Bath’s vs Leinster: Fresh face Auterac puts down a marker for England

Bath prop Nick Auterac is hitting form just in time to impress new England coach Eddie Jones (Getty)

To witness the uncapped loosehead prop Nick Auterac’s compelling combination of hard scrummaging and ballistic contributions in the loose in Bath’s 19-16 European Cup win over Leinster on Saturday was to see a man timing his run right for inclusion in the next national squad when it is named in January.

Auterac started out with Saracens and played for England’s Under-20s in 2012, and while he has not yet featured for the second-tier Saxons never mind the seniors, the new-broom feeling of Eddie Jones’s arrival raises thoughts that this fresh face may fit, or at least be a worthy rival to Harlequins’ Joe Marler, who had a dispiriting World Cup.

All the Bath front-rowers benefited against Leinster from a heavyweight back five that may have been the point of difference as they eked a slew of penalties out of the three-time European champions’ scrum.

But Bath also got bogged down with running through multiple phases in their own half without making enough headway, despite the elusive efforts of two already-capped England players, Kyle Eastmond and Anthony Watson.

“We didn’t get as square as we’d have liked but we did find a couple of edges,” said Mike Ford. The head coach’s 50th-birthday celebrations were bolstered by his son George landing a 42-metre penalty kick with four minutes remaining that left Leinster with two losses out of two and in dire need of taking a lot of points from their next two pool matches, away and home to the title-holders Toulon in December. Bath have two massive Premiership games next, against Leicester and Northampton, then Wasps back-to-back in Europe.

Eastmond was omitted from the World Cup, and there has been speculation the former St Helens back would return to rugby league. “He’s in talks to sign a new three-year deal with us so he is not going anywhere,” said Ford.