Following an ultimately comfortable 40-15 victory for Bath over Newcastle Falcons, here are our five takeaways from the Premiership encounter at Kingston Park on Saturday.
The top line
At one stage, this game looked set for a close battle as Newcastle went into the latter stages of the first half 15-14 in front, but Will Stuart’s try at the end of the opening period changed the course of the game.
The Falcons had been impressive before that, scoring two tries in the opening 10 minutes through Jamie Blamire and Freddie Lockwood. Bath also touched down early on via Alfie Barbeary but the hosts were giving as good as they got.
They were making it difficult for Bath, who could not quite get away from their opponents despite Tom de Glanville’s score which briefly moved the visitors ahead after 20 minutes. Brett Connon’s penalty duly regained Newcastle’s lead and the West Countrymen appeared set for a difficult second period, but Stuart’s try changed all that.
Johann van Graan’s men dominated the second period and crossed the whitewash three times after the interval via Charlie Ewels, Finn Russell and Sam Underhill to leave them top at Christmas.
Class shines through
Steve Diamond has done an excellent job with Newcastle this season. They ended their 25-game Premiership losing streak, beat Saracens for the first time in 15 years and altogether look a much more competitive outfit, and they showed their improvement in the first half.
Falcons’ current boss, as he showed at Sale Sharks, is exceptional at getting the best out of limited resources. There are very few star names in that squad, but Diamond knows how to create a team that fights for each other and they gave Bath a torrid time in the opening period.
However, the West Country outfit, under their savvy boss Van Graan, have an ability to absorb pressure and then strike at any given time. In Finn Russell, they have one of the game’s top fly-halves and he delved into his box of tricks to find gaps in the Newcastle defence.
His variety enabled them to create plenty of openings during the match but particularly in the final 40 minutes as their potent backline managed to benefit from his creativity after the break. The pack also took control, with the power of the Bath bench proving too strong for Newcastle.
West Country dominance
Earlier on Saturday, Bristol produced one of the performances of the season to thrash Michael Cheika’s Leicester. That moved the Bears to the top of the Premiership table, but they were then usurped by their West Country rivals, who moved level on points with Pat Lam’s men.
Remarkably, considering the strength of the region and the sheer passion for the sport, Exeter Chiefs are the only team from the south west to win a Premiership title since Bath’s last triumph in 1996. That may change this year, however, with Bristol and Bath very much looking like the teams to beat.
They are contrasting sides, with the Bears taking the all-singing, all-dancing approach and Bath focusing on forward dominance before anything else, but they are equally as effective. It would be a surprise if a West Country team doesn’t win the Premiership this season.
The champion minutes
The period before and after half-time are always vital. It was the period which defined the All Blacks during their dominant era under the two sirs, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, and it was what separated Bath and Newcastle on Saturday.
If the Falcons could have kept their lead going into the break then it may well have made it a much closer tussle in the second period, but the sheer pressure exerted by Bath either side of the interval showed champion qualities.
The West Countrymen were utterly relentless heading into half-time and were eventually rewarded by Stuart’s score before they took that momentum into the final 40 minutes. Ewels’ try duly touched down to move his side 28-15 in front and it effectively broke Newcastle’s resistance.
Falcons development
A scoreline of 40-15 was harsh on Newcastle, whose improvement over the past few Premiership rounds has been evident. They were very good for 40 minutes here, too, with their pack ripping into Bath and the backline creating a few chances, but ultimately the quality told in the end.
Up front, Jamie Blamire, Tom Gordon and Callum Chick are all very good players, while behind the scrum Adam Radwan is one of the best wingers in the league. Youngster Ben Redshaw is exceptionally talented and one to watch out for going forward, but they just don’t have the out-and-out quality to compete with the likes of Bath on a regular enough basis.
They lack the financial muscle of Saturday’s opponents and that was shown in the second period as Bath brought on England and Springboks forwards to assert their authority on the game. However, they are at least maximising their talent under Diamond and that yielded some positive results recently, even if they were outclassed on Saturday.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/newcastle-falcons-v-bath-five-takeaways-as-johann-van-graans-side-show-champions-qualities-to-go-top-at-christmas
