Matt Stevens absence to blame for bath decline?

Wednesday 23 December 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
Guinness Premiership > Bath

Bath may not be at the bottom of the Guinness Premiership table, but they're languishing just one place off it after a year to forget.

Writing in the Bath Chronicle, Tom Bradshaw highlighted the problems the club has had and suggested it all started when it was revealed that Matt Stevens had failed a drugs test.

Earlier this week, the NZPA pointed out that All Black fans aren't happy with the 82 per cent win record they compiled over the course of the last decade.

And while Bath can hardly be compared to the New Zealand national side, supporters have more reason to be upset with their 33 per cent return for 2009 - with Bradshaw noting that they've won just ten of 30 matches.

Remembering the Stevens announcement in January, he wrote: "From that day on, Bath went from being one of the most consistent sides in the Premiership to one of the most hit-and-miss."