Faletau seeks consistent campaign

This is the season Taulupe Faletau wants to show what he can really do on the field for Bath Rugby. The club has seen glimpses of his world-class talents and he has produced some top performances, but three knee injuries in his first two seasons plus international commitments have meant it has been hard to put a run of high-quality matches together. For the first time in many a year the No8 was rested by Wales this summer and was able to have a nice break, including a family holiday to Italy, followed by a full preseason of training at his club. When asked about his top form at the Premiership Rugby launch at Twickenham, Faletau admitted: “I feel I haven’t been able to do that the last couple of seasons. Hopefully, I’ll be able to showcase what I can actually do. “With what we’ve been doing in pre-season, I feel like it can improve me as a player, so that can be showcased also. “I feel really good. It’s good coming back in and knowing you’re not playing catch-up. You can really get yourself ready for the season coming.” Mentally, Faletau is refreshed and focused, especially as the speculation about whether he would leave Bath to return to Wales next summer was dispelled when he signed a new deal until 2021 earlier this year. “There was a lot of talking back and forth around that time,” he said. “It was just good to get that settled down and concentrate on the rugby.” Faletau has enjoyed working with the “new ideas” of attack coach Girvan Dempsey too. He added: “All the stuff we’ve been doing is going to benefit us. The breakdown, for example, has got to be very clean, and we’re working on keeping the ball alive. “We’re working on the right things and hopefully that’s going to help to get us to where we want to go. “That’s play-offs, knockout stages in the Champions Cup. I feel like we’re in a good place.” Fellow Wales and Lions international Jamie Roberts has joined Faletau and the rest of the Welsh contingent at the Rec. “Jamie brings a lot on and off the field,” Faletau added. “He’s a big character and experienced. He’s definitely a great addition to the squad and the boys are enjoying having him around. He’s been there, he’s done that.”