Bath coach Mike Ford rewards players with break after win over Exeter

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/dec/28/bath-northampton-exeter-mike-ford

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It may not seem over-generous, but Bath have given their players three days off before they reconvene at their training base, Farleigh Hungerford, for the second half of the regular league season.

Mike Ford, the head coach, announced the break for a little seasonal R&R before next Sunday’s game at Leicester after his side briefly went top of the Premiership with a four-try beating of their West Country rivals Exeter, not so long ago league leaders themselves and a side who started the day just a point off Bath in third place.

Following the record drubbing at Gloucester the previous week this win left Bath clearly top dogs in the West Country and probably the side Northampton should fear most as they attempt to keep their title from the potent mixture of the millions of Bath’s owner, Bruce Craig, and Ford’s recruiting.

Last week Ford announced the signing of the Fijian scrum-half Nikola Matawalu while François Louw admitted trying to persuade Duane Vermeulen, the South Africa No8 and a world player of the year nominee, to join. Despite Sam Burgess still being a work in progress it is hard to see the Bath challenge dropping off as it did last season.

“We like to think we have learned our lesson from last season,” said one of the stars of Saturday’s win, the England centre Kyle Eastmond, another who switched codes and, along with Louw, central to Burgess’s continuing rugby education.

Burgess got another 18 minutes of first-team action on Saturday after making his second union start for the A team on Monday. He scored a try then but his particular talents were not needed on Saturday as Bath switched from Plan A – hectic, backs-inspired assault – to Plan B – a more muscular approach where the forwards took charge, rolling a stolen lineout 30 metres for the England lock Dave Attwood to pick up their third try of the game.

Not long afterwards Burgess was warming up, joining the centres rather than the back row as he had done on Monday. According to Eastmond, Burgess’s arrival and the departure of the talented Jonathan Joseph did not change a thing. “He comes on to do his job,” said Eastmond. “The nucleus of the team doesn’t change the way it wants to play.”

On Saturday, after a blistering first 50 minutes had seen the sides tied at two tries apiece, that meant Ford turning to his bench and in particular Attwood and David Wilson for stability. The former responded with his try while Wilson helped apply the pressure that brought a yellow card for replacement lock, Mitch Lees and a fourth try when Exeter ran out of tacklers.

Not many sides have such riches and Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, admitted later that was when the game turned. “I have got no complaints,” said Baxter. “In the second half the momentum of the game swung away from us and we never managed to get it back.

“We lost the forward battle a bit in the second half and once that momentum goes, it becomes pretty tough.”

As for Ford, once he had announced the brief break he pronounced himself pleased with Bath’s progress. “We want to have options all over the field … we are pleased with the way we played. We have got a really good squad at the moment.”

Bath Watson; Agulla, Joseph (Burgess, 62), Eastmond, Banahan; Ford (Devoto, 78), Cook (Young, 66); Auterac (James, 41), Webber (Batty, 50), Thomas (Wilson, 67), Hooper (capt), Day (Attwood, 50), Garvey, Louw, Houston (Fearns, 66).

Tries Aguilla, Eastmond, Attwood, Watson. Cons Ford 4. Pen Ford.

Exeter Dollman; Nowell, Slade, Hill, Jess; Steenson (Whitton, 74), Chudley (Thomas, 58); Moon (Rimmer, 54), Yeandle (Cowan‑Dickie, 54), Low (Francis, 54), Mumm (capt), Welch (Lees, 14), Ewers, Armand, Waldron. Sin-bin Lees 70.

Tries Jess, Nowell. Con Steenson.

Referee JP Doyle. Attendance 13,349.