Leader of the pack looking for a season of success... and also consistency
He’s said it before, but this time the Bath Rugby captain truly believes it. “I think this is the best opportunity we’ll have of winning a trophy.” Matt Garvey is heading into his sixth season at the Rec. He’s seen coaching changes, scores of incomings and outgoings, so he is well-placed to gauge the mood and dynamic as the Blue, Black and White squad count down to Bristol at Ashton Gate on August 31. That is the first competitive match of a long, competitive season and the skipper feels everything is coming together. Garvey said: “It may sound like we’ve said the same every year, but because of the way this pre-season has gone in terms of the number of people we’ve had around the club and the culture we’ve had from day one, I think this is the best opportunity we’ll have. “Next year’s a World Cup year, so pre-season will be affected by that. This year the players we’ve got available, the competition for places, if we can get and keep consistency we should be successful. “With the quality of players we’ve got here we should be competing for honours on a serious level and be a serious threat. “Usually you’re struggling for numbers because of injuries and the internationals being away. We’re in a position this year where other than Cooper Vuna going away with Tonga, everyone else is here. “Whether other players are injured or not doesn’t matter. They’re still around the club and part of the club. It’s been amazing for us and it’s been an opportunity to develop things earlier than we have done in previous years.” This is Garvey’s second year as the leader of the pack, and the squad. As well as marrying fiancée Lindsey and enjoying a honeymoon in the Maldives, his off-season was spent pondering how he could do things better this time around. He wants to identify any correlations between what goes wrong or well in training, and the same thing happening in the same areas on matchday. Perfect and consistent preparation might be the key. “Frustratingly, that old enemy consistency popped up again last year,” Garvey added. “You’re going to win and you’re going to lose in these competitions but how can we make each week more consistent? “We’ve got to set ourself a higher standard from Monday to Friday and, hopefully, that will have a positive effect on results.” He also hopes Katie Warriner, the new mind coach who will work with the squad this season, can have a positive impact on the collective mental strength which has often been found wanting. set-piece improvement has also been a big focus this summer. Last season, with the ever-changing personnel due to a huge injury list, the scrum was inconsistent and the driving maul was relatively ineffective compared to the likes of exeter Chiefs and saracens. Having as many as 50 players training every day at Farleigh House this summer has allowed for higher quality work. Garvey explained: “For our scrum reps this year, we’ve almost had three packs which has been awesome. We’ve changed certain aspects, without giving too much away. “To have live scrums, lineouts and competitive matches of 15 on 15 it’s a huge asset. We’re hoping all that will pay dividends, not just in the first few weeks but throughout the season. “Last season, we were almost putting a band aid over a big wound and now we’ve had the time to go back, lay some concrete foundations and kick on.” Academy pathway coach and former player Mark Lilley has been helping Toby Booth with the forwards. Garvey has also enjoyed working with new attack coach Girvan Dempsey, whose philosophy is not just about the men behind the scrum. “Girvs has come in and made an impact straight away, not just for the backs but for us as a squad,” Garvey said. “We get to work with him quite a bit on our handling, lines of running and execution. “The success he had at Leinster, it’s exciting to have someone of his calibre coming in.” Garvey may be captain, but he knows he’s not guaranteed a position in the starting line-up. He faces competition from Tom ellis, sam Underhill, Zach Mercer and others at six, and Dave Attwood, Charlie ewels, Luke Charteris, elliott stooke and Levi Douglas in the second row. He added: “How good is that? It makes sure I’ve got to be fit and ready to play to the best of my ability.”