Bath fear their Wales No8, Taulupe Faletau, will be out of action for a number of weeks after he sustained a knee ligament injury when he was taken out at a ruck by Mathieu Bastareaud in the 24-20 Champions Cup defeat at Toulon on Saturday.
The France centre and Toulon captain was not penalised for the incident, which happened on Bath’s line just before the home side scored their second try, even though he entered the ruck from the side and smashed into a player who did not have the ball.
Bath were leading 13-7 at the time and instead of being awarded a penalty they soon conceded one and their scrum-half Chris Cook was sent to the sin-bin for his side’s persistent infringing. It proved a pivotal moment and Bath’s director of rugby, Todd Blackadder, was left counting the cost in more ways than one.
Faletau missed nearly three months last season after sustaining a knee ligament injury on his debut for the club and aggravating it when he returned to action. On Saturday he had played a central role in Bath’s supreme defensive effort, which was complemented by the speed of their attacks when they secured turnover.
“I do not know if it is a repeat of last season’s injury,” Blackadder said. “He has suffered medial ligament damage and it does not look good. He will certainly miss Saturday’s match against Toulon. Bastareaud entered the ruck from the side and there was inconsistency around the breakdowns. There was penalty and reward for doing the same thing and in games as tight as this it comes down to little things.
“The penalties were inconsistent and when you put so much effort into a game that was there for the taking, you are a bit disappointed. I am really proud of the guys: we came to play and we did. The pool is wide open and we will be better in the return. I am really encouraged by an outstanding effort.”
Bath led for most of the match even though Toulon dominated possession and territory. They were undone four minutes from the end when Anthony Belleau chipped through for the winning try, but the bonus point the visitors secured keeps them firmly in contention to finish at the top of the pool.
“We came here for four points, not one in defeat,” said the Bath captain, Matt Garvey. “We spoke in the changing room about how gutted we were. To compete so close having played so well was tough to take as we felt we deserved to win, but at the same time it is encouraging for Saturday.”
Compounding Bath’s sense of injustice was the fact that they felt Toulon’s first try, by Ma’a Nonu, should have been ruled out for a block on Matt Banahan by the prop Florian Fresia.
Faletau’s loss for the next fixture should be mitigated by the return of the England flanker Sam Underhill from concussion.
