There is no such thing as a perfect final, any sportsperson will tell you that. In rugby terms, I struggle to think of a better one than Bath’s demolition of a strong Gloucester outfit by 40 points in a sweltering Twickenham in the 1990 Cup Final (how could I forget my last game in the blue/black/white jersey). A relevant memory given they were a (deserved) finalist in last weekend’s drama.
The Final of 2024 was deeply flawed but exciting for all that. Should Northampton Saints have played at 100% of their capacity it would have been a 40 pointer against 14 man Bath who lived up to their heritage as a Roman City team with a gladiatorial edge. The Saints froze in the sunshine, Mitchell was harried and eventually emasculated by Spencer and the Bath close defence who had clearly taken a leaf out of Leinster’s book when they neutralised Dupont. This in turn disrupted the vital link with the backs who fired only intermittently and in fact kept Bath in the game through all their mistakes.
This is worrying because six of these talented backs are touring with England to New Zealand of all places. Exploiting the weakness of an opposition is a core requirement of an International side so we all hope that this is a lesson learnt.
I generally don’t comment on red cards, and to all the critics I say that the high, dangerous tackle was lazy, unnecessary and in an innocuous part of the pitch. I felt really sorry for Alfie Barbeary who had to go off to make room for a replacement prop as much as the rest of the team. Bath then showed the character and belief which has brought them this far so quickly. Johann Van Graan has talked about family values and belief being the key drivers behind their recovery. We saw this in spades, as the Bath pack led by Underhill and the indomitable Du Toit (my man of the match) made a nonsense of the one man deficit up front. If the Bath backs had realised this, I believe that they could have cut loose and won the match despite the disadvantage.
One point about the brilliant Finn Russell – it cannot be all about him. When he was recently injured, Bath lacked leadership and turned to Spencer’s boot. I would like to see one of the centres take more of a lead, or even Max Ojomoh from the squad. The best teams have multiple attacking threats.
Let us applaud however the revival of a great rugby club and I admit to being rather partisan. The emptying of a rugby loving city to Twickenham every year can become a regular feature I have no doubt.
As for the Saints, their wonderful attacking play through the season deserves the trophy, rather than the bumbling performance we saw at Twickenham, Hendy and Sleightholme excepted.
No classic then, but a drama built by two teams adapting to a moment of disciplinary looseness. Bath will learn, and it is a harsh lesson that will fuel their desire for next year.
The occasion was everything you want from a rugby spectacle as was the European Final two weeks earlier. Let us celebrate both events as bright moments for a sport which continues to find trouble far too easily.
