MAKING A SPLASH

Bath’s star wing Cokanasiga has recovered from dark times & is targeting title glory

JOE COKANASIGA feared his chance had gone to influence this Premiership campaign.

Injured at last year’s World Cup, no one knew how long a split knee tendon would take to mend.

Only that it would not happen this season.

England’s juggernaut wing says he went through “dark times” – far removed from the joy of scoring seven tries in his first nine Tests.

His mum fell ill, his dad was denied re-entry to the UK following a f a mi ly wedding in Fiji and his club Bath lost as many games as they won.

Then Covid arrived and the world stopped. But five months of lockdown misery for many proved a godsend to player and club.

“It was a blessing for me,” said the 22-year-old. “It gave me time.”

The upshot was last week he pulled on a blue, black and white jersey for the first time in 16 months. More than that he helped turned Bath’s season on its head, making the try which bagged the win which brought their play-off quest back from the dead.

“It’s like a fresh start for me,” said Cokanasiga.

“I f e e l a c o mp l e t e l y different player and person now, mentally and physically.”

At Saracens tomorrow, an eighth Bath victory in nine games will carry them into the semi-finals.

It might not even take that, given Sale’s game against Worcester is in doubt after 16 of their players tested positive for Covid.

Bath will not think like that.

Their focus is not on the fear that defeat could bump them out of the top four, but on the home field advantage that comes with finishing second.

“It’s in our hands,” said team boss Stuart Hooper, who will start Cokanasiga on the bench and then launch him at Saracens when the game is there to be won.

“Coming back from 20-3 down against Gloucester was a massive effort and it has given us a chance.

“I ’m so pleased for Joe. From the highs of the World Cup to not being able to get on the field for a year is massively frustrating.

“Particularly when you’re a really young potential superstar of the game.”

‘FRESH START’ Cokanasiga is relishing his chance to get Bath into the playoffs