Bath’s Ewan Richards: ‘It’ll be a special feeling to lift that trophy’

Not since Steve Borthwick held aloft the European Challenge Cup at Kingsholm in 2008 in his final game for the club have Bath won any silverware.

Bath’s supporters have had to endure the worst of times longing for even a sliver of the success that the great side of the 1980s and 90s enjoyed.

Back then, Bath won 10 cups, six league titles and became the first English team to win the Heineken Cup between 1984-1998. But that solitary triumph against Worcester in Europe’s second tier competition remains an outlier in an era of underachievement.

Bath have had opportunities since then, losing the 2005 Powergen Cup final to massive underdogs Leeds Tykes, falling short in three Challenge Cup finals (2003 v Wasps, 2007 v Clermont and 2014 v Northampton), missing out in the final year of the Anglo-Welsh against Exeter in 2018 and most painfully, losing three Premiership finals (2004 v Wasps, 2015 v Saracens and 2024 v Northampton).

Eight finals, eight defeats. Now, it is time to set the record straight.

Whilst the Premiership Rugby Cup is low down on the list of rugby priorities this weekend, coachloads of Bath fans will make the trip down the M5 to Sandy Park, hoping to see them beat Exeter Chiefs and create a new chapter in the club’s history.

“It’s a massive day. We obviously want to go and win the Premiership, but to win this cup, the club deserves it. We have been working hard for a long time and the squad effort for this has been outstanding,” said captain Ewan Richards.

“We obviously respect the past and what has happened with Bath Rugby over the years but during this Cup run, I have just been focusing on the present.

“We have had some outstanding games and some outstanding comebacks and now we have got a game on Sunday where we can bring home some silverware. It’ll be a special feeling to lift that trophy.”

Bath’s big-money signings have been well publicised but what will make victory on Sunday doubly special is the fact that homegrown talent has been the backbone of the West Country club’s run to the final.

Richards is very much part of that cohort trying to become a first-team regular, with the potential to be every bit as good as Ted Hill, another player who can play flanker or lock. The academy graduate, who recently penned a new two-year deal, is also turning into a very good leader, mainly by his actions – like the thunderous hit on Cam Neild in the semi-final win over Newcastle – rather than his words.

Ewan Richards 💪#PremRugbyCup | #NEWvBAT pic.twitter.com/cy7gGkIJ6p

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 7, 2025

That said, the 22-year-old spoke really well when addressing the media this week, about how that side of his game is developing.

“I am not a very vocal captain, I like to just get on the pitch and let my actions do the talking. But I can see growth,” added Richards, who’s in his second year as the club’s cup captain, having previously led the U18s.

“Captaining the likes of Tom Dunn, Thomas du Toit and Beno (Obano) on the pitch feels a bit strange but they’ve been great with me. They always back any decision I make and they are very good to talk to if I need advice.

“I think that has helped me mature into this role and given me confidence.”

A Bath supporter growing up, Yeovil-born Richards would love nothing more than to get the right outcome this week and for Bath to go on and complete a league and cup double, or even a treble with the Challenge Cup still up for grabs.

“This cup run has been pretty special for the wider group. We’ve seen 49 lads play in this competition this year, which is unbelievable and just shows the depth that we have got in this squad.

“The bigger aim is to win the Premiership, we want to win the league, that’s massive. But this opportunity this weekend for some of us younger lads is also a massive deal.

“We get the opportunity again to express ourselves, keep working hard, fight for each other, and we have a chance to bring a bit of silverware back to the club.”