'Bit like Football Factory, he was shouting abuse and running away'

Dave Attwood has likened the crazy 2013 night that resulted in Gavin Henson getting knocked out in a Bath bar by Carl Fearns as an outtake from the hooligan movie, The Football Factory. It’s now approaching nine years to the very day since the ex-Wales international generated headlines for all the wrong reasons just a month after he had joined the Premiership club for pre-season. 

Henson had arrived in Bath following a one-season stint with London Welsh and was eager to make a good first impression, insisting he wasn’t going to go drinking on a squad social night out. 

However, he eventually relented and while ex-England lock Attwood described Henson as initially being great fun, his behaviour soon got out of hand. Reflecting on the infamous night out, Attwood, who is rejoining Bath from Bristol this summer, said the squad were to blame – not Henson – for what unfolded. 

Dave Attwood on bust ups with Owen Farrell, Sam Burgess & new Bath era | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 35

Bristol and England’s Dave Attwood joins the guys this week to reveal some loose stories from a well-traveled career. We hear about his run-in with Owen Farell, why his modern man approach didn’t go down well with a certain head coach, and skiing in France with the Galacticos of Toulon. We also get Dave’s first-hand account of Carl Fearns and Gavin Henson’s bust-up and the fallout from Sam Burgess’ move to Bath.

Dave Attwood on bust ups with Owen Farrell, Sam Burgess & new Bath era | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 35

Bristol and England’s Dave Attwood joins the guys this week to reveal some loose stories from a well-traveled career. We hear about his run-in with Owen Farell, why his modern man approach didn’t go down well with a certain head coach, and skiing in France with the Galacticos of Toulon. We also get Dave’s first-hand account of Carl Fearns and Gavin Henson’s bust-up and the fallout from Sam Burgess’ move to Bath.

Attwood also explained how Gary Gold, the Bath coach at the time, reacted when he hauled the lock and hooker Rob Webber into his office for an explanation after the story of the knockout blow had emerged in the media.

“Gavin stressed that he wasn’t drinking on our team social to the Thatchers factory, he was like, ‘No, I’m not drinking lads,” explained Attwood during his colourful appearance on this week’s RugbyPod Offload. 

“We were like, ‘Have a drink, have a drink’. We basically carried on until he broke and then he couldn’t turn it off. It was entirely our own fault that it happened and we take full responsibility for it but honestly, he was so much fun, so much fun until like 11 o’clock and it was, ‘Alright, that’s enough now Gav. Thanks, you have been great’. But he just carried on going. 

“At one point the whole Bath squad was chasing him around Bath. A bit like Football Factory, he was shouting abuse and running away and then we were in this bar and he said something to Carl Fearns and Fearns wasn’t having that. Out like a light. The following morning Gary Gold called me and Rob Webber into the office and he was, ‘What happened last night?’ 

“The footage was all over The Sun, it had been released and there was a big hoo-ha. He was, ‘What the f*** happened lads?’ ‘Honestly Gary, we wish we knew mate, we must have been in the other bar or something like that’. ‘Really, were you?’

“He turns around his screen monitor on his MacBook and it’s the CCTV footage with me and Rob stood at the bar and Gav and Fearnsy stood next to us. Like, the whole thing happened in front of us and Gary was like, ‘In the other room, were you?’ So bad.”