Bath coach Mike Ford has been left feeling disappointed that his side’s efforts against Leicester Tigers did not merit a win. His side clashed with the Tigers this weekend in the Aviva Premiership in a game that could have seen them close the gap, however, they ended up losing 24-11.
Following the game, Mike Ford spoke to the media about the fixture and admitted that he was bitterly disappointed by his side’s loss and claims that the lack of conviction that his side showed when chances were presented to them cost them the game.
“We’re disappointed to come away with nothing. We just didn’t take our opportunities. We had a load of field position and lots of opportunities when we made breaks.”
Ford went on to pick up on the number of dropped balls that his side gave away and admitted that if they had reduced their number of turnovers, they could have earned a better result.
“We’re disappointed to come away with nothing. We just didn’t take our opportunities. We had a load of field position and lots of opportunities when we made breaks.”
Ford wasn’t bitter, however, as he praised his opponents and commended their professionalism and quality on the ball.
“At 11-11 we were sitting comfortable and we were the ones looking likely to win, but Leicester are a great side here aren’t they? Credit to Leicester, from 11-11 they got on the right side of the referee, kicked for the corner and got that final try.”
Towards the end of the game, Bath had the opportunity to earn a losing bonus point, but confusion in communications meant that the penalty was missed and his side were left empty handed.
“There was communication from me to get someone on with a tee. We’ll analyse it on Monday, but the call was to go for goal.”
Fijian Niko Matawalu started his first game since the Harlequins clash this season and put in a mixed performance. He was lively in attack but made a few key mistakes that contributed to his side’s defeat.
“He did some really good, unpredictable stuff, but he let us down with some basics as well. He’s exciting, but he needs to concentrate on the basics.”
Summing up, Ford claimed that his side are far better than they showed against Leicester and so will be looking to improve his side’s performances in the future.
“We’re better than what we showed today. But it’s a long season, with plenty of games to go at.”
