Bath’s Big Friendly Giant is happy to help others
MATT Banahan is not a man who is easily overlooked. At 6ft 7ins and just over 18 stone (116kg) he is one of the biggest backs to have played international rugby, looming larger than even the great Jonah Lomu. Add to that the array of tattoos etched from head-to-toe on his huge frame, and the giant Bath wing/centre is a human beacon.
Yet, Banahan was surplus to requirements throughout Stuart Lancaster’s entire four-year tenure as national coach, despite having won 16 England caps on Martin Johnson’s watch from 2009 to 2011 – including the Six Nations Championship title before the 2011 World Cup.
Banahan’s failure to make the 50-man 2015 World Cup long-squad was seen by many as a snub too far, especially as his form over the last three seasons has carried the hallmarks of the continuous high-level performance most international coaches are looking for.
While Bath’s form has fluctuated wildly last season, Banahan was a rock in the storms surrounding the departures of Rugby League import Sam Burgess and former head coach Mike Ford from the Rec. The same applies to his contribution so far this season in the rebuild under Todd Blackadder, with Bath top of the Premiership table with three wins from three.
Eddie Jones is a staunch advocate of players being consistently exceptional if they want to play for England, and that should hold Banahan in good stead when the Red Rose boss announces his new elite player squad (EPS) next week.
Banahan, who will be 30 in December, gave Jones a timely reminder last weekend that Ben Te’o is not the only blockbusting midfield runner available to him as the autumn series approaches with Manu Tuilagi sidelined by injury.
Bath’s big man, who was wearing the 13 shirt but interchanging with Dan Bowden and operating as much in the inside-centre channel, was the cutting-edge in Bath’s 37-22 home win over Worcester.
His gain-line power was augmented by athleticism, pace and dexterity as he scored one try and played a key role in two more. After Banahan had used his height and reach advantage to pluck George Ford’s chip from above the heads of the chasing pack, and ground it, there was no stopping him.
Next he produced a rammingspeed run, coming onto Kahn Fotuali’i’s short pass from a line-out and scattering defenders as he punched through the guts of the Worcester defence deep into the 22. When Banahan was finally stopped he slipped the ball out of the tackle for Semesa Rokoduguni to blast over.
Last, but not least, he conjured a split second catch-and-pass to put No.8 Leroy Houston in for a welcome-back try.
When I spoke to Banahan this week, ahead of Bath’s trip to play Leicester at Welford Road tomorrow in one of English rugby’s great club rivalries, he made light of his contribution.
The suggestion that he had showed some silky touches, along with the power, gave him the chance to give Houston a gentle ribbing.
“I passed him one in the first-half, and he dropped it. Luckily, that time he caught it!” However, self-improvement is very much part of Banahan’s mindset for himself and his team, and he adds, “Maybe next time a prop can do that – and that will give us a different dimension to the way we play.”
The different dimension that Banahan could offer England is what interests Red Rose supporters. Although Te’o started to justify to his rapid international promotion for Worcester against Gloucester a fortnight ago, and was given a ringing endorsement by Jones despite suffering concussion, his Rugby Union career is still in its infancy.
Where Te’o is a novice Banahan is an experienced Test back with physical attributes that are unmatched, not just by the import from Aussie Rugby League (6ft 2ins, 16st 7lbs), but by every other back in the Premiership. On top of that, the Bath colossus would bring with him an automatic understanding with George Ford, Jonathan Joseph, and Anthony Watson, three club-mates who are already regulars in the England backline under Jones. Another significant attribute is a versatility that Te’o cannot match.
A measure of Banahan’s selfbelief is that he does not mind whether he is picked at 11, 12, 13 or 14 by Bath. “You just want to be on the pitch trying to win with your team-mates. If you move from wing to centre it’s a challenge, but you embrace it. I bring a different aspect to centre in terms of physicality, and I enjoy it.”
Yet, having won the last of his caps against France in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final, there is no sense of entitlement when Banahan surveys the England landscape. Instead, there is a deep desire to set the record straight after being cut by Lancaster, who suggested he needed to improve his fitness.
“I’d love to play for the country. When Stuart was there he said a lot of stuff I disagreed with, and since Eddie Jones came in I’ve had no talks with him. Realistically, there are some very good youngsters about, and England are looking to the next World Cup. Some of them are at Bath, and if I can help them I will.”
Banahan says: “I’ve got a young family to look after, but you’d never say never, and if that opportunity comes up again, I’m sure my wife would be the first to kick me all the way to Pennyhill Park. She wants me to succeed, and as an individual you want to play to the highest level you can, until you can play no more.”
He adds: “It is a massive drive for me to get back in (England contention). I’ve played my best rugby over the last two and a half years for Bath. It’s strange to think that when I won my England caps I wasn’t playing half as well as now.”
Banahan says that Bath have had such a good start to the season because they went back to basics in their pre-season preparation, and since then things have clicked into place.
“Sometimes the game is overcomplicated. At the start we didn’t have a full rack of coaches, but, with Toby Booth and Darren Edwards running it, there were 30 guys working hard under one or two coaches, which is how it used to be when I first came to the club. So, when other coaches came in, we were like a tree with branches ready to grow.”
The incomers in question are the Crusaders coaching duo of new rugby director Todd Blackadder and head coach Tabai Matson, and Banahan says that they have hit the right notes with him.
“They bring a much more attacking philosophy, and it’s nice to see coaches who boost confidence. At the Crusaders, they keep things straightforward – so they’ve reinforced the need for good basics. They are also making sure that when we add new elements to our game that the skill-set is and we are being c continuously by T and Darren (Edwa mainly with the ba
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