There have been dark clouds over The Rec all season in a metaphorical sense. But from a meteorological point of view, the damp, dark Friday evening that we have in store for tonight’s live BT Sport offering might be welcome news for the bottom-of-the-table and winless blue, black and whites in the sense the conditions could be a leveller.
That may be true against some sides but not Exeter. A night when the ball is going to be greasy and the wind plays havoc with the way the game is played dictates that the side that does its basics well will probably win, and nobody does their basics better than the Chiefs.
Both clubs have had an interesting build-up to this match, Bath using the break for the Prem Cup to review why they are performing so uselessly, while the Chiefs have held a board meeting about their controversial Native American branding.
Neither conclusion was particularly satisfying, with leaky Bath stating the obvious in saying they needed a defence coach to plug their defensive holes and the Chiefs putting out the briefest of statements saying they still hadn’t decided if Indian fancy dress was no longer appropriate attire.
Both seemed to have lost their way, on and off the pitch, Bath more than the Chiefs admittedly, and it is doubtful the rugby played – between two good teams on paper – will particularly warm the hearts. As such, we’re tempted to go under 44.5 points (10/11).
The Chiefs have won on four of their last five visits to The Rec and that trend should continue tonight, but only after they have done the hard yards first. It looks to be a night made for the maul, and visiting hooker Jack Yeandle, at 23/10, looks as good a bet as any to score a try.
Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Will Muir, 10 Orlando Bailey, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Lewis Boyce, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Josh McNally, 5 Charlie Ewels ©, 6 Miles Reid, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Josh Bayliss
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Arthur Cordwell, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Will Spencer, 20 Tom Ellis, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Ruaridh McConnochie
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Jack Maunder, 1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Jack Yeandle (capt), 3 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 4 Sam Skinner, 5 Sean Lonsdale, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 8 Sam Simmonds.
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Don Armand, 20 Richard Capstick, 21 Sam Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Tom Hendrickson
