Bath 27 Northampton Saints 14: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

This time, in contrast to seven months ago, there was no dramatic late comeback.

More a slow walk towards a grim conclusion that became more and more inevitable on an afternoon where nothing seemed to go right.

Saints would have expected to go to Bath and stamp their authority on a fixture against a side who were bottom of the Gallagher Premiership with no wins to their name.

Yes, Bath had pushed some very good teams close, but they had yet to be able to truly get over the line.

So as long as Saints kept close throughout, you felt they would eventually have the mental edge, as they showed when winning their previous two matches late on.

The problem was though, somehow - and we'll come to how later on - Saints were actually 14 points down at the break.

They failed to score in the first half against a side that had shipped more points (212) across their six league games than anyone else.

Saints took one shot at goal from distance but turned down other, much closer opportunities in pursuit of a try.

And while that ambition was admirable, you felt they needed to get the scoreboard ticking.

Had they opted for kicks at goal rather than kicks to the corner, you could have seen them quickly get six or nine points on the board, had James Grayson made amends for his earlier miss.

But as it was, they opted to use the lineout to put pressure on Bath.

The problem was, it just wasn't effective enough, with the visiting pack unable to turn the screw, allowing their hosts to escape.

Had Saints pounced, doubts would have resurfaced for a Bath side shorn of key men in key positions.

They had second and third-choice half-backs, and you would have expected their opposite numbers in Saints colours to be the ones who won that battle.

But it wasn't to be.

Saints' lack of composure in terms of decision-making, discipline and defence, not to mention in attack, left them with another mountain to climb.

On this occasion, though, there was no recovery run to the summit.

Instead, Bath enjoyed a far more serene end to their Saturday afternoon than they or any of their fans would have expected.

Saints couldn't get anything going for the most part, as time and again referee Anthony Woodthorpe raised his arm in Bath's favour.

Some of the calls seemed to be harsh, especially with the failure to punish players for not releasing, but many of them were fair, too.

Once again, Saints were the sinners in a season that has so far seen them ship an avalanche of penalties in pretty much every match.

And that has led to them shipping an avalanche of points, too, with only Bath having conceded more in the Premiership this season.

When the heat comes on, the referee's arm goes up.

And it is leading to such frustration for everyone of a black, green and gold persuasion.

They are working so hard to secure dominance in terms of territory, and they have done that so often.

When they lost at Harlequins, Saints had a whopping 73 per cent of the territory.

And when they lost at Bath, Saints had a whopping 71 per cent of the territory.

But with their attacking game failing to reap the rewards that their possession should merit, they are getting hit by sucker punch after sucker punch.

Conceding far more easily than you score is certainly not a recipe for success.

And Saints are really struggling to put their entire game on the pitch for long enough spells right now.

They wanted to play their way at Bath, but their way got them in trouble too often as they got caught short.

And when they tried to play another way, applying pressure from the several lineout drives they had, they really struggled to force their way over Bath.

Once it happened, but only once.

And by then, it wasn't anywhere near enough as Bath had pulled away.

It felt like their nerves may jangle when Saints cut the gap to seven points at 14-7, but they didn't.

Bath did the things Saints didn't, keeping their heads and keeping their focus.

And when the chances came, they took them.

It is a worrying tale for Saints fans who hope for another title push this season.

This is a fixture they would have hoped and expected to take four or five points from.

But, in truth, they didn't come close at the end of it.

The fears that they can't adapt their game and find solutions when Plan A isn't working rang true at Bath as they couldn't apply the squeeze up front.

And with the forwards unable to crush the home side's spirit and defiance, the backs also endured a difficult day as they didn't make the most of the ball when it came to them.

All in all, it was an afternoon best forgotten but one that must be remembered by those who were involved in it as they bid to lift themselves for next weekend.

Because if they turn in another display like the ones that have become commonplace at the start of this campaign, the league table will not be looking too kind.

How they rated...

GEORGE FURBANK - showed some flashes of class, looking really strong under the high ball and providing one superb offload as well as bagging another try assist, for Tom Collins, but there were errors, too... 6

TOM COLLINS - finished the chance when it came his way and he would have felt he could have scored again had Alex Mitchell released him down the left. Did concede a few penalties... 5.5

MATT PROCTOR - a typically feisty display from the centre, but Bath really dealt with him well, stopping him from having an influence on the game... 5.5

FRASER DINGWALL - was on the end of what seemed to be foul play, getting hit in the head a few times, before he saw his pass picked off for a crucial Cam Redpath try ... 5

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME - wasn't really able to get in the game, despite trying his best, and Bath nullified his threat really well... 5.5

JAMES GRAYSON - endured a difficult first half with one big try-scoring opportunity going begging, but did improve slightly before coming off with 14 minutes to go... 5

ALEX MITCHELL - his speed of thought led to Saints' first try, but he missed a chance to put Collins in for a second and some of his decisions didn't pay off on the day... 5

ALEX WALLER - made one good turnover in the first half and helped to keep the scrum steady... 5.5

SAM MATAVESI - helped to keep the Saints lineout steady but he missed a couple of tackles here and there while also finding himself isolated at times... 5

PAUL HILL - did what he could in the scrum as Bath couldn't get on top in that area, but also found himself on the wrong side of the referee on a couple of occasions... 5

LUKHAN SALAKAIA-LOTO - carried with real force once again and looked the Saints forward most likely to break the Bath resistance... 6

DAVID RIBBANS - was fired up once again, trying to showcase his physicality as he got stuck in for his side, but also knocked on a couple of times... 5.5

ALEX COLES - has enjoyed a strong start to the season and he made plenty of tackles here, but he also got turned over a couple of times and gave away a couple of penalties, though he wasn't alone... 5

LEWIS LUDLAM - was eventually forced off with an injury but not before he won a big breakdown penalty as Saints finally won something in that area... 6

JUARNO AUGUSTUS - tried to use his power to put pressure on Bath, but they were able to get men around him to stop him having too much of a say... 6

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

MANNY IYOGUN (for Waller 49) - helped to add some extra energy but couldn't really have an influence on the game as he too was penalised once or twice... 5

ALFIE PETCH (for Hill 59) - came into the game at a time when Saints were starting to believe they could turn the tide, but it didn't work out like that... 5

CHRON STAR MAN - Miles Reid (Bath)