OJO'S INSIDE LINE: Walking tall with the giants (From Wiltshire Times)

OJO'S INSIDE LINE: Walking tall with the giants

4:30pm Friday 14th September 2012 in Sport News

AT TROWBRIDGE, we were pretty satisfied with our opening victory against Oakmeadians last week.

For me, the most pleasing aspect was that our forwards and backs were playing as a unit which was great. There is a long way to go, but it was a good start for us.

Something else for us to get used to was the new substitutions system at local level. Rather like rugby league, we still have three replacements on the bench, but can make eight rolling substitutions throughout the match.

It’s fantastic for a team like us, especially with the big men up front, and allows guys to come on and hopefully really explode.

It will be interesting to see how these changes develop during the season.

What caught my eye in Bath’s win over Wasps last weekend was that it was nice to see the return of the smaller rugby player.

One thing rugby really has had going for it is that it has been a game for all shapes and sizes.

In the last few years, with some of the giants playing the game, that has gone out of the window.

But the likes of Bath’s Tom Biggs and rugby league convert Kyle Eastmond, as well as Wasps wing Christian Wade, who have all excelled in the opening couple of weeks of the season, are all five foot something.

It’s nice to see these guys performing well.

With two wins from two, Bath have got to be happy with their start.

They’ll want to get some confidence behind them first before evolving the expansive game that attack coach Toby Booth would be keen on.

Northampton tonight will be a massive game for everybody involved. The Saints won at Gloucester last week so Bath will hold no fears for them.

In a sense, Bath have got nothing to lose and if they win, it will give them huge momentum.

I’ve never watched a game from the stands, but I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s like.