When a Bath team goes on to the pitch it does so in the expectancy of victory simply because of the work put in

When a Bath team goes on to the pitch, it does so in the expectancy of victory, simply because of the work put in during the build-up.”Preparation is all, simply because it takes away the fear. The only time I have ever been really apprehensive, almost scared, on a rugby pitch was when Bath took on Wigan at league at the end of last season. I have always loved a physical challenge but I hated the fact that I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing I didn’t have any instincts to fall back on. It was like playing naked.”Robinson must have felt that nakedness when Ashton, frustrated by what he saw as a clumsy, ill-conceived management structure, walked out on Bath early last month. Suddenly, Robinson was flying solo at the controls of the most successful club side in the world.

What was more, he was still widely perceived as one of the lads rather than a backroom sage. Is he still a player in coach’s clothing?”It’s been a problem,” he admits. “There is an obvious danger of falling between two stools if you’re trying to play and coach in a pressure situation. When Brian left, my priority was to concentrate on getting my coaching absolutely right, but because of international demands on our squad, I wasn’t able to take three or four weeks away from playing, as I had hoped.”In fact, we thought long and hard about whether I should play in this match. I was burning to have another crack at the Tigers, but we decided against it In a way, I’m happy not to be playing.

I want to stay close to the squad, but it’s also essential for a coach to take a step back. This gives me an opportunity to do that.”Today’s game could well turn out to be a watershed for Robinson, the day he crosses the shadow line that divides the player from the coach. He has grown used to preparing teams for big occasions over the last three years – he guided Colston’s School from Bristol to back-to-back Twickenham victories in the national Under-18 Cup and has also been closely involved with the successful England A set-up. But this is something else; fiercely tribal, loaded with historical baggage and deeply personal, Leicester are the ultimate opponents.”It’s been a real education to have been on the other side this week. I’ve taken it upon myself to talk the game through with most of the players one on one; some old-stagers, the Nigel Redmans and Jerry Guscotts, know exactly where they’re coming from, but someone like Dan Lyle, very important in terms of the way we intend to approach the match but a new boy all the same, will not have been in anything like this before.”But Bath has always been more about players than coaches and, as is usual before a really big game, the team has retreated into itself and generated its own peer pressure.”I’ve had a few doors slammed in my face this week – 10 years in the first team and they treat me like an outsider – but I’m happy for that to happen It means they’re finding the right edge.”. The top flight of the Courage League has resembled a bad day on the M1 all season, with seven clubs – eight if you include the resurgent Gloucester – caught in the snarl-up for European Cup places, writes Chris Hewett Today, the congestion could worsen considerably.

Harlequins, Sale, Saracens and Northampton pair off against each other this afternoon while Gloucester, with six league victories on the bounce, can virtually bank on a seventh against relegation certainties Orrell at Kingsholm. By this evening, the First Division prognosis is likely to be as clear as mud.
The most intriguing encounter is at Franklins Gardens where Northampton, no great shakes away from home but a very serious proposition indeed in their own backyard, face Sarries – Philippe Sella, Francois Pienaar, Michael Lynagh and all. Well, almost all; the Londoners travel without Paddy Johns, their in-form Irish international lock, who is suffering from a chest infection.”It’s a definite blow,” admitted Mark Evans, their coach, yesterday. “Paddy has turned in some fantastic stuff for us this season, both as a tight forward and in terms of his work-rate around the pitch. He is playing the best rugby of his career since switching from the back row to the second row. He is now a Test-class lock.”Johns’ absence means a chance for the inexperienced Craig Yandell alongside Tony Copsey. Their task is eased, in theory, by the continued absence of Martin Bayfield, the Lions lock, who is hoping to make further strides towards completing his recovery from a chronic groin condition by turning out for the Saints’ second string.”This is a big game, even bigger than usual,” Evans said “What we badly need is a significant win on the road.