Signs of times a problem for Hall

There was a time when West Country derbies were the epicentres of rugby's earthquakes. Blood, thunder, and not a little thuggery. No more. The hard men appear to have passed into folklore, the present generation are more concerned with creating history. Which is probably why post-match postulation centred more on contracts than contact.

The only serious quantity of blood spilled was as a result of the Bath hooker Graham Dawe, who had another blisteringly good game, making inadvertent contact with one of his own side. But with the South Africans, already on around pounds 100,000 a man, readying themselves for the November Test at Twickenham, England's players are determined that the match will not be a pro-am, and are in negotiation over the issue of contracts for internationals.

Which is where the arguments may start. "I think players should not sign for England before signing for Bath," the club's team manager, John Hall, a survivor of far harder encounters with Gloucester than Saturday's limp effort, said.

But one of his Bath boys, Mike Catt, who is now a full-time rugby player, disagrees. "I would like to be contracted to Bath," he said, "but unless clubs can come up with money for the players England must come first."

That is just where Bath plan to be at the end of the Courage Championship - first. They spent much of a dull derby being frustrated by some puzzling refereeing and a gutsy Gloucester defence, as well as some uncharacteristic handling errors before asserting their class.

Strangely it was not the high profile backs - with the exception of Audley Lumsden and John Sleightholme, who caught the eye. Rather it was the all- round ability of the forwards who stole the limelight. In the set pieces they locked tight. In the loose they were mesmeric, the ball a blur at times as it slipped from hand to hand. And the piece de resistance was an extraordinary driving maul, in the middle of the second half, in which they carried the ball fully 45 yards at real speed.

Jon Callard was his usual immaculate self, landing 19 points. Lumsden and Sleightholme each scored a fine try apiece and at a pace. Scotland's scrum-half, Andy Nicol, was a regular nuisance, sniping, sneaking and snaking around the fringes throughout the game. If he has a failing it is that he does not possess the speed of pass of Richard Hill.

Hill has left the club and having watched from the stand may well decide to give the benefit of his experience to Gloucester and one or two other clubs in the area. With the demise of the Emerging England side - their fixtures are to be taken over by the A team - Hill, as their coach, could find himself with even more time on his hands. A sorry waste.

Bath: Tries Nicol, Sleightholme, Lumsden; Conversions Callard 2; Penalties Callard 5; Drop goal Catt. Gloucester: Try Holford; Penalty Osborne; Drop goal Kimber.

Bath: J Callard; A Lumsden, P de Glanville (capt), J Guscott, J Sleightholme; M Catt, A Nicol; K Yates, G Dawe (N McCarthy, 42-48), V Ubogu, M Haag, N Redman, A Robinson, E Peters, S Ojomoh.

Gloucester: T Smith; P Holford, D Cummins (L Beck, 32), M Roberts (G Keyse 72), L Osborne; M Kimber, B Fenley; A Martin, P Greening, A Deacon, M Cornwell, R West, P Glanville, I Smith (capt), C Raymond.

Referee: S Piercy (Goole)