Bath on track to bring back the glory days

BATH can take another important step this afternoon towards changing their unwanted status as the perennial underachievers of the professional era in english rugby.

it is early days, but there are signs the West Country club are undergoing a transformation. Despite having considerable wealth and public support and the image of a high-class, glamorous sporting institution, Bath’s reputation has steadily faded.

Since the Heineken Cup triumph of 1998, Bath have only mustered one Challenge Cup title — and no club would put winning europe’s secondary tournament at the top of their bucket list. in the league, they have mostly drifted around mid-table, aside from a few nearmisses, most recently in 2015 when they lost the final to Saracens.

even the club’s website cannot disguise the scale of the comedo down from the amateur era. in the official history, it reads: ‘Arguably the most “professional” amateur club side in english history, Bath has struggled to match the achievements of the eighties and early Nineties.’

Too often, style has trumped substance. The Rec is a wonderful setting but the endless quest for permission to modernise has left it as an appropriate symbol, lacking firm foundations and a solid structure.

Bath owner Bruce Craig has previously been as pre-occupied with overhauling the sport as he has been with reviving the team he has financed. There have been many regime changes, some dubious signings and the sense of a club searching for its true identity.

But Craig has kept a lower profile of late and the team is flourishing under the guidance of rookie director of rugby Stuart Hooper. There is substance to this new Bath, although that will be tested by Wasps at the Rec today. Aided by the return of scrum guru Neal Hatley, there is a powerful set-piece platform and depth up front.

Their pack, including Tom Dunn, Beno obano, Will Stuart, Taulupe Faletau, Zach Mercer and captain Charlie ewels are in fearsome form. To be true to their heritage, Bath need backs who can run amok and they have plenty of those, giving Hooper’s side the ability to win ugly or expansively.

They are rising fast. The shortterm goal will be to claim a playoff place. longer term, this coaching team and squad can shed Bath’s status as under-achievers.