Bath Chronicle

Players return for pre-season

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doesn’t seem that long ago that the 2018/19 season finished with a last-minute win at Welford Road, yet the Bath Rugby players are now back in training for the next campaign.

Pre-season started at Farleigh House on Monday and it looked a hot and sweaty first day for the squad. A video released by the club shows the players doing handling drills, shuttle runs and dusting off the cobwebs of their summer breaks.

There were a lot of “farmer” tans on display - brown arms and white shoulders - as a mixture of senior and academy players were put through their paces.

At this early stage there will be a lot of physical assessment and benchmarki­ng, from which the fitness levels will be expected to rise over the coming months.

The likes of new signings Josh Mcnally and Mike Williams were involved. Players who were involved in the England versus Barbarians game on June 2 - Tom Ellis, Elliott Stooke and Beno Obano have not yet returned to training.

The seven players called up for England’s first training camp - Sam Underhill, Charlie Ewels, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Joe Cokansiga, Tom Dunn and Ruaridh Mcconnochi­e - are away, as is Wales internatio­nal Taulupe Faletau.

Chris Cook is also absent; having played for England in the Paris leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series before marrying his fiancee Caroline abroad.

It will be a long summer for the squad. Normally, Bath have about 13 weeks’ training before the first Premiershi­p fixture.

This time, due to the Rugby World Cup causing scheduling changes, they have 17 weeks until league action starts in October.

However, there will be four weekends of Premiershi­p Rugby Cup action before that, which will act as the pre-season fixtures for the club.

In the absence of returning forwards and defence coach Neal Hatley who is still with England, director of rugby Stuart Hooper, attack coach Girvan Dempsey, lineout coach Luke Charteris, academy coaches Ryan Davis and Mark Lilley, and the strength and conditioni­ng team will be in charge of the various sessions.

 ?? PICTURE: David Rogers/getty Images ?? Outgoing Bath coach Toby Booth
PICTURE: David Rogers/getty Images Outgoing Bath coach Toby Booth

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