Bath take on Irish side Leinster in their first Champions’ Cup fixture of the season. The English side were set to face off against Toulon in their first fixture of the competition, but after the horrific Paris attacks the game was called off and so this home fixture against Leinster acts as their first official game.
Bath have suffered a poor start to their domestic season having won only two of their opening four fixtures meaning that, at present, they sit fifth in the Aviva Premiership.
Leinster by contrast have enjoyed a slightly more impressive start to their domestic campaign. They have won five of their seven games in the Pro 12 so far and sit fourth in the table, five points adrift from first.
The game will be held at the Rec and so with home advantage, Bath will be hoping to earn their first win in Europe, while Leinster will be hoping to bounce back from last weeks 6-33 loss to Wasps.
The last time that these two sides faced off against each other, Bath’s lack of discipline saw them closely lose 18-15 and be knocked out of the Champions’ Cup in the quarter-finals. Therefore, it goes without question that the English side will be out for revenge while the Irish team will be looking to earn a similar win.
I predict that Leinster will look to take the fight to Bath early on and earn themselves a big lead by half-time. However, I feel that Bath’s defence may prove too much and result in a tight game.
Score prediction: 12-10 to Bath.
