I’m fresh and ready for action, says Muir
WILL Muir broke into the England squad this year and although he did not feature in the Six Nations, Bath’s coaches noted a difference when the wing returned to the club.
The 28-year old Muir, who spent the first half of his professional career on the Sevens circuit, did play for England A against Portugal but did not make a matchday 23 in the Six Nations and his target now is the summer visits to Japan and New Zealand.
“I enjoyed my time with England,” said Muir. “They have a different system to Bath, not least in defence, and it was about acclimatising to how they wanted to play and I got my head around it. The week with the A team for Portugal was also a great experience.
“It was good to get back to Bath. When I came through the office where the coaches were after training they remarked on how I was looking for things more and trying to get the ball in my hands as often as possible. It was nice to hear that they think I am improving.
“You never know when it comes to England selection in the future, but I like to think I took a step in the right direction. It was good to get positive feedback from the coaches and they told me what they wanted me to work on.
“It is now about playing well for Bath in the final stretch of the season and putting myself in the best possible position. There is a lot of rugby to be played in the next few months and we are still in contention for two trophies. I feel fresh and ready to play.”
Bath resume their Premiership campaign at home to Sale this afternoon. Their last match before the break was a bonkers 101-pointer at Bristol when they scored six tries and lost, but their only home defeat in the league and Champions Cup was against Leicester, and then by a point.
But the Sharks are the only team this season that have kept their line intact against Bath, restricting them to three penalties when the sides met at the AJ Bell Stadium in November.
“It was the game we had anticipated,” said Muir. “It was a kick battle and largely fought in the middle of the pitch. They do not deviate from what they want to do and it is about understanding how they play.
“A strength of the Premiership is that teams have different styles. Northampton run more than Sale, for example, and it is about winning the battles you have to.
“The table is very close with one win separating second from seventh. With the league shut down for two months it will be all about who can get back into it quickest. I would like to think that we will pick up where we left off and it will be good to play at the Rec again.”
Muir, who joined Bath in 2020, signed a contract extension with the club before joining up with England in January that will keep him at The Rec until 2027. He missed all but for the first few weeks of last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“The new contract was an easy decision,” he said. “I was chuffed to get back from a long injury and prove myself again. I was confident when I was going through rehab that once the knee was right I would be able to do what I wanted to.
“When I got back on the field, I did not think about the knee but just carrying on from where I had been before the injury and pushing on. The way Bath are going it is an exciting place to be.”
Bath have never won the league in the Premiership era but have emerged as contenders two years into Johann van Graan’s stint as head coach and last week welcomed back internationOne
als from the Six Nations including Finn Russell, Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill and Cameron Redpath.
“It started to come together at the end of last season when we won our final four games (all with try bonus points),” said Muir. “We came to understand the way the coaches wanted us to play and we have carried on that run.
“We have found our identity and everyone buys into the gameplan. It is about knowing when we want to play with the ball or put the pressure on through kicks, finding a way.”
Bath have been dealt a blow for the run-in with full-back Tom de Glanville expected to be out for about 10 weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. The 24-year-old suffered the injury during the friendly win against Leinster last Friday. The injury requires surgery and means he will face a race to return before the end of the season. De Glanville, who also plays wing, has scored 10 tries in 13 games this season.
Flanker GJ van Velze is also sidelined with a fractured thumb and is likely to remain out until early April, while lock Josh McNally will miss at least the next four games fter suffering a neck injury during training.