22 Cameron Redpath
23 Jaco Coetzee
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