Bath look to take the sting out of Wasps

Having edged past Exeter Chiefs in this season’s opening fixture, Bath travel to the Ricoh Arena this weekend to face a Wasps side that fell short against Harlequins last Friday.

You would be forgiven for seeing Bath’s victory over Exeter as a fortuitous one, with Chiefs fly-half Gareth Steenson missing a number of kicks, and Henry Slade shanking a drop goal attempt with the last kick of the game.

But Bath rode their luck, and having returned from England’s disappointing World Cup exploits, George Ford’s kicking game was in impeccable order, knocking all four of his penalty attempts over as well as converting Stuart Hooper’s first half try.

While Ford stole the show, a number of other Bath players could not be overlooked in the 19-17 victory on the opening weekend, making for an impressive all round team performance.

Loosehead prop Nick Auterac shone, having taken full-time responsibility in his role at the front of the scrum following the exit of Paul James, who joined Ospreys in the summer.

Full-back Tom Homer, captain Hooper and outside centre Matt Banahan also put in solid performances, with Bath attaining four points at the first time of asking in this season’s Aviva Premiership.

Despite a muted performance in last year’s competition, Wasps are not to be underestimated, following a summer of recruitment that is in stark contrast to that of Bath.

While the West Country side lost 12 players, which Banahan described as “big characters and key decision makers”, Wasps were busy securing players’ signatures, bringing 12 of their own in to the club.

Although Bath lost such a vast number of players, Niko Matawalu could prove to be the most important addition, as the Fijian scrum-half looks to adds the next level of speed and skill to Bath’s back line.

Having nearly scored an incredible try against England at the World Cup, only to drop the ball as he dived for the try line, Matawalu has been speaking out after his debut against Exeter, and is warning every defence in the Premiership of Bath’s attacking threat.

The 26-year-old has said: “it will be difficult for opposition to defend us because if they stop one of us, anyone else could make the break.”

Wasps’ Nathan Hughes has been highlighted as a vital component in his side, as Dai Young looks to make the scrum a dominant unit once more, an issue that looks to be resolved this season with the additions of James Johnston and George Smith, as well as moving Ashley Johnson forward to hooker.

Young will be hoping his heavy summer of recruitment will not be in vain, as Wasps look for their first Premiership title since 2008, and you can’t help but feel that a victory over Bath is vital to that challenge, even with the fixture being so early in the season.

With the aim of striving for the Premiership, Wasps had been handed a tough start to their season, and having lost to Harlequins in the opening fixture, they’ll be sure to look for redemption against Bath at home, before facing Leicester Tigers next week.

After falling just short of the title last season, Mike Ford is in the process of building a youthful but devastating side, and will certainly be looking to go one further this term.

An issue Ford will be looking to address from the Exeter game is his side’s discipline, having seen Banahan and Sam Burgess, who was a second-half replacement in his new role at flanker, in the sin bin on the opening day of the season.

On the back of last week’s performance, Bath can be confident as they travel to the Ricoh Arena, but in Wasps they face a different beast, and they could pay the price for sloppy handling errors or giving away simple penalties.

A polished performance is a must, but it’s nothing Mike Ford’s side aren’t capable of producing as they look for their second win of the season.