Can the Bath blend take the 'optimistic' Blue, Black and Whites to new heights this season?
Johann van Graan is excited by the squad he is building at Farleigh House
©Patrick Khachfe | Onside Images
The Rugby World Cup might be a week away, but only ever so slightly closer to home, a new domestic season will also be kicking off.
The fervour over in France will be hard to ignore but perhaps over in the West Country - and in particular in Bath - a sense of excitement is brewing.
Head coach Johann van Graan sat in front of the press on Thursday and revealed that he is looking ahead to the 2023/24 term with optimism as the Blue, Black and White look to improve on last season's eighth-place finish.
The reason for his positive outlook? Bath's late surge to secure Champions Cup rugby for this upcoming campaign.
"We lost seven games by less than one score [throughout the season] which shows how we became competitive," Van Graan reflects. "We were the only team who got 20 out of 20 points in the last four games of the season. If you look at our signings, it will give you a clue at the kind of team that we want to be."
One of those signings is arguably the acquisition of the year in Finn Russell which puts the Blue, Black and White into a strong position going into 2023/24.
When asked about his short time with the club before heading to the World Cup, Van Graan was full of praise for Russell and is keen for the Scotland number ten to integrate into the squad.
"Finn has been brilliant,” says Van Graan. "He’s been in the Bath camp a few times and I’ve been to visit him in Scottish camp and Gregor (Townsend) is always very open for us to join. The most important message from Finn’s side is that he’s just one of our players.
"It’s not Finn Russell, the guy who is going to drive everything. We’ve got Orlando (Bailey), Piers (Francis), Sam (Harris) and George (Worboys)."
Utility back Harris is a player Van Graan outlined to TRU as someone who could have a big campaign. He sees “real talent in his game" and is just one of the exciting prospects that Bath have in their squad alongside some of their bigger names like Russell.
"He’s yet to be finalised where he’s going to make his mark whether that’s 10, 12 of 15," Van Graan said of Harris. "At this stage, we’ll start him at 15 but I see some real potential in Sam. Another guy I want to mention is Louie Hennessey who I thought had an excellent U20s World Cup. He is someone I think can play Test rugby, not to put any pressure on him. It’s up to the Welsh management whether they select him. I’m really looking forward to seeing those young lads play.
"One of the main tasks of Andy (Robinson) [who has returned to Bath 25 years after leading the club to European glory] coming in as Head Academy Coach is the next generation.
"Last year I gave some of them game time but I felt that from a strength and conditioning perspective, they weren’t ready yet. There are quite a few guys who are on the brink of the first team and will get their chance in the Premiership Cup."
So the sight of Russell and some of Bath's emerging talent will surely get fans off their seats at The Rec but the return of Alfie Barbeary, who sustained a serious knee injury just 10 minutes into his club debut earlier this year, will be another added bonus.
Van Graan, who is currently preparing his side for their Premiership Cup opener against Cornish Pirates next Friday, thinks that the number eight is set to have a great season.
He said: "He got that horrible knock against Leicester but I think that 10 minutes he did have showed a glimpse of the player we want him to be. Hopefully he’s got a really good season coming up. Number one, injury-free but also as a premier ball carrier for us.
"Miles Reid was fantastic for us last season as well as Josh Bayliss. Jaco Coetzee has trained well in the last couple of weeks so it’s going to be a fight for the number eight jersey. Hopefully Alfie can perform like the player I think he can be. There’s a good chance you’ll see him at the back end of the Premiership Cup.
After a challenging campaign for Bath that went down to the wire, Van Graan spent the summer visiting the NFL side, Miami Dolphins: "I had some phenomenal time away with the Miami Dolphins and spent quite a bit of time in a different environment to learn from others. I’ve taken away so much.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to visit quite a few NFL teams in my time. It’s not so much about the game but how they do things. It’s about exposing yourself to all of those conversations. I really enjoyed my time with them."
And perhaps Van Graan is ready to enjoy some more successful times with Bath? Only time will tell...
