Bath respond to speculation that Watson to Leicester is done deal

Bath boss Stuart Hooper has reacted to media speculation this week that Anthony Watson, the England and Lions player, will definitely sign for Leicester for the 2022/23 season. Both The Telegraph and The Times reported on Wednesday evening that the out-of-contract 28-year-old was highly coveted by a number of rival Gallagher Premiership clubs and had opted to join Steve Borthwick’s Tigers. 

However, Hooper refused to confirm that would be the case, suggesting that Bath were still working through things with Watson who is increasingly hopeful of playing for the club before the end of this season as he is nearing the end of his recovery from last October’s ACL rupture. 

“There is a lot of rumours, there always is,” said Hooper when quizzed about Watson at his media briefing on Thursday ahead of this Saturday’s Premiership derby at Gloucester. 

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“Anything I talk about is making sure it is right for them and Anthony is no different so making sure that everything is right for him and for us and then we will talk about it when we can so right now there are rumours and we’ll talk about it when we feel it is right for its and for him.

“We are still working through it with Anthony and like we said, we will make sure that is right for everyone and talk about it when we can.”

A Test series pick for the Lions on last summer’s trip to South Africa, Watson was seriously injured in just his second Bath appearance this season. That was six months ago versus Saracens at The Rec and while his club have just three games remaining in a best-forgotten season, Hooper expressed optimism that Watson will play before the end of the 2021/21 campaign. 

“He has been at the top of his game for a while and he is at the top of his game because of the professional that he is,” said Hooper. “What you have got in these young men who are pushing to be the best in the world, they are not robots so an injury like that it is very difficult but what Anthony does is he goes through that period like everyone does when it first happens of there is a period of making sense of it.

“Then when there is a plan there is nobody better than Anthony to apply himself to the plan to be diligent, to do everything he possibly can to get back as quick as he can and that is what he has done. Just seeing him run around and we have got a session in a bit as well, he is looking good, he is looking sharp, he looks after his body and he will want to get back to being recognised as one of the very best back three players in the world as soon as possible.

“When you go through a rehab for a knee injury like he had, it’s a pretty well prescribed rehab. It happens across every sport, across all different positions so there is the stock standard rehab that you do. We make are he sees the very best people for that but outside of that, Anthony is somebody who obviously works very hard on his speed and works very hard on his high ball game and all those things have had an opportunity to be worked during this period of rehab.”

The season for Bath is scheduled to end on June 4 with a round 26 game at Worcester a fortnight after they host London Irish at The Rec. If Watson does make it back into the matchday squad and gets some game time, how would Hooper view the prospect of Watson coming into England’s plans for their July tour of Australia rather than having the summer off and focusing on the start of the 2022/23 campaign?   

“It’s a decision that is not mine if I am honest. That is something that Eddie will make the call in but certainly if he gets back and plays for us I am sure he is somebody who they will look at and in theory he is available for that tour.”