BIG-TIME CAHRLIE
CHARLIE EWELS is in relaxed mood. It’s two days after a telling win at Harlequins, two days out from the next skirmish against Worcester. Bath’s captain is being rested for that one, a well-earned breather during a punishing schedule. He is amused by the turn of events against Quins, when the sin-binning of hookers Jack Walker and Tom Dunn forced Bath to finish the match with 12 men and pack down for an uncontested scrum with Rhys Priestland and Will Chudley in the back row.
“And there was me thinking the week before that we played the weirdest game ever against Wasps, when they had everyone throwing in,” he says.
“Five days later we’re doing the same thing! I’m getting good at uncontested scrums. I’ve got Rhys on my left, who hasn’t got a clue what’s going on. We probably dropped off in intensity a bit, and the decisions and the penalties started racking up against us.
“It’s another challenge for us, we’ve spoken about that. How did we adapt, what decisions did we make? If we end up in that situation again, four points in the game and it’s a game-defining moment, what would we do differently? As it was we had the luxury of being a couple of scores up, but it’s another good experience to learn from.”
Bath’s form has had tongues wagging since the resumption of the Gallagher Premiership in mid-August. The lineout, under the coaching of Luke Charteris and run by Ewels
