Stevens out to ruin Dallaglio's party
Come Sunday Bath prop Matt Stevens will be fully focused on the job at hand, reaching the Guinness Premiership Final, even if victory means the worst possible retirement present for Wasps' Lawrence Dallaglio.
Come Sunday Bath prop Matt Stevens will be fully focused on the job at hand, reaching the Guinness Premiership Final, even if victory means the worst possible retirement present for Wasps' Lawrence Dallaglio.
Dallaglio, 36, is hanging up his boots at the end of this season to bring down the curtain on an illustrious club and international career.
But Stevens, who has played alongside the number eight for both England and the British and Irish Lions, is eager to ensure Dallaglio plays his last game this Sunday.
“I'd take great delight in ruining Lawrence Dallaglio's retirement party plans on Sunday because if we do that we will have beaten Wasps and we'll be in the Premiership Final,” said Stevens, who was not in a sentimental mood.
“I get along really well with Lawrence. He's a great guy, a great captain and his achievements in the game will never be forgotten.
“But I'd love to give him a hug after the final whistle on Sunday and wish him all the best in his retirement after we've beaten them and booked a place in the Premiership Final ourselves.
“He's won enough in his time and if we beat them, he'd be man enough to take it on the chin and wish us all the best.”
The Bath tighthead, who was named in England's tour party for New Zealand earlier this week, limped out of last Saturday's derby defeat by Gloucester at Kingsholm in the second half with a knee injury, but hopes to be fit for Sunday's showdown.
Bath's defeat saw Gloucester finish four points clear at the top of the table ahead of Wasps, who pulled off their ninth win in ten games at Leeds' expense to leapfrog Steve Meehan's men into second place to claim home advantage on Sunday.
“Gloucester defended to limit us and they we allowed that to happen which was disappointing,” said Stevens.
“We played a lot of rugby but some of it was the wrong kind of rugby but, even then, there were loads of times when I thought we would get a penalty which would be kickable for Olly but we didn't get them.
“The game was limited by the way the breakdown was refereed and that made the game tighter and slower than we wanted it to be.
“We have taken a long look at that ahead of Sunday's game at Wasps and we've worked on some specific things that we need to change to cope with playing on a narrow pitch at Adams Park.
“We're going up to Wasps on Sunday to win and, categorically, I don't think anybody in the team doesn't believe we can.
“Wasps have beaten us twice during the regular season but this Bath side has developed since we last met them.
“We've learned from our mistakes all season and we are, very definitely, a better side now.”
In hindsight, Stevens believes last weekend's defeat at Gloucester could provide the impetus for a drive all the way to the Premiership title – Bath's first domestic championship since the 1980s.
“In a way, losing at Gloucester may turn out to be no bad thing because it has acted as a wake-up call for us,” he insisted.
“We always knew we wouldn't be dead in the competition if we lost at Kingsholm last weekend and while we wanted a home semi-final badly, it's almost a good thing that we lost at Gloucester last weekend in a way.
“And that's because there isn't anybody here at Bath who doesn't now believe that beating Wasps away from home in a semi-final would give us massive confidence to go on and win the final.
“Losing finals is a desperate experience and we've had too much of that at Bath and there's a real will to make sure it doesn't happen again this season.
“The players here have been through it a few times, I've been on the losing side in a World Cup Final and there's no disappointment like it.
“I'm very excited about this weekend – it's the biggest game this team has faced in seven years and I believe we are ready for it.
“That's challenge for us is to prove that we can rise to the big occasion and win the matches that really matter and show everybody what a good side this Bath team is.”