Match preview
2 months ago
Bath Rugby 31 v 25 Gloucester Rugby
1 March 2013, KO 20:00
Recreation Ground
AVIVA Premiership
28 February 2013, 3:11pm
Bath Rugby change four for derby clash
Bath Rugby welcome back Paul James, David Wilson, Francois Louw and Matt Banahan for their derby clash with Gloucester Rugby on Friday night at the Recreation Ground, kick-off 20.00.
Test props Paul James and David Wilson, released by Wales and England respectively, come back into the front row either side of hooker Rob Webber, whilst Dominic Day and Dave Attwood continue their tough, impactful combination in the second row. Francois Louw returns to the blindside flank and skippers the side, meaning Carl Fearns switches to the openside as Ben Skirving continues at number eight.
A mix of experience and youth is selected in the half-backs, with 98 times capped Peter Stringer linking up with Tom Heathcote once more. Flyer Tom Biggs takes his place on the left wing, with the exceedingly robust Horacio Agulla on the right. The bulldozing Matt Banahan returns to the midfield to join Kyle Eastmond in the centres, with Nick Abendanon completing the line-up at fullback.
One of the hardest fought rivalries in rugby, the predicted sell-out crowd at the Rec are in for a thrilling game, as lock Dominic Day comments: "It's a really big occasion. I live in town and people keep coming up to me and saying what a big game it is for Bath. There's been that extra edge in training and the coaches have been demanding that bit more as well. They'll be hurting from the defeat in the LV= Cup and we know they'll be coming down here looking for revenge and we have been preparing for that."
Bath Rugby team to face Gloucester Rugby
15. Nick Abendanon
14. Horacio Agulla
13. Matt Banahan
12. Kyle Eastmond
11. Tom Biggs
10. Tom Heathcote
9. Peter Stringer
1. Paul James
2. Rob Webber
3. David Wilson
4. Dominic Day
5. Dave Attwood
6. Francois Louw ( c )
7. Carl Fearns
8. Ben Skirving
Replacements
16. Ross Batty
17. Nathan Catt
18. Anthony Perenise
19. Will Spencer
20. Mat Gilbert
21. Michael Claassens
22. Sam Vesty
23. Semsea Rokoduguni
10
Sam Vesty
Fly Half
Bath Rugby
Gloucester Rugby
| P | D | C | T | Pos | Player | Player | Pos | T | C | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | FB | Nick Abendanon | 15 | Rob Cook | FB | 2 | 7 | 12 | ||||
| 8 | W | Horacio Agulla | 14 | Charlie Sharples | W | 5 | ||||||
| 2 | C | Matthew Banahan | 13 | Henry Trinder | C | 5 | ||||||
| 5 | C | Kyle Eastmond | 12 | Mike Tindall | C | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 5 | W | Tom Biggs | 11 | Jonny May | W | 6 | ||||||
| 24 | 25 | FH | Tom Heathcote | 10 | Freddie Burns | FH | 2 | 27 | 1 | 68 | ||
| 3 | SH | Peter Stringer | 9 | Dan Robson | SH | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 1 | P | Paul James | 1 | Nick Wood | P | |||||||
| 1 | H | Robert Webber | 2 | Darren Dawiduik | H | 1 | ||||||
| 1 | P | Dave Wilson | 3 | Rupert Harden | P | |||||||
| 1 | L | Dominic Day | 4 | Lua Lokotui | L | |||||||
| 1 | L | Dave Attwood | 5 | Will James | L | 1 | ||||||
| 2 | FL | Francois Louw | 6 | Tom Savage | FL | 1 | ||||||
| FL | Carl Fearns | 7 | Akapusi Qera | FL | 5 | |||||||
| 1 | 8 | Ben Skirving | 8 | Sione Kalamafoni | 8 | 1 |
Replacements
| 1 | rh | Ross Batty | 16 | Huia Edmonds | rh | 1 | ||||||
| 1 | rp | Nathan Catt | 17 | Dan Murphy | rp | 3 | ||||||
| 1 | rp | Anthony Perenise | 18 | Dario Chistolini | rp | |||||||
| 1 | r8 | Will Spencer | 19 | Peter Buxton | r8 | |||||||
| rfl | Mathew Gilbert | 20 | Andy Hazell | rfl | ||||||||
| 3 | rsh | Michael Claassens | 21 | Dave Lewis | rsh | |||||||
| 4 | 6 | 1 | rfh | Sam Vesty | 22 | Ryan Mills | rfh | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2 | rc | Nick Koster | 23 | Martyn Thomas | rc |
Previous meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/02/13 | Gloucester Rugby | 5 - 32 | Bath Rugby |
| 06/10/12 | Gloucester Rugby | 16 - 10 | Bath Rugby |
| 18/02/12 | Bath Rugby | 11 - 14 | Gloucester Rugby |
Bath Rugby form guide
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/02/13 | Northampton Saints | 25 - 23 | Bath Rugby |
| 16/02/13 | Bath Rugby | 40 - 16 | London Irish |
| 09/02/13 | Bath Rugby | 32 - 9 | Worcester Warriors |
Gloucester Rugby form guide
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22/02/13 | Gloucester Rugby | 29 - 23 | Worcester Warriors |
| 17/02/13 | London Wasps | 33 - 29 | Gloucester Rugby |
| 09/02/13 | Northampton Saints | 11 - 27 | Gloucester Rugby |
Bath dangermen
| Tries | Horacio Agulla | 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Tom Heathcote | 157 |
| Conversions | Tom Heathcote | 32 |
| Minutes | Kyle Eastmond | 2082 |
Gloucester dangermen
| Tries | Jonny May | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Freddie Burns | 350 |
| Conversions | Freddie Burns | 37 |
| Minutes | Sione Kalamafoni | 1981 |
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