Bath Rugby supporter Glyn Edwards gives his take on events at The Rec…
After the disappointment of securing a mere losing bonus point at Sale, Bath Rugby at least gave their league campaign a positive shot in the arm by eventually seeing off a committed and tenacious London Welsh side on Saturday.
It is likely that the RFU's points deduction for fielding an ineligible player will ultimately cost the Exiles their league status but surely it is only satisfactory if relegation is settled where it really ought to be decided – on rugby pitches, as opposed to HQ committee rooms.
Bath now face a stuttering Stade Français side – who have shipped 46 points in each of their last two matches – in a vital European quarter-final at The Rec.
But no-one should expect an easy ride given the traditional French flair for unpredictability.
Both European champions from last year, Heineken Cup winners Leinster and Amlin Challenge Cup holders Biarritz Olympique, are among the last eight teams remaining in the Amlin competition this season.
The best Amlin quarter-final line-up ever includes four former Heineken Cup champions with ten titles between them – Toulouse (4), Leinster (3), London Wasps (2) and Bath (1) – while the Heineken Cup's survivors include only three former champions, with a total of just five crowns and a meagre nine European titles in all.
Two of the Amlin qualifiers – Bath and Wasps – have both previously completed the double of Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup triumphs.
And such is the quality of this season's contenders that Gloucester – Challenge Cup winners in 2006 – are the only club in the Amlin last eight yet to appear in a Heineken Cup final.
Toulouse, newcomers to the Challenge Cup, will bring all their experience in Europe to bear when they go head-to-head with Perpignan to decide who Bath will play in a semi-final in France should they progress.
In a British and Irish Lions context, the tourists' head coach, Warren Gatland, has significantly decided to wait until April 30 – after the European semi-finals – before announcing his squad.
Accordingly, Bath Rugby Supporters' Club are hosting a Lions Tour 2013 Forum on Wednesday, May 1 to debate Gatland's selections, and several former British & Irish Lions players and coaches with past or present Bath connections have been invited.
The panellist with the most fascinating insights, however, promises to be Gary Gold, who was an assistant Springboks coach when South Africa successfully hosted the last tour in 2009 and won the test series 2-1 – much to Lee Mears' chagrin!
The forum will start at 7.30pm and admission is free for BRSC members or £3 for non-members.
