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Bath statement: The signing of ex-Wasps boss Lee Blackett

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by PA)

Gallagher Premiership strugglers Bath have confirmed the capture of Lee Blackett for next season. The ex-Wasps boss had been working as an assistant at Scarlets since last November, commuting to west Wales from his home in the Midlands, but that mileage on the road will now considerably decrease following his decision to take up an offer to coach Bath after the departure of Joe Maddock, their attack and backs coach.

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The confirmed recruitment by Bath of Blackett came the day after RugbyPass exclusively reported that Scarlets had recruited ex-Ireland international Jared Payne from Ulster to fill the vacancy that Blackett’s return to the Premiership would create.

Blackett spoke at length with RugbyPass in February about how he was finding life in the URC with the Scarlets, but Bath will now be his next port of call.

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A statement read: “Bath are delighted to announce former Wasps head coach Lee Blackett will join the club this summer as an assistant. Seen as one of the most innovative coaches in the UK, the 40-year-old is a highly respected coach whose experience spans over a decade.

“Following a playing career that saw him feature for Fylde, Leeds Tykes and Rotherham Titans, Blackett returned to the latter in 2012 as a player-coach before being appointed the youngest head coach in the top two tiers of English rugby a year later.

“During his time at the South Yorkshire club, he aided the team’s progression to the Championship play-offs in consecutive campaigns and saw them reach the latter stages of the British and Irish Cup – both achievements were firsts in the club’s near 100-year history.

“The former England Counties back earned an opportunity to become attack coach in the Premiership with Wasps in the summer of 2015 and in his first season, his attack saw them score a regular season-high number of tries (71) as they reached the play-offs for the first time in eight years.

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“A year later, Blackett’s attack aided Wasps’ route to the Premiership final with a first-place finish and another emphatic record try total of 89. In his fifth year in Coventry, Blackett was promoted to the position of head coach, guiding them to an unlikely Premiership final during the 2019/20 season.

“His seven-and-a-half years at Wasps came to a sad end in October 2022 and a new opportunity as backs and skills Coach at United Rugby Championship outfit Scarlets arose which saw them reach the last four of the Challenge Cup. Blackett will begin his time at Bath in pre-season as the team builds towards 2023/24.”

Blackett said: “To have the opportunity to work with Johann van Graan, the rest of the coaching team and a talented playing group, as well as return to the Premiership, is very exciting for me.

“Bath is a club with rich history, fantastic support and has the infrastructure in place to be successful. I look forward to working with a team that has the potential to compete and challenge at the top end of the league.”

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Head of rugby van Graan added: “In the times I have coached against Lee for Munster and Bath, I have been very impressed with him as a person and as a leader; he will complement our coaching team and club very well.

“He has head coach experience and a fantastic rugby IQ. During his career he has improved the abilities of world-class players and we are excited for him to help develop our squad and game in year two of our journey.”

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J
Jon 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

28 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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