Bath return to European action this weekend as they take on Toulon in the ECPR Challenge Cup, in the reverse fixture of the match they lost just before Christmas
The 29-7 loss was quite significant in comparison to the 22-19 loss to Glasgow Warriors earlier in the competition, however Hooker Niall Annett is still positive going into the match on Saturday.
“We’ve learnt some brilliant lessons (from the last match)” claimed the forward, “hopefully we can implement those and take control of the game on our terms.”
“It’s a big game, we’ve treated it very much like that, like a cup final for us of sorts. It’s one that we’re building heavily towards and has been a great focus in training this week” he highlighted “if you let them build momentum and generate quick ball, they’re a difficult team to handle”
Bath have lost both games so far in Europe, the England based team are on the brink of elimination needing to win to stay alive. They have won three games at the Recreational Ground so far this season, most recently against Newcastle on New Year’s Eve.
Although Annett does believe playing at home can make a difference, especially in Bath. “European days are special, obviously there’s a 25-year reoccurrence of the European triumph that they had so there’s a special vibe around town and hopefully we can put in a performance that is reflective of that.”
Since joining the club in the summer, “The support has been just unbelievable. It’s been a real standout; it feels a lot like home you know”
He also believes that Bath have made steady and rapid improvement throughout the season. “We had to reinvent and develop the next stage of our progressions and we’re doing that” continuing later “It’s about winning games of rugby and we are headed in that direction it just needs to be more consistent”
Bath is a historic club that prides itself through it’s rugby, and that isn’t lost on the ex-Worcester player, “We’re a club that needs to win games of rugby, we don’t want to pat ourselves on the back for coming close to winning games of rugby”
