Are Bath Genuine Contenders?

There are compelling signs that a revival of fortunes could be in the offing at Bath and an opening day defeat of Sale did nothing to dispel those expectations.

Indeed, it took only 42 seconds for Anthony Watson to grab the opening try of Bath’s season. That try was set up by a delightful George Ford cross-kick and the talented fly-half went on to put in a truly eye-catching performance, instantly fanning the hype that already surrounds his enormous promise and Bath’s early season hopes.

If Bath are to rekindle the flames of old this season it’s likely that Ford will play a big part – if he can continue in his current trajectory then the young playmaker will surely be granted more England game time – but Bath are by no means a one-man outfit and it is arguably the sense of solidifying collective strength that gives the West Country side the look of genuine contenders this year.

Watson is a real prospect while both Henry Thomas and Luke Arscott are astute additions.  

There’s also the excitement surrounding Bath’s recruitment of Sam Burgess, of course. Many are saying that Burgess has the potential to be the finest League to Union convert since Jason Robinson and there’s no disputing that he has the raw equipment to make a massive impact.

The big challenge for now will be establishing where Burgess will play and bedding him in, but if Bath can achieve that quickly then it’s not inconceivable that Slammin’ Sam will make a big impact this season.

It would be naïve to expect acclimatisation to be immediate when Burgess arrives next month - he will have to adapt tactically and physically to his new code, even if it seems clear that he has all the raw attributes to make the transition - but the fact that he arrives in Rugby Union at the peak of his powers (at 25 he is significantly younger than, say, Andy Farrell who made the switch at 30) having already established himself as a genuine superstar at Bradford Bulls and then South Sydney Rabbitohs lends credence to the suspicion that he can achieve great things in Union.

Bath are 8/1, fourth favourites to win the title with Betfair.com, which seems about right. They’re still behind Saracens, Leicester and Northampton in the reckoning but not by much and if Ford continues to pull the strings, Burgess hits the ground running and 20 year-old England hopeful Anthony Watson (who has just signed a new contract) continues his good try scoring form, Bath will be a formidable outfit.

The big task for Bath this season is cracking the top four but who knows, they might even be a good value outside bet to win the title.