Bath backing Boks... but south isn’t always best

MIKE FORD hadn’t suddenly become a bad coach, so soon after guiding Bath to the 2015 Aviva Premiership final and winning a director of rugby of the year award, but his departure from the club seemed inevitable.

There was always a sense that owner Bruce Craig would have a finger on the trigger towards the end of a disappointing campaign.

Poor results and upheaval within the squad left the impression that, somewhere within the management and squad, dynamics had gone awry. Now, a salvage operation is already taking shape.

The indications are that Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan will be appointed. The South African was initially viewed as replacement for Neal Hatley, England’s new scrum coach, but now it appears that he will be given greater responsibility, potentially as head coach.

Whether that is on an interim or long-term basis remains to be seen.

He was given a place in the Boks set-up by Heyneke Meyer, who has been widely touted as a candidate to replace Ford as director of rugby.

It seems that Craig is acting swiftly, but in his haste he would be well advised not to be swayed by accents. There is a tendency within British and Irish rugby circles to regard coaches from the SANZAR nations in particular with a certain awe, as if they come armed with magical powers. In truth, the imports have been hit and miss. World-class, pedigree coaches would be welcome additions to the domestic game, but they are few in number.

Wayne Smith is very much in that category and the Kiwi is coveted in these parts. His compatriot Dave Rennie is working wonders with the Chiefs, but whether his methods would translate from Waikato to the West Country here is unclear. It is a very different landscape.

Tom Coventry’s switch from Hamilton to Reading led to relegation with London Irish.

At present, most of those men running Premiership sides are homegrown: eight Englishmen this season, two Ulstermen, a Welshman and a New Zealander. That is a healthy scenario, with positive implications at club and Test level.

Tomorrow in Devon, Exeter v Wasps will, potentially, be the latest head-to-head between the next head coaches of England and Wales, Rob Baxter and Dai Young.

Those countries will benefit from the experience these men are gaining, whereas Ireland continue to rely too heavily on imports. New Zealand develop their own coaches, promote them early at domestic level and treat it as an export trade, which serves them well for succession planning. That is the way forward.