Bath have been backed to beat Bristol in a potentially enthralling fixture on Friday night at The Recreation Ground. They will be looking to get revenge after they lost their last fixture against Bath 13-15.
After a sensational comeback victory at Gloucester last time out, Jess feels that if they carry on such performances they will be able to secure victory against the Bears.
”I think they will win as if they keep and dominate the ball and don’t let the opposition get the ball they can suffocate defences. They can keep it going for 10/20 mins on top of each other.
“If they give Fin Russell time and space, he will choose the pass. He takes the ball so close to the opposition line then offloads it quickly out the back. It creates so much space.”
Summer signing Russell has been a revelation so far and has been a key lynchpin as they have risen to third in their first five league matches. It hasn’t been just the Scottish fly half/centre, the Bath fan pointed out the other key turns that could be decisive in the contest.
”With the likes of Will Muir and Joe Cokanasiga. Bath have the speedy team on the outside- Will Muir ‘the horse’ has three Premiership tries this season and has been an impressive figure.
“He can dent defences and leave space for Ollie Lawrence, the England centre, and in his first game post-World Cup he scored two tries, taking all of them well and showing off his credentials.
The Bristol Bears are on a strong run against Bath losing just one of their last eight fixtures and Jess was keen to stress that they have a number of star players who could turn up against them.
One of those is Virimi Vakatawa who recently has made his comeback to professional rugby after an enforced retirement and will cause a large threat to Bath.
”After medical checks Pat Lamb saw him at the Barbarians game and said that he looks fit enough to play. He’s a bit slow off the mark but he is a very big threat and he can add the power that can counteract Ollie Lawrence and has fancy skills.”
It’s not just Vakatawa who will be looking to impress, it’s also out of form prop Ellis Genge who had a stunning debut against Bath scoring a try within the first three minutes. Since then he has been out of sorts including at the World Cup.
Embed from Getty Images”He is a very big ball carrier, but he hasn’t been at his best since the World Cup and even during the World Cup itself.
Jess was buoyant about Bath’s chances in the game and believes that they can stop their poor run and secure an important victory that will help them in their fight for a first Premiership title since 1995/96.
”Bristol have lots of threats but I am going with Bath to win 27-19.”
Will Bath secure an important victory or will Bristol carry on their excellent run against Bath?
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