Bath boss Steve Meehan believes the upcoming match against Leeds Carnegie will be crucial following his side's win over Gloucester.
Head coach braced for "massive game"
Bath boss Steve Meehan believes the upcoming Guinness Premiership match against Leeds Carnegie will be crucial following his side's 24-8 win over Gloucester.
The triumph marked Bath's first league home win since April and kept them three points ahead of bottom club Leeds, who are still languishing in the league basement despite claiming a 16-15 win at Newcastle.
However, if six times English champions Bath fall to Leeds when the teams meet in Yorkshire next weekend, the West Country club could be left propping up the Premiership standings.
Important
"We know it is an important match, a massive game for us," said Meehan.
"There are some other big games around next weekend as well. The Premiership is such a tight competition, and it is important for us to keep working and keep improving."
Fly-half Nicky Little played a critical role in the Gloucester defeat, scoring four penalties before Jack Cuthbert and Matt Banahan posted late tries.
Little, who has recently signed a new Bath contract, also added the conversion to Banahan's interception dash to truly announce his return to the side from suspension.
Despite the efforts of Gloucester's Nicky Robinson and Alasdair Dickinson, who both crossed the line for the visitors, Bath took control in the second half to secure 21 points.
"It was pretty tight at half-time, but we felt confident, we felt we were the more dangerous side," added Meehan.
"I thought that overall we played the better rugby. Our defence was excellent, our scrum was very good and our lineout got better throughout the game."
Frustrated
Frustrated Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath admitted that Bath had been the stronger side during the Recreation Ground clash.
"The first half was a bit of a stalemate, and the whole game never really ignited," said Redpath.
"Credit to Bath, Nicky Little slotted his penalties, they took their chances and they deserved the victory.
"We never had a great set-piece game to attack from, and you can't give cheap points away, which I thought we did. It was very frustrating."
