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Tue 20 Jan 2015 | 12:23
Jonathan Joseph brilliance sets up Francois Louw try for great Bath try

24
Comments

Bath secured a bonus point victory over Toulouse this weekend with this great try set up by Jonathan Joseph. As Bath keep European Champion Cup hopes alive, their centre pairing of Kyle Eastmond and Joseph eagerly await Stuart Lancaster's England Six Nation's squad announcement on Wednesday.

The match started off with plenty of action, as a George Ford penalty then Matt Banahan try within seven minutes gabe Bath an early lead.

Toulouse responded with a try of their own through second row Yoann Maestri, but couldn't keep Bath at bay, as they notched up another two tries – one, an interception by scrum-half Chris Cook, and the second by centre Joseph after a break by midfield partner Kyle Eastman.

Toulouse managed to squeeze in a try before half time making it 25-14 at the break.

A Toby Flood penalty early in the second half put the home team within seven points. That's as close as they would come. Bath's defence proved too good in the second half and when Joseph regained this grubber then set up Francois Louw for the try, it was game set and match.

Bath Head Coach Mike Ford called it a "world class" effort from Joseph and also highlighted a crucial try saving tackle from George Ford in the second half.

With Bath's backline in such fine form, it begs the question: can the trio of Ford, Joseph and Eastmond replicate their form in the Six Nations for England?

More importantly, does Stuart Lancaster think so? We will find out on Wednesday.

Bath inch up to second place in Pool Four of the European Champion's Cup and face Glasgow this coming weekend (who they lost to in their first encounter) while Toulouse, at the top of the table, face bottom placed Montpellier. Pool Four is in for a tense final weekend.

Posted By: Grant Constable

24 Comments

  • cw12574
    4:04 PM 11/02/2015

    I recommend you learn the players names if you're going to bore everyone.

  • danknapp
    9:45 AM 26/01/2015

    Hey buddy, thanks for taking time to contribute! Don't worry about your English. Make an account and join in!

  • drg
    1:51 PM 22/01/2015

    It makes very good sense, the only problem is, if you go into the game with 'defensive' backs, then you'll only ever have your forwards working their arses off to try and reclaim the ball after the said 'defensive backs' coughed it up (one way or another)...

    ...if of course you go into the game with attacking backs and your forwards are awful, then you'll have had a decent plan in place, but not been able to follow through...

    I suppose its sort of a case of putting your best foot forward and going for the win. None of the 6N teams are unbeatable at this stage, of course if you were heading into a match against NZ, you'd have to think a bit more carefully.

  • stroudos
    6:53 PM 21/01/2015

    Might not be as fast as The Bus, but I reckon he's not far off...

    I like Burrell too, so any combination of him/Eastmond/Joseph would be good.

  • eddie-g
    3:11 PM 21/01/2015

    Is Tuilagi quick enough to play on the wing? If yes, then what's not to like about your idea?

    For now for the 6N anyway, Tuilagi looks like he won't be available anyway, so the immediate decision for Lancaster is to see if Eastmond-Joseph works at international level, or see if Burrell-Eastmond/Joseph works at all.

  • s_conner
    1:27 PM 21/01/2015

    Totally agree with the idea of playing a settled, in-form centre pairing from Club level in the national team. There's only one way to test their defensive credentials at test level...

    Ford to start at fly half, with Cipriani and Burrell on the bench as impact players.

  • s_conner
    1:23 PM 21/01/2015

    Magique!

  • drg
    12:04 PM 21/01/2015

    Not quite sure who to reply to here, but I'll pick Stroudos due to his last sentence regarding Tuilagi on the wing.

    I think perhaps the common problem in rugby is that people see the likes of Julian Savea tearing through opposition and they automatically think "we need someone big"... don't get me wrong, teams need someone who is either big enough or skilled enough (or daft enough) to get in Saveas way, but there is no point in picking a human fridge who has as much manoeuvrability as the Titanic and plonking him in the midfield... which is the sticky mess I find many selectors jump into...

    Julian Savea, Jonah Lomu etc, are unique (enough to be lumped into the same group...) - It's not often you get a big guy, who has pace and has some degree of skill... I'm fairly big (not as large as those two!), my pace is 'ok'.. I'm quick for a forward, but please don't ask me to play in the backs and my skillset is reserved more for the forwards - of course, all at an amateur level. So when you get Savea who is big enough to dwarf forwards, fast enough to blitz backs, and skillful enough to ruin anyones day, you need to either get your exact equivalent of him, or think outside the box on how you can produce your own game and hope it works...

  • stroudos
    8:25 AM 21/01/2015

    Check out the French commentators - they went far more mental!!

    http://youtu.be/KV3filF_9i8

  • stroudos
    8:22 AM 21/01/2015

    Straight in for Wales. Get them in, give them some proper game time.

  • stroudos
    8:21 AM 21/01/2015

    Only one way to find out!

  • 2:34 AM 21/01/2015

    This was great and they are playing well BUT DID YOU SEE WHAT BURGESS DID LAST WEEK 3 AWESOME HIGH TACKLES AND A WELL Taken 2 METRE TRY! Must be the next 12!

    Insert overblown sarcasm here.

    If they are lighting it up for Bath then why not chance them at least against Italy?

  • jimmy23
    10:55 PM 20/01/2015

    Also, is that the commentary team going mental in the background as the try's being scored? Thought there wasn't supposed to be any bias :P

  • reality
    10:20 PM 20/01/2015

    Not that the rest of it isn't worthy of merit, bien entendu.

  • reality
    10:19 PM 20/01/2015

    I'll like that comment just for the Curb Your Enthusiasm quote.

  • jimmy23
    6:41 PM 20/01/2015

    I think in terms of attack they would be a great choice, it's more the defence I feel could be the potential issue. I admit they've done pretty well for Bath but International Rugby is a big step up. Could Ford, Eastmond and Joseph handle the likes of New Zealand? I'm not too sure. If Eastmond is going to be there I think having someone more renown for their physicality would be a good compliment to his distribution/flair.
    If Tuilagi could fine tune his distribution skills, I'd be interested to see him at 12 and have Joseph outside him. Could be a Nonu/Smith-esque paring.

  • stroudos
    6:28 PM 20/01/2015

    @Facepalm, yeah, unfortunately I think Twelvetrees has had his chance. He's done OK but not really excelled. I really think Eastmond and Joseph offer something significantly different and more exciting. Add to that their familiarity with Ford who must be nailed on as first-choice flyhalf...

    Farrell at 12 would be OK but completely stifle the creativity that Ford can inject.

    Barritt's a warrior and has done us proud, but I'm confused by people thinking it's awesome that he tackles people with his swede. He's been picked for his watertight defence, but the others can manage that side as well as producing more invention in attack.

  • stroudos
    6:20 PM 20/01/2015

    How reliable a place-kicker is Ford?
    In the words of Larry David, pretty pretty pretty good.
    Certainly reliable enough to count as an additional tick in the "pros" column.

    Are Eastmond and Joseph too small?
    Nope! I think they've demonstrated many times that they're capable of defending against the big lumps and, as can be seen in this video, and from Eastmond's 40m searing break to set up Joseph in the same game, (just to give two examples), they both have ways to get past defenders.

    A fit Tuilagi, or indeed Burrell (who didn't deserve to lose his place before and who I still think has a lot to offer), can make a big impact from the bench. Start with this established, settled, creative and dynamic combination, then if necessary bring on the heavy artillery after 50-55 minutes.

    (Alternatively, my tip that NOBODY else agrees with is Tuilagi on the wing giving another strike runner option if needed).

  • facepalm
    6:06 PM 20/01/2015

    Whether it's Joseph, Burrell, Tuilagi, Farrell, Eastmond or Barritt I really don't care. Just please god don't let it be Twelvetrees.

  • eddie-g
    5:33 PM 20/01/2015

    I'll play devil's advocate...

    How reliable a place-kicker is Ford? If there's a question against this part of his game, that's a big issue for some coaches (some even believe you need to build a team around your place-kicker).

    Are Eastmond and Joseph, as a partnership, too small? Would the two of them plus ford all need help defending their channel?

    Related to the above, does a fit Tuilagi give England a physical presence that is essential at international level?

    Just trying to imagine what the counter-arguments are...

    Anyway, I kind of think Ford is now an obvious selection; the prior excuses about his age and inexperience are no longer applicable. The reason for picking Eastmond and Joseph is, simply, this is a partnership that thrives. You never quite know with the pretty boys behind the scrum, how things will gel, but these guys are very good together. My sense however is that one of the big lumps, Tuilagi or Burrell, will get in. Lancaster, like most coaches, likes some of that in midfield.

    But no doubt, if you want a centre combination that works, then you need look no further than Bath. And it would be a complete joke if any of these three don't make the 6N squad.

  • boybath
    3:29 PM 20/01/2015

    @ stroudos totally agree we are using the 6 Nations to try things out - this game is not a one off. Its like watching the crusaders play at the rec at the moment.

  • colombes
    3:28 PM 20/01/2015

    As a french fan, i found the bath backs were absolutely fantastics in their support runs and counter-attacks. Eastmond, Joseph, Watson and particularly Ford played with real intelligence.

    So, of course, Lancaster should give more time to these players during the 6N. My only worry, Toulouse actual poor form (in fact, since 2 years) is the anti reference in term of defence. The 6N sides will let far less spaces for inspiration.

  • stroudos
    3:11 PM 20/01/2015

    @RD FYI - Eastmond

    "With Bath's backline in such fine form, it begs the question: can the trio of Ford, Joseph and Eastman replicate their form in the Six Nations for England?"

    I have been boring everyone I know, including those visiting these esteemed pages, with this suggestion for the past few months. If any England fan can watch the Bath game v Toulouse and *not* agree that transposing all three as a unit into the England starting team is an excellent idea, well they must be clinically insane.

    I find it incredibly exciting that England's midfield selection nightmare, which let's face it has been going on for about a decade, can be solved in such a straightforward way.

  • danknapp
    2:16 PM 20/01/2015

    Thoroughly enjoyable try. That little kick through sat up beautifully. Not sure about Healey's claim that it would have been one of the top 5 tries he had ever seen, but he's an excitable little scrum half.

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