They are still hanging in there, but every week another finger seems to be loosened. Sometimes the manner of the finger breaking comes across as particularly sadistic; at others, as here, it is cruel but simply the way of the world. London Welsh lost by five tries to one against a fitful Bath team who were too good for them when they were no more than good. Welsh, despite being just five points behind with 10 minutes to go, had even the crumb of a bonus point denied them by Bath's final burst of concentration, which yielded 10 points in those last minutes. Thus Welsh remain five points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership, a deficit not all of their own making.
They are still deciding whether to take their appeal against the five points they have been docked over the Mike Scott affair to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The success or otherwise of such an undertaking may yet determine their fate. "I hope they [the club] appeal," said Lyn Jones, London Welsh's resourceful director of rugby. "But it's out of my hands. I don't know when they'll decide."
Having waited so long last summer to have their Premiership status ratified, they may well be facing a similar agony of hanging on and not knowing. "What's important for us is that we take the fight for 11th spot down to the wire on May the fourth."
For the sake of propriety, one hopes it is all resolved by that last game of the season, a winnable home fixture against Worcester. "Nothing surprises me any more. But it will be decided. Sooner or later."
Jones's gallows humour sits well in a mind that has surely been one of London Welsh's most valuable assets this season. Despite a roster without much in the way of big names – bar the occasionally available Gavin Henson – Jones has fashioned a side that can play with heart and composure. For periods they looked every inch the equal of Bath – and not by dragging them down into a scrappy dogfight. But then Bath would turn it on for a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and the class told – hence the five tries.
"It's difficult," Jones admitted. "You've got a couple of million-dollar players with Bath, and they were good today, really good. We struggled to deal with them."
Matt Banahan set the ball rolling with a try after 80sec, and Carl Fearns added the second before the first 10 minutes were out. It looked then as if a rout was in the offing. But the goal-kicking of Alex Davies kept Welsh in touch right up till those last 10 minutes.
Bath face Stade Français in the Amlin Challenge Cup on Saturday, although they are likely to be without the scorers of those opening two tries, who left the field with injuries, Banahan's departure in the 18th minute marking the end of Bath's first purple patch. As Welsh doggedly developed their finger-holds on the game, Bath became more than a little uncomfortable. "Five tries to one, we'll take that any day," said Bath's coach Mike Ford. "But it was probably more stressful than it should have been."
The win moves them into sixth place, on course for the Heineken Cup, which may yet be accessed anyway via the Amlin. Bath are timing their assault well on the end of the season. For Welsh, though, it is more a case of enduring what fate has to throw at them. "We've got to keep plugging away," said Jones. "There's lots of spirit, and there's lots of good in our game. We're just waiting for Lady Luck to perhaps shine down on us, you know?"
Bath Devoto; Agulla, Banahan (Abendanon, 18), Eastmond, Rokoduguni; Donald (Heathcote, 63), Stringer (Claassens, 57); James (Catt, 59), Webber (Batty, 50), Wilson (Perenise ,59), Hooper (capt), Day, Louw, Gilbert (Skirving, 61), Fearns (Skuse, 63).
Tries Banahan, Fearns, Rokoduguni, Agulla, Claassens.
Cons Donald, Heathcote 2. Pens Donald 2, Heathcote.
London Welsh Jewell; MacKenzie, Tiesi (Lewis, 59), Parker (Scott, 80), Stegmann; Ross, Davies; Bristow (Tideswell, 80), Bateman (George, 63), Ion (Joly, 73), Mills (capt), Kulemin (Corker, 65), Cabello Farias, Hills, Browne (Balding, 80).
Try Jewell. Con Davies. Pens Davies 6.
Referee T Wigglesworth. Att 11,621.
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