Hooper confirmed as Bath DOR and he's brought in international experience

Bath have confirmed the appointment of Stuart Hooper as Director of Rugby, to replace the departing Todd Blackadder.

Hooper will also lead the rugby department.

In a statement Bath Rugby said: “Hooper’s appointment follows a clear process of thought and consideration by Bath Rugby, a process which affirmed the view that he is the right person to lead the Club into the future. As Director of Rugby Hooper will provide strength, leadership and a clear direction for the coaching team and squad to provide greater consistency of performance to underpin domestic and European success.

Bath have added England scrum coach Neal Hatley to the coaching tam, he’ll return to the club following the Rugby World Cup and will become the Forwards and Defence Coach. He will link up with the club no later than November 9th.

Former Leinster and Ireland full-back Girvan Dempsey continues as Attack and Backs Coach.

The Bath statement also added: “Hatley brings a wealth of coaching experience and knowledge of high performing environments during his time with England. The development of Bath Rugby’s players and its game will be significantly benefited by the strength and quality of Hatley’s skills and track record of developing world class players, and driving the performance of a forward pack, to win games at the very highest level.

“Hatley’s work to build the Club’s defensive game will be aligned with the attributes and expertise of Dempsey. A true scholar of the game with an exceptional attacking mind, Dempsey will continue to drive the growth of Bath’s attacking game in order to achieve the type of success that Dempsey and Hatley have both enjoyed with Leinster and England.

Both Hatley and Dempsey will be joined by Luke Charteris who will embark on a new career with the Club as a specialist line-out coach.

Hooper spoke about his new role: “I feel an immense amount of passion and pride for the Club and for Bath as a city, I will do everything in my power to get this great Club back to winning trophies. Our players are exceptional, the group we have assembled to wear the blue, black and white next season is filled with young men desperate to make memories together, for themselves, their families and for those who support us week in week out. My task is to ensure my team and I give the players every opportunity to get better, to learn and to grow every single day.

“We are on a journey right now and we have a lot to do, it will not be easy but we will work hard and we will enjoy it.”

Tarquin McDonald, Bath Rugby’s Chief Executive added: “Stuart, Neal, Girvan and Andy will lead our rugby department strategically and build on the strong foundations already in place as we look to create a world-leading environment here at Bath.

“We are building a system based on who we are, how we play, how we train, and how we develop. These four pillars are underpinned by a clear focus on our standards and developing a deep level of trust within the organisation and its people. We have an exceptional playing group and staff and we want to equip them, develop them individually and collectively to deliver winning performances.

“We will always be judged on the 80 minutes each weekend, but the level of rigour that surrounds the design of our rugby department and training programme is what we believe will deliver consistent performances and successful results.”

Pathway coaches Ryan Davis and Mark Lilley will also progress their roles moving into 2019/20, placing more emphasis not only upon the support and development of the senior academy players in the Club’s 1st XV environment, but also adding significant coaching resource around its first team squad on a day-to-day basis. In this capacity, Davis will support Dempsey on specific areas of attack and skills coaching; Lilley will coach technical areas around the scrum and maul, supporting Hatley and working with Charteris.

Pierre-Henry Broncan will continue to develop his role as Head of Strategic Analysis and Scouting. Broncan will support the Club’s rugby department though his work within analysis across the game, and through his insights into trends, tactics and team approaches and how this integrates into the planning and performance of Bath’s first team programme.

Andy Rock is confirmed in the role of Performance Director. Rock will lead an inter-disciplinary approach to programme design and will bring each function of the performance department together to optimally support the rugby programme, aligning all staff working within Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning, and Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy.

As Performance Director, Rock will work closely with the coaching team in the planning process to ensure that every minute of time on the training field is maximised, and to support the alignment of training approaches and training methods across departments to positively influence the way that Bath Rugby play.

The recent appointment of Craig Lilley as Academy Manager will build on the work of Andy Rock over the last three years as Bath Rugby continue to target a 50% homegrown squad by 2023.