Tigers Vs Bath - Sunday

[FKAS]

STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [89]
14 Anthony Watson [18]
13 Izaia Perese [1]
12 Dan Kelly [82]
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins [23]
10 Jamie Shillcock [27]
9 Jack van Poortvliet (c) [74]
1 Nicky Smith [1]
2 Charlie Clare [96]
3 Joe Heyes [142]
4 Harry Wells [200]
5 George Martin [66]
6 Hanro Liebenberg [108]
7 Tommy Reffell [115]
8 Olly Cracknell [44]

REPLACEMENTS

16 Finn Theobald-Thomas [10]
17 James Cronin [35]
18 Dan Cole [324]
19 Côme Joussain [1]
20 Kyle Hatherell [21]
21 Ben Youngs [315]
22 Ben Volavola [1]
23 Mike Brown [27]

Bath Rugby: 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Ross Molony (debut), 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Alfie Barbeary, 9 Ben Spencer ©, 10 Finn Russell, 11 Will Muir, 12 Will Butt, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Tom de Glanville

Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Vilikesa Sela (debut), 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Jaco Coetzee

[FKAS]

Bath rotating their side and look to be stacking physicality on the bench for the second half though that could be to help Sela come scrum time as having Ewels and Hill there to help push will help.

Kata is banned for effectively five weeks as the lack of consistency with head contact continues.

He backrow has a much nicer balance for Tigers, as does the backline where Ant Watson is a welcome returnee. Not really sure if there's any point having Brown on the bench but hey ho.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Awesome to see Sela get a first outing hopefully.

And a return for Watson! Fabulous news for a Friday afternoon!

[Puja]

That is a *much* better side from Leicester. The balance is better all around - an actual 7 in the backrow, Kelly/Perese adding some guile in the midfield, and Anthony Watson playing instead of the cardboard cutout of Josh Bassett who was on the pitch last week.

Interesting that the captaincy's gone straight to JvP in Chessum's absence, despite Liebenberg playing. I don't disagree with it, but it is a bold choice.

Excited to see Sela get a chance to rip through Cronin in the second half, although preferably only once we've got a 30 point lead. Is he going by his full name instead of Billy nowadays? His England page still says Billy, but the Bath website has him down as Vilikesa (Billy).

Puja

[fivepointer]

Sela's selection is noteworthy. Hopefully he'll get a decent chunk of time and not 2 minutes at the end. Pepper starting is another pick that i like a lot.

Great early test of Bath's title credentials.

[Which Tyler]

Anyone got a stream?
Usuals are letting me down, which will be even more annoying now that PRTV's been killed off

[FKAS]

TMO misses the high tackle on Perese from Lawrence but then talks sir into a yellow card for Perese for a standard coming together. Sir has also forgotten Bath were on a warning and then cynically committed an offence close to the line. Not the best officiating there.

[FKAS]

Muir takes out Steward in the air and the TMO is entirely absent. Bloody ridiculous. Far more dangerous than the actual yellow. Muir wasn't even in the air, could have been red.

[Which Tyler]

I found a stream on time for replays that led to the yellow.
Complaining about it is pure bias. Which isn't to say there was nothing before that, as I couldn't possibly comment.

Hitting someone in the face with your shoulder = yellow card

[Which Tyler]

Terrible by Finn - twice

[FKAS]

Tigers score their own try, Smales tries to find a reason to rule it out but can't and CMK forgets that Bath are a) under warning and b) Barbeary stopped the initial JvP break by grabbing him by the head. Still no yellow.

[FKAS]

I found a stream on time for replays that led to the yellow.
Complaining about it is pure bias. Which isn't to say there was nothing before that, as I couldn't possibly comment.

Hitting someone in the face with your shoulder = yellow card

Big Joe gets up and it's play on. Unlucky and it's concussion so Smales gets involved. Bath were still under warning and had conceded another penalty and a high tackle. Blow up early bin a Bath player and it's fine or review the high tackle.

[Which Tyler]

Tigers score their own try, Smales tries to find a reason to rule it out but can't and CMK forgets that Bath are a) under warning and b) Barbeary stopped the initial JvP break by grabbing him by the head. Still no yellow.

Try was scored.
They didn't try to disallow it.
Bath weren't under a warning
Yellow would have been harsh-but-fair if not try has been scored.

[Which Tyler]

Big Joe gets up and it's play on. Unlucky and it's concussion so Smales gets involved.

Bullshit.

Bullshit bullshit bullshit

Hitting someone in the face with your shoulder = yellow card.
Your bias is hugely OTT today

[FKAS]

I would add it was galling the penalty before that which led to the warning was a cynical killing of the ball at the ruck that was worth a yellow in itself. CMK and Smales have been incredibly lenient to the visitors so far.

[FKAS]

Try was scored.
They didn't try to disallow it.
Bath weren't under a warning
Yellow would have been harsh-but-fair if not try has been scored.

Well CMK had his arm out for a high tackle. Smales reviewed Heyes at the breakdown beforehand.

[Which Tyler]

There's a difference between "playing advantage" and "Bath are under a warning"

One means that a penalty is given if you don't gain an advantage (scoring a try under the posts tends to mean an advantage has been gained)
One means that the next penalty becomes a yellow card.
Those things are different.

Also, checking something isn't the same as "tried to disallow" and is absolutely standard practice.

Your bias is blinding you today. I'm not sure you've even got one eye open today

[FKAS]

Generally an entertaining game bar CMK's goldfish memory.

Amazing there's only been the two tries. OHC will be seeing that drop in his nightmares.

[FKAS]

There's a difference between "playing advantage" and "Bath are under a warning

Bath were under a warning for penalties in their 22 before the Tigers yellow card, before your stream started. It was from Stuart killing the ball centimetres from the line. Hence my form belief Bath have been lucky not to concede a card so far.

[fivepointer]

Completely neutral observer here.

Perese should have got a red card. Astonished the officials decided on a yellow.

One of these teams will rue missing opportunities they've created.

[p/d]

OHC will be seeing that drop in his nightmares.

Bath being on a warning should ease the night terrors

[Which Tyler]

Bath being on a warning should ease the night terrors

[FKAS]

OHC will be seeing that drop in his nightmares.

Bath being on a warning should ease the night terrors

If it meant anything then maybe.

[twitchy]

oof

[Which Tyler]

Is that Hill onto the wing?

ETA: Bayliss? At least send the quick, fresh backrower put there (or the bench SH)