Neal Hatley appointed new head coach of Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby have confirmed Neal Hatley as the new head coach of the Gallagher Premiership club.

Hatley returned back to Recreation Ground as Forwards and Defence Coach following his successful stint with England helping them reach the final of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

The 50-year-old spent most of his playing career with London Irish between 1998 and 2007 where he recorded 184 appearances and also represented Bedford Blues and England A sides.

A former England Saxons captain, Hatley, started his coaching carer with London Irish as an Academy Manager and joined Bath as scrum and defence coach in 2012. He was appointed by Eddie Jones as England scrum coach in 2016 - a role that he held for three and a half years until the World Cup last year.

“When I rejoined Bath, Stuart was very clear about what we are trying to do at the Club. Now as Head Coach at Bath, I’m responsible for field performance," he said to the official website of the club.

"With my focus on delivering great performances on the pitch, it allows Stuart to focus on how we want to play and perform, making sure we are doing what we discussed in training and optimising everything we do.

“As Head Coach, I want to make sure I get the best out of our players and that’s a lot about building relationships, knowing they trust your leadership. I’ve set out very clearly how I expect our players to behave, how I expect them to train and how we expect to treat each other.

“Not only is Bath an incredible city to live in but it’s a rugby city through and through. I feel incredibly proud to be Head Coach at this Club and believe me, we want to win silverware.”

Hatley will be in charge of the side when Bath host London Irish at the Recreation Ground on Saturday as the Premiership resumes after the competition was on suspension since March following the pandemic coronavirus.