Coup de Grace

Bath will be expected to deliver a coup de grace to Pau on Saturday. The club in the Pyreneean shadow has no hope of anything but pride from the fixture. They cannot even claim third place in the pool and have been bafflingly inconsistent in the tournament so far. Having begun brightly with a battling home defeat, they next failed to register even a single bonus point until taking Cardiff Blues to the wire last weekend. Tense tussles against the two leading teams have bracketed a limp capitulation in Cardiff and concession of 2 try bonuses to Bristol whom they gifted a total of 69 points. Their form is not just the usual French home and away disparity as Bristol beat them soundly at the Stade du Hameau. In the Top 14 they stand 11th, well clear of the relegation struggle but they do have an outside chance of finishing high enough to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup. Perhaps their laissez faire approach to some of their Challenge Cup ties shows the Top 14 to be their priority? Or- is it just some clichéd Gallic insouciance, and will they spring a surprise at the Rec on Saturday?