Bath Rugby 2022-23 season preview - prediction, signings, ones to watch

The 2022/23 season is one of optimism for Bath Rugby and their faithful as they start a new era at the club under former Munster coach, Johann Van Graan. 

The incoming Head of Rugby spent the last five years with the Irish province who he led to two European semi-finals and one Pro14 final.

Despite being 42-years-old, the South African will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Rec this campaign. This was something Bath were missing last term under.

Stuart Hooper who was in his first head coaching role after retiring from playing.

The Somerset side will be hoping to get back into Europe this season and have done some shrewd business to help them reach this target. The signings of Niall Annett, Quinn Roux and Dave Attwood have brought pedigree and bulk to their forward pack while Matt Gallagher, Piers Francis and Louis Schreuder have improved the depth in their backline.

?? An absolute pleasure to go to Farleigh House on Tuesday to see Johann van Graan's @BathRugby for the first time.

Plenty to muse over in this one and plenty to enjoy too, so please read.

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— Joe Harvey (@joeharvey34) August 25, 2022

Bath are a side that many are excited to watch as they look to see how Van Graan has stamped his style on the team. He oversaw a rebuild at Munster as he helped bring through young players such as Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Ben Healy and Josh Wycherley. This will once again be important at Bath who already have a very young backline which will need his guidance this season.

As he neared the end of his time as Munster coach, Van Graan came under a lot of criticism from the home supporters due to their illustrious past but at Bath - considering the level they played at last season - he will have time and hopefully patience to build his team.

Last time out

Last time out, Bath had a campaign to forget as they finished bottom of the Gallagher Premiership with 34 points. 

The Blue, Black and White fell to a whopping 18 defeats and were humiliated at the Rec in October when they lost by a club record scoreline of 71-17 against Saracens. The embarrassment didn’t stop there for Bath’s fans as they then went on to lose 64-0 against their oldest rivals, Gloucester at Kingsholm.

These results summed up what was a terrible season for the six-time league winners. It was the club’s lowest ever finish and Hooper, their head coach, was relieved of his duties and will now be their Director of Rugby.

It wasn’t until Round 13 that the Somerset outfit finally picked up a win against Worcester Warriors. They ended the term slightly better than they started it picking up five victories, but overall, it was a season the home fans want to move on from as quickly as possible.

Despite all the doom and gloom at the Rec in 2021/22, they did have a few positives to take including new wing sensation, Will Muir, who bagged an impressive 10 tries last season.

Incomings:

One massive strength for Bath going into the new season is the quality of their centres as well as the depth in that area of the squad. After his breakthrough campaign last year, Max Ojomoh is expected to be a key man in Bath’s backline in 2022/23. The home faithful will be hoping he can form a deadly partnership with England international, Jonathan Joseph.

If the Somerset side can unlock the clear potential with this duo, then it is sure to be a great watch down at the Rec. Scotland international, Cameron Redpath, is also another option in the centres as he continues his rise.

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The sheer youthfulness of the Bath backline might be seen as a weakness by many going into the season, but I believe it will be a strength. Last year was a tough learning curve for many of those youngsters such as Muir, Orlando Bailey and Tom de Glanville, but this will have helped their development as rugby players on and off the pitch as they learnt how to deal with pressures and adversity.

Now with a new coach at the helm to add to their experience, this could be the season Bath’s backline explodes.

Areas of weakness

Piers Francis has come in from Northampton Saints this summer as fly-half cover for starter, Orlando Bailey. This, however, may be a weakness for Bath this season as Francis hasn’t had much action in a 10 shirt of late. In his final years in the Midlands, he was mainly used as an inside centre. This could be a concern if Bailey picks up an injury, especially as the other fly-half options are all academy graduates learning the game themselves.

Another weakness Bath will have once again this season is the lack of depth in the front row areas when Will Stuart, Beno Obano and Tom Dunn presumably get picked by Eddie Jones for England squads. This has been a problem for a few years now and all clubs are in the same boat with international absentees, but Bath’s are in vital positions which are important to the go forward of their side.

If any team’s scrum is struggling to build momentum in a game, then they will struggle to get a foothold in the match. Niall Annett is a great addition at Hooker but the prop positions are still looking light for me.

Opening fixtures

The Somerset side will start their season with a tough away trip to rivals Bristol Bears, which kicks off the new Gallagher Premiership campaign. From there, Bath have three home games in a row where they will hope to gain momentum and make the Rec a fortress once again.

London Irish away in Round Five will really test how far this Bath side will have come under Van Graan in the opening fixtures.

Predicted finish: 10th

Bath won’t be as bad as last year, they simply can’t be. Van Graan is a smart coaching appointment as it was clear that Hooper was struggling to get the best out of the team.

Although I don’t think they will be down at the very bottom of the league, it is tough to see them finish above some of the other teams such as London Irish and Sale Sharks considering where Bath are coming from and also the youthfulness of their side.

As they are going into a new season with a new coach, I believe this will be a year where they build before really challenging for a top-four place. The drop-off in quality when England stars such as Will Stuart leave is a real weakness which is again holding them back from being higher in my predictions.

Despite this, they would still be a team I would keep my eye on this season if I was a Gallagher Premiership fan as that backline just excites me every time I look at it.