Blood Bath?

I have to admit I’ve had trouble sleeping this week. Hours and hours every night tossing and turning and waking up in a cold sweat. I just can’t shake a horrible image from my mind. An image so upsetting I’m surprised animal welfare organizations haven’t been protesting outside of the Rec.


What am I talking about?

This:

No, not Danny Grewcock.

Just how many poor, innocent skunks were brutally murdered in order to be plastered across Bath’s European shirt?

Please end this animal cruelty now.

Thank you.

Man of the Month: September

September's man of the month is all round nice guy, comedy genius, tweeter and Bath beardy back-row forward, Luke Watson.

Luke has been handed the captaincy at Bath this term which comes as no surprise if you follow him on Twitter.  He is on a one-man inspirational tweeting mission, spreading news about team-mate Nick Abendanon's strange eating habits along with the word of God and a dash of rugby .  In fact, Luke is giving resident Aviva Premiership God-botherer Euan "The Reverend" Murray a run for his church collection money with his religious ruminations.

However, you can't get away from the fact that Luke is an all round nice guy.  And what a player.  He made a massive impact last season from the base of the scrum and is an excellent ball carrier.  I like captains to be a member of the pack so they can discuss the intricacies of the scrum with the ref, and I think Watson will flourish in his new role, linking up with last season's skipper, scrum-half Michael Claassens.

It's a big step up, but with former Leicester stalwart Lewis Moody alongside him in the back-row I think Watson will quietly get on with his business and help Bath build on last year's semi-final spot.

I'm back...

Powering into the new season...

It's been a while since I've blogged and good while since the end of last season. 

I'd like to say I've spent the summer months doing something worthwhile, like trekking through Borneo and helping to set up a Orangutan sanctuary. However that would be a lie.  Instead I've spent the off season gallivanting around East Yorkshire and watching Leeds Rhinos get ritually humiliated in the Challenge Cup Final.  Oh, and seeing my fantasy football team plummet to the bottom of my office mini-league after the first three weeks...

Well never fear.  The brand spanking new Aviva Premiership starts this weekend and I couldn't be more excited.

Picking up where they left off last season, my beloved Leeds Carnegie play Bath at Headingley this Sunday.  The fact that Leeds have failed to win one of their pre-season fixtures is not a massive issue.  I mean, they played against the might of teams like the Ospreys, Ulster, Agen, Doncaster....  Let's gloss over that.

I'll get back on the prediction horse later this week and tomorrow I will analyse each Aviva Premiership teams' chances for this season in one sentence.  I am nothing if not concise.

T minus two days 'til it all kicks off.  Happy days.

Ready to Perform?

The fixtures are out, pre-season training has started and clubs are snapping up the finishing touches to their squads.

Yes, that's right - the new Guinness Premiership season is approaching fast.

In one of the biggest stories of the off-season, today it was revealed that Sir Ian McGeechan will be joining Bath Rugby as a "Performance Director".  No, he's not going to be treading the boards and auditioning the squad for a burly version of "Romeo and Juliet".  Or is he?  After all, what does a performance director actually do?

According to Bath coach Steve Meehan, apparently Geech's job is to cover all the support systems behind the first team and academy and look at all the things needed to recognise talent, develop it, and then use it at the very highest level.

OK then.  So that's clear.  But will there not be an overlap between Meehan's coaching and McGeechan's performance directing jazz-hands?

Meehan also stressed there would be no clashes between himself and McGeechan as they share the same philosophy.  Now, is it just me or does that immediately make you suspect there will be the odd 'disagreement' at the Rec?
And isn't a head coach/performance director pretty much the same thing?  It will be interesting to see how this off-pitch relationship develops and if Geech's aim of taking Bath back to the success of their 1980s glory days will materialise.  It will be great if it does.  I respect Lions legend Sir Ian more than any other coach and I would love to see him succeed in whatever he does.

Roll on the 4 September and the start of the new season.  And who are Bath playing first up?  Why, my boys, Leeds Carnegie. 

With their new performance director hoping for some all singing and all dancing performances, I'm sure Bath will break a leg.  Not literally, mind...

Butchgate

First we had 'Bloodgate', then we had 'Biscuitgate'.

Now, in the newest rugby farce, we have 'Butchgate'.

Butch James, Bath centre, is being wrapped up in a ridiculous amount of red tape to stop him from playing for South Africa against Wales this Saturday.

James, who hopes to reignite his international career ahead of next year's World Cup, was named in the Springboks team to face Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

But Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation for English Premiership clubs, ordered Bath to recall their player as the match does not fall within the International Rugby Board playing window.

And to make matters worse, there is no fuss about Saracens' Schalk Brits playing for the Baa-Baas against Ireland this Friday.

What a double standard.

Sure, rules are rules, but what are Premier Rugby playing at?

Fans are fighting against the ruling and a Twitter campaign has been launched to back Butch's bid to play. 
If you search for #letbutchplay you will find hundreds of tweets calling for Premier Rugby to back down.

The fans have a point.  Bath's season ended over two weeks ago and the only other thing on James' agenda at the moment is probably enjoying a cocktail or two on a sun-drenched beach.

Will this move force James to leave Bath in order to keep his World Cup dreams alive?

That is the fear of supporters.

Let's hope this farce doesn't come to that.  Please let Butch play!

The Final Shakedown

After Sunday's epic Guinness Premiership semi-finals we have a tasty clash between Leicester Tigers and Saracens to look forward to at Twickenham on May 29.

Leicester smothered Bath into submission in a 15-6 tryless affair, whilst Sarries squeaked past Northampton Saints 21-19 at Franklins Gardens.

Each game was packed with twists, controversy and bucket loads of irony.

Who can forget one-time Sarries bound Soane Tonga'uhia steaming over for a Saints try on the stroke of half time?  Did Toby Flood's high flying penalty really count for the Tigers?

And then there were the subplots: The extra needle between Saints and Sarries after Celebrationgate, the alleged tapping up of Northampton prop Brian Mujati by Saracens, Brendan Venter's misconduct charge.

All the extra needle created an afternoon of high drama, and I for one, loved it.

The final results?  Heartbreak for Saints and Bath, heaven for Leicester and Saracens.

And it should be a storming final in a couple of weeks. 

My faith in English club rugby has been fully restored.  Roll on Twickenham in two weeks time.

I, for one, cannot wait.

Who Will Be the Champions?

The Guinness Premiership is rounding the find bend and all the teams at the top are sharpening their spikes for the final run in.

Last week I upset Sale fans when I picked the Sharks as the team most likely to slip into the Championship next season.

Now, I'm going to crane my neck and look at the top of the table to see just who could be Guinness Premiership Champions.

Let's delve into each team's remaining fixtures, do a bit of crappy maths and conjure up a potential winner.

Here are the teams with their current league positions, points and run in:

Leicester Tigers

Points: 58
Position: 1st
Fixtures: Bath (H), Falcons (A), Harlequins (H), Saracens (H)

Playoff tip:  It's not a bad run in for the Tigers with three of their last four games at fortress Welford Road.  Coach Richard Cockerill will expect to pick up five points against both the Falcons and Quins, and I expect Leicester to battle out wins againsts Bath and Sarries.  A top two spot and a home semi-final awaits.

Northampton Saints

Points: 56
Position: 2nd
Fixtures: Leeds (A), Gloucester (H), Bath (A), Saracens (H), London Irish (A)

Playoff tip:  The Saints have a tougher run in than Leicester with tricky away games against Bath and the Exiles.  Leeds could be a potential banana skin as they battle relegation, but Northampton will expect to take the full five points this weekend.  An LV= Cup final rematch against Gloucester could be a humdinger of a grudge match, and whilst Sarries's form has been pretty rubbish, last weekend they put Newcastle to the sword in a seven try demolishion job.  Despite this, Northampton are the form team and in pole position for a home semi final.

Saracens

Points: 51
Position: 3rd
Fixtures: Gloucester (A), Sale(A), Harlequins (H), Northampton (A), Leicester (A)

Playoff tip:  A very tough run-in for Brendan Venter and chums.  Away trips to Franklins Gardens and Welford Road in the final two rounds are a massive ask for a team with stuttering form.  Gloucester away won't be easy as the cherry and whites are also strong right now.  Sale should be a four or five pointer, but the game against Quins could be tricky.  I think Sarries have peaked too soon and will finish in 5th.

London Irish

Points: 48
Position: 4th
Fixtures: Wasps (A), Worcester (A), Leeds (H), Gloucester (A), Northampton (H)

Playoff tip:  With the exception of Gloucester and Northampton this isn't a bad run in for the Exiles.  But what about Wasps?  Well, to be honest I'm not quite sure how Danny Celebriani and pals have climbed so high up the table, as losses to Leeds, Sale and Saints in recent weeks is hardly championship form.  Therefore I expect Irish to bag a win at Adams Park, take the points from Leeds and Worcester and finish in third or fouth.  I think they'll be happy with a semi-final, even though it won't be at home.

Wasps

Points: 44
Position: 5th
Fixtures: London Irish(H), Worcester (A), Bath (A), Newcastle Falcons (H)

Playoff tip:  Wasps will finish out of the top four.  They have one game less to play than most of their rivals and can't realistically target the Newcastle or Worcester games as sure things.  The Falcons beat Wasps at home, and Wasps on the road are about as tough to beat as a team of under 7s.  They will finish in 6th.

Bath

Points: 42
Position: 6th
Fixtures: Leicester (A), Sale (H), Northampton (H), Wasps (A), Leeds(A)

Playoff tip:  Bath look to be timing their run in rather nicely.  A dreadful first half of the season saw them languishing down at the bottom of the table, but an impressive run of form hsa propelled them to in touching distance of the top four.  Steve Meehan's men are the best team in the league on current form having grabbed 30 of the last 35 available league points.  They're also the best team away from home with 25 points scored on the road.  Bath are coming up on the rails fast and I think they'll pip Wasps to a playoff place.

So, with form and the run-in analysed, I think the semi-finalists will be:

1. Leicester Tigers
2. Northampton Saints
3. London Irish
4. Bath Rugby 

But which team will be crowned champions?

Gut feeling?  I think it could well be Northampton's year.

Put your hands up for the Saints

Why?

I don't know.  As I say it's just a feeling.  Everything coming out of the club at the moment is positive.  They have several international players with plenty more on the fringes.  The Saints have already won their first piece of silverware this year with the LV= Cup and they are the only English team still in the Heineken Cup.  The coaching set up of Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Paul Grayson has worked wonders.  Everything just seems to be clicking at the right time.

It's not that I'm discounting Leicester, Bath and London Irish - it's just that these teams don't seem to have that extra spark right now.  Leicester are great at home but their away form hasn't been as impressive and their high profile departures are unsettling.  OK, so Soane Tonga'uiha is leaving Northampton for Sarries next season and Neil Best is heading to Worcester - but I hear Tonga'uiha is now trying to stay at Franklins Gardens do the the postive outlook at the club.

I could wheel out some stats about the final league position of teams who have gone on to win the title in previous years, but I won't as I don't think that really matters.

If the top four shapes up as above, I think Northampton will beat London Irish in the semi-final and go on to do a job on Leicester in the final.

Again, don't ask me why, but I just have a feeling....