I’M DESPERATE TO REPAY BATH’S FAITH
After two years of injury hell, England star Watson wants to revive his famous club’s fortunes
ANTHONY Watson, the England and Bath wing, finishes this year with a smile, but there have been more grimaces than glories across the last two seasons.
Against London Irish last Sunday, Watson played in only his fifth club match since January 2018. An agonising achilles injury and a niggling knee problem have punctuated progress, but now the 25-year-old is ready to open the next chapter of his career.
‘It was great to be back out there,’ Watson said of his tryscoring return at the Madejski Stadium last weekend. ‘I was desperate to get out there and play with these guys again and try and contribute to the team winning.’
It was the achilles that caused the most agony. In the 2018 Six Nations, Watson had to be driven from the field on a motorised stretcher after snapping that tendon against Ireland at Twickenham.
Six months later he was on the road to recovery when, during a promotional photo-shoot for the NFL, he tore his achilles again. He did not play again until April this year.
Remarkably, he regained all of his pace and power to star at the World Cup in Japan with England. Having beaten New Zealand in the semi-final, Watson was visibly emotional, crying on the field when he realised the journey he had taken to make it. The pain had been worth it.
But having lost to South Africa in the final, Watson was injured again on his return, damaging the medial ligament in his knee against Harlequins and was forced to spend at least a month on the sidelines.
‘It was said four to six weeks. I was desperate to get back as soon as I could. I have been in the sauna pretty much every day, icing every day, doing everything I can to get back fit.
‘I didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night, but I was up pretty early to get on top of my recovery and then was icing into the evening. My missus would probably kill me if I tried to ice my leg in the middle of the night!
‘Luckily we have a great medical team at the club who have helped me loads. They have been coming in early to see me and stuff like that — those guys have been world class.’
Hobbling around Bath when injured was a frustrating business for Watson.
‘With the achilles, I am not going to lie, it was probably one of the most niggly things ever getting asked when you are coming back,’ he said.
‘One time it was January, the next time it was March, the next time it was April. By the end of it I just said, “I’ll be back when I’m back”. It was very frustrating to have to continue to delay the timeline.’
But the England flyer feels far more prepared now for his life in the fast lane.
‘I feel like I have learned a lot over the last year, both on and off the field, with my recovery and taking care of that side of things.
‘That has helped me loads. In the same way I am not wasting a minute — whether it is watching footage, or on the training pitch having a plan of what I am going to do that day to get better.’
Watson now feels he owes Bath, who handed him a new contract last November while he had no fixed return date, and he is desperate for them to throw away the shackles of their dodgy decade.
‘I have only played five games for this club in two years, and they stuck with me through my achilles,’ he said.
‘They put a lot of faith in me, so I was desperate to get back and repay them and do whatever I can to contribute to winning.’
Bath have made only two Premiership play- off places since 2010 — a poor return for or a club so rich in resources s and history, and Watson n wants to change all that, starting by beating Sale on Saturday to end the e year.
The Saracens situation - — with the cheating ng champions chamt still bottom of the table after their points deductions for salary cap breaches — has not necessarily emboldened Bath.
But Watson hopes that the disruption and uncertainty in the Premiership can help Bath revive their fortunes.
‘We are tired of coming sixth, seventh and eighth, and want to do something better this year,’ he said. ‘Without disrespecting Saracens, whether they were in the position iti they t were in i or they t weren’t, we would definitely still be aiming for top four.
‘I don’t think what’s going on with them has any bearing or influence on how we approach the game or how we do things.
‘It has definitely been a goal for us from the start of the season.
‘Irish was a step in the right direction, but we need to win again this week.’