Perry helps Bath to slither off the bottom
Bath 24 Newcastle 9
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Your support makes all the difference.Bath somehow managed to scramble off the bottom of the Zurich Premiership, but it was not pretty to watch – not until the last quarter, anyway. Their creativity could not be faulted, but their finishing was generally poor.
That they scored two tries merely underlined the fact that a bonus point went begging. They most certainly should have scored more, although whether things would have been quite so easy had Newcastle not suffered a severe setback by losing their fly-half, Dave Walder, midway through the first half seems doubtful.
It was Walder who had rocked Bath with a penalty and a 40m drop goal, but he ended up having to be taken to hospital for precautionary X-rays after suffering a neck injury and thereafter the Falcons lost any shape and tactical focus. Walder was released after being given the all-clear.
The injury happened in the 21st minute and it took a further nine minutes to get the player on to a stretcher. Everyone else disappeared into the dressing-rooms to stay warm and avoid the icy rain and cold wind, before emerging to continue their flounderings.
Conditions were awful, the weather and treacherous pitch contributing to the general mess, which made the performance of Bath's pack all the more remarkable. Their driving was superior throughout and they splashed, sloshed and slid upfield on numerous occasions. Their line-out, at times, was outstanding, and in the set piece too they looked solid.
Sadly, outside the forwards there was precious little application until late in the game. If points were awarded for the creation of chances then Bath would have walked it, but once within range of the line the backs would be left indignant, hands on hips as the ball would squirt away, or dribble into opposition hands; or worse, the ball carrier would ignore calls to pass to unmarked team-mates.
Thankfully there was Matt Perry to keep the points pot boiling. He punished four of Newcastle's five transgressions within range and then lifted the whole team with a try eight minutes into the second half. He missed that conversion but kicked his second after Maggs was presented with a simple touchdown in the 76th minute.
Bath: Tries Perry, Maggs; Conversions Perry; Penalties Perry 4. Newcastle: Penalties Walder, Richardson; Drop goal Walder.
Bath: M Perry; S Danielli, K Maggs, I Balshaw, T Voyce; O Barkley, G Cooper; D Barnes (S Emms, 73), A Long (M Regan, 60), J Mallett, S Borthwick (J El Abd, 79), M Gabey, J Scaysbrook, D Lyle (capt), A Beattie.
Newcastle: D Richardson; L Botham, J Noon, T May, M Stephenson; D Walder (G MacLure, 21), G Armstrong; I Peel (M Ward, 53), C Balshen (N Makin, h-t), M Hurter, H Vyvyan, D Weir (C Hamilton, 62), J Dunbar, P Lam (capt; E Taione, 66), R Arnold (R Devonshire, 62).
Referee: S Leyshon (Keynsham).
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