Van Graan backing Lawrence to put Bath in overdrive
JOHANN van Graan is expecting Ollie Lawrence to play a big part in Bath’s push for the Premiership play-offs and the latter stages of the Champions Cup.
The England centre returned to the Rec last week after finishing the Six Nations strongly with three tries in the final two matches against Ireland and France having missed the start of the campaign through injury. “He came back from England buzzing,” said van Graan, Bath’s head coach. “He was on fire and had real energy. You could see his confidence was there having played really well in England’s last two games.
“He showed his explosiveness and capacity to create something out of nothing. He has the ability to dominate contact and do something special. He had a setback before the Six Nations with his hip, but he kept his fitness intact.
“He has been consistently good and that is the sign of a class player. And he wants to improve. I am very proud of him.”
Bath have been the most improved team in the Premiership this season. They started the current round in fourth having been bottom of the table in the opening months of the last season, but van Graan pointed out they had won nothing yet.
“There is no secret to our improvement,” he said. “When we started this journey 20 months ago we had a vision that was all about people. We got the team fitter and became tough to beat.
“This season we have improved other parts of our game. There has been a buy-in from everyone involved, the board, staff and the players who think we can achieve big things in the future.
“We have not done anything yet and Sunday will not be perfect because we have not played for eight weeks. I am not looking at the table because we have to keep our eye on the ball: all we can control is ourselves.
“It is going to be a fascinating last six rounds. Eight teams can finish in the top four and it will come down to the sides that can keep their heads in the up and down swings.
“What a competition we have this season and how good it is to be a part of this game. We’ll need our whole squad in the run-in and there was a real buzz when the international players returned.”
Nine players who were in Six Nations squads will face Sale. Beno Obano, Charlie Ewels, Sam Underhill, Ben Spencer, Finn Russell, Cameron Redpath, Lawrence and Will Muir start while Wales prop Archie Griffin is on the bench. Ted Hill returns to the back row after five months out with a leg injury.