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'From what I hear Neal Hatley now has full control of the coaching and the players are really buying into him'

By Ciarán Kennedy
Lewis Moody during his playing days with Bath. (Getty)

Lewis Moody believes Bath are finally in a position to end years of hurt and capture a first league title since the old Pilkington Cup was claimed in 1996. Serial winners across the 1980s and early 1990s, the West Country club have endured a painful drought of 24 years since they were last crowned champions of England, with Bath yet to win English rugby’s premier competition in the professional era.

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There has been plenty of near misses and false starts along the way, as well as a couple of Heineken Cup (1998) and Challenge Cup wins (2008), although Bath haven’t reached the Premiership play-offs since losing the 2014-15 decider to Saracens.

However there is a renewed optimism that the club are now capable of mounting a serious challenge after a hugely promising resurgence, with Bath particularly impressive following the rugby restart in August, a run which coincided with forwards coach Neal Hatley being bumped up to the role of head coach.

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Tuesday sees Bath host eighth-placed Gloucester in a West Country derby at the Rec, where a win would see them jump to second in the Premiership table.

And former Bath flanker Moody, who won seven Premiership titles and 2 Heineken Cups during a decorated club career, says supporters have every right to be feeling optimistic heading into the season run-in, insisting the club now have what it takes to finally end their long wait for a title.

“I honestly do. I absolutely do (believe they can win the Premiership),” Moody says.

“I think it’s a really exciting time. For a long time Bath have underdelivered and underperformed in the Premiership, especially when you look at the talent they’ve had.

“Bath for me, as well as Exeter, have been the most consistent (since the restart). Wasps and Sale have been good when they have wanted to be but they’ve not been as consistent as Bath and Exeter.

“It’s about peaking at the right time. Think of Wasps, the Lawrence Dallaglio, Josh Lewsey vintage, they did exactly that and knew how to peak for the finals.

“Whether it was intended or not, or whether it’s just (a result of the) break from the coronavirus lockdown, it’s given Bath a reset and an opportunity to be in a better position than they were before with the right people in the right positions and creating the right environment, all hooked into one common goal.

“I genuinely believe they can make it to the final. And if they do that then it’s anyone’s game.”

Bath’s upturn on the pitch has been nothing short of remarkable. Before the season was suspended in March they had lost six of their 13 games. Since returning to action in August, they’ve won six of their seven league outings.

The mark of potential champions?

“Stuart Hooper and Neal Hatley have played a brilliant deck of cards,” Moody explains.

Neale Hatley
Bath’s Charlie Ewels speaks with head coach Neal Hatley and director of rugby Stuart Hooper. (Getty)

“They’ve seen the heavy load in terms of games (since the restart) and they’ve just been very sensible and very careful.

“Obviously you can’t do a huge amount of training, the intensity and the physicality of the training is completely tuned down. Chatting to a lot of the playing group, they all feel fit, there have been very few injuries, and they’re just in a really good place.

“I think Stuart Hooper has done a very good job in getting the players that he wanted nailed down early. There were changes in personnel on the playing side and behind the scenes with some of the staff and I think with all of that, they feel they have got the environment and the people they want in the roles they want.

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Lewis Moody
Former England and Bath flanker Lewis Moody. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

“Then you suddenly see that reflected in performances on the pitch. But most importantly they are all coming into a game feeling fresh and not carrying niggles because they aren’t being blitzed in training week-in-week out.

“You want your team to be confident and you want performances going in the right direction. Not only do Bath have that in abundance with the guys that are starting, they have it with the whole squad because they have been able to rotate players. You’ve got young guys coming through that have been given a chance when they’ve taken them, they’ve been kept on, and then you’re creating that competition for place and that belief. All of a sudden you see how that starts to impact performance and results, and they seem to have absolutely nailed it post lockdown.”

The only blemish on Bath’s record since the restart was the 27-23 loss at home to Wasps in late August. Having raced into a 13-0 lead with just 10 minutes on the clock Bath looked well-placed to keep their winning run intact as Wasps suffered a string of injuries, forcing uncontested scrums before half-time. The visitors somehow rallied to win a thrilling game by five points.

The manner of the defeat could have seriously dented Bath’s confidence, but instead they responded by beating Harlequins and Worcester by 14 and 25 points respectively before laying down a real marker with a commanding 15 point win at Sale last time out.

For Moody, it’s an indication of the winning mentality Hooper and Hatley have instilled in the squad over the past few weeks.

“Again that comes down to building the right environment, having the right people in the right place,” he explains.

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“From what I hear Neal Hatley now has full control of the coaching and on the playing side, the players are really buying into him as an individual.

“Then all of a sudden you can build a mindset and it’s very easy to bounce back from those blips when you know what direction you’re heading in. And OK, sometimes you get it wrong and you lose a game, but actually they know they should have won that match (against Wasps) and they would be seven from seven now, in theory. Sometimes those blips just help to refocus the mind, and it’s “Yeah, OK, we thought we were good, but we’re not quite where we need to be, so let’s nail it.'”

Such is the nature of the condensed calendar following the suspension of the season, teams already have one eye on the 2020/21 campaign, which is penciled in to kick-off in late November.

Bath have been linked with a number of high-profile signings in recent weeks, with South African fly-half Damian Willemse the latest big name doing the rounds, but Moody would also like to see some future-proofing in other areas of the squad if Bath are to keep challenging for silverware.

“I think probably in the front row. I know they’ve got a few guys who have been there for a while, you’ve got (Tom) Dunn, you’ve got (Ross) Batty. I think in that hooker position, even though those two guys are both very experienced and Tom has obviously had some time with England over the last couple of years in the wider squads, I think maybe (they should be) looking at a world-class hooker.

“And this might sound a bit strange, but maybe a Number Eight, because Taulupe Faletau is unbelievable, (but) he’s getting on a bit now. Yes, you’ve got (Zach) Mercer, but again, if Faletau left, having someone as dependable as he is… Mercer is bit more of the sort of flamboyant player, so maybe someone who is as dependable and skilful as Faletau to come in and fill that role I think.

“Notice how I picked two forwards, I leave my area of expertise to the front eight!”

BT Sport is the home of Gallagher Premiership Rugby. Watch Bath v Gloucester on Tuesday 22nd September from 5.15pm on BT Sport 1

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Jon 2 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 4 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.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 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

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 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.

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