Part two then, and after a chat with some random supporters,
the question to ask is “Will Bath overturn the deficit of half time?” Doubt
from fans from both camps, but with the announcement of the permanent replacement
of Hargreaves, can Bath take advantage having lost Watson in the first half?
Saracens seemed to be showing their power game early, taking
advantage of a set maul to march up the field. But the move faltered, with the
ball going forward into Bath hands, and a scrum being the result. The first
scrum penalty of the half went to Bath, with Du Plessis collapsing the scrum. The
tight heads appear to be the ones under most scrutiny in this fixture.
A little later, Farrell was once again penalised for a high
tackle, but since Joseph was falling over, Barnes deemed it to be no more than
a penalty. Ford kicked the points, making the score 6-25 six minutes into the
second half. Immediately after the kick, Bath looked to emulate the Sarries driving
maul, but were held up off the ground, turning possession over.
Whilst scrums are being reset, I look over at the flags and
notice the Bath flag is the smallest of the three flying over Twickenham. After
a free-kick is awarded to Sarries, James and Batty were replaced by Auterac and Webber
respectively, and Sarries opted for the scrum. The gamble pays off for Mike
Ford, with Barnes awarding the penalty to Bath in the very next scrum.
Saracens and Bath both make substitutions, both switching
their tight heads with half an hour to go. Figallo and Thomas replaced Du
Plessis and Wilson respectively. Bath looked to want to play smash-and-go with
a dance remix, and eventually were awarded a penalty, with Ford kicking into
the Sarries 22. The maul goes back, but the backs dance their way through the
line, forcing the over-lap. Eastmond was held short, and, although there was
space out wide, the ball stayed tight. Bath were losing yards, but a look from
Ford to Joseph and the try was certain. Joseph used his footwork to step the Saracens
defence and slammed over the line. With the conversion, the score at 14 minutes
was Bath 13 – 25 Saracens. Sarries replaced George with Brits before the
restart.
Captain Hooper is replaced by Day at the 25th
minute, just before a line out, but a fumble in the midfield turns possession to
Saracens. Wigglesworth left the field for De Kock before the scrum, and the
whole rotten scrum saga continued with both front rows losing their feet. After
nearly 60 minutes of rugby, not one scrum has completed successfully… and nor
will it, as Bath infringed with an early push.
A bit of respite with Attwood being replaced by Garvey and Figallo
down looking somewhat winded after a hard tackle. Kruis is penalised for contact
in the air, and Bath decided to go for the posts. Ford kicks the points, and
Bath were clawing their way back in. Ashton replaced Barrett on a blood
replacement, and Fearns replaced Huston for a permanent stay with 18 minutes
left to go. 16-25. Tense moments! Bath were then penalised for a side entry at
the ruck, giving Farrell an opportunity to kick the points. Farrell scored,
making it 16-18, and 17 left to go. A true battle of the 10’s this afternoon.
After some midfield play, Barrett returns to the field, but
Strettle left, making the Ashton replacement permanent. (26 minutes) Bath
turned over from a Saracens lineout and Rokodunguni looked to be in, but a
cover tackle from Wyles pushed him into touch. The lineout was won by Bath, and
they were pushed back further until a penalty for a side entry by Figallo took
Bath back up field. An exciting attack by Bath, and a fumble from Saracens
brought up the tempo and excitement until a forward pass ended the drive.
Meanwhile, subs were made, Itoje off and Hamilton on, Stringer in his last Bath
game was removed for Cook. Just 11 minutes left, the score still 16-28. Would Bath
be able to win this game? Would we see a completed scrum? The answer to the
latter is no, with a penalty given to Saracens for driving at the angle.
Barrett left the field again, this time being replaced by Hodgson. As we
watched the game go, I thought there would need to be a drastic change in the
Bath game plan to overcome the two try deficit. As I said that, Saracens mistimed
a pass, and gifted Bath a scrum. A later penalty failed to find touch, as Wyles
kept it in play. He cleared, but only as far as his own 10m line. A worrying
commentary on the game in the form of a Mexican wave broke out, always failing
to get past the posts. An unnecessary distraction, as Bath conceded another
penalty. Seven minutes left.
It all looked to be going horribly wrong for Bath, as a
midfield ruck was turned over to Saracens. Hodgson saw the space out wide, and
kicked ahead for Ashton, who showed great composure to hurl the ball back in
field to his teammate before a desperate tackle forced a knock on, and a scrum
five metres from the Bath goal line. 5 minutes remaining.
Once again, the scrum resulted in a penalty for Bath, but it
looks to be too little, too late for the boys in blue. 80589 supporters of
rugby were present, and they saw another Bath penalty at the line out for
contact in the air. A minute after a panicked scrum, and Bath were in the
Sarries half, though poor handling at the line out turned the ball over to
Saracens. The Saracens bench looked to be ready to get a party started, as Mako
Vunipola is replaced by Barrington. Ford wanted to get away from danger, but
his cross-field kick failed to find Banahan’s hands cleanly. Just four minutes
left and the multitude of Bath supporters seemed to have accepted the
inevitable. The Man of the Match was chosen to be Owen Farrell, which prompted
a series of boos from the Bath faithful.
The clock appeared to have been stuck
on 4 minutes and suddenly went to 0. Both teams were oblivious, and Saracens kept
marching forward, though a drop goal attempt by Farrell went wide. Just time
for the restart and another scrum. Can this one be finished cleanly? Yes, but
the game is over. Saracens have won. 16-28. Congratulations to Saracens, the
2015 Premiership Champions.
Stay tuned for my review of the match.
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