In this week’s Throwback Thursday we take at look at some of the corresponding fixtures from the 2014/15 season including Bath taking on the Saints at the Rec, Wasps hosting Exeter at the Ricoh Arena and the Newcastle Falcons tussling with Saracens at Kingston Park.
The last meeting between Bath Rugby and the Northampton Saints at the Recreation Ground was a top of the table clash as second played against first. Heading into the game Bath were defending an 11-month unbeaten Premiership home record in the however ended the day without it. The match fell in the middle of the RBS 6 Nations and as a result it meant that both sides were missing critical individuals. Bath’s backline wasn’t as potent as it could have been without George Ford and Jonathan Joseph, instead Ollie Devoto was at fly-half and Sam Burgess wore the 13 jersey. That said the home side stretched to an early 10-0 lead before Saints responded and gained a spot of momentum pulling back to a 12-10 half-time lead. The game continued at pace, Stephen Myler’s boot gave the visitors an eight point lead, 18-10. As expected with a home record to keep in tact the home side romped back and were frustrated not to capitalise on the final ten minutes with an man advantage. Tom Homer, who was making his debut for the club struggling to contend with the elements at the Rec and as his late penalty drifted wide with it went the losing bonus point.
Last year with just two rounds to go before the end of the domestic season the Ricoh Arena house two sides still within touching distance of a top four finish Wasps and the Exeter Chiefs. Both sides started strongly with early scores from Christian Wade and Will Chudley however the reliable boot of Andy Goode opened up a ten-point half time gap for Wasps, 26-16. The second half saw Wasps enjoy a dominate scrummage however the Exeter Chiefs’ tenacity meant that the game never felt comfortable for the home team and instead they let their ten-point cushion slip to 29-26. At that point we all delighted in watching Joe Simpson score the try of the season, his sensational solo effort was a work of art however the Chiefs had one more trick up their sleeve as Gareth Steenston’s drop goal ensured they left the Ricoh with a losing bonus point.
The final Throwback Thursday match was between the Newcastle Falcons and Saracens. The fixture occurred just after Christmas on 27th December and was a much tighter affair than many expected. Mark McCall took a strong side up to the North East however they had a tardy start. The home side gained the early momentum and it could have been costly had Alesana Tuilagi’s foot not been in touch from his interception try. Once that had occurred Saracens woke up and played a spot of rugby with Owen Farrell, Chris Wyles and Neil de Kock connecting to produce their opening try. The second half was a drama fest with both sides holding the lead at points however Owen Farrell’s boot was the steadier of the two tens leading into the final minutes. Chris Harris, who was making his home debut, delivered two tries in the final moments of the match however Juan Pablo Socino missed the conversion that would have handed his side the draw.
