'Bath is a massive club and rugby is in the fabric of the city... I love it here'
If Girvan Dempsey didn’t take the plunge in summer 2018 he would be in Italy this weekend, helping to supervise Leinster as their latest Guinness PRO14 season gets underway at Treviso. Instead, there are no trips on the agenda this Saturday, the Rec being just a short spin from home into town for Bath’s latest Premiership Cup fixture versus Worcester.
His day won’t be fully consumed by all things English. There is the small matter of Ireland’s World Cup clash versus Japan which the former Test full-back will be keeping his eye on some hours earlier.
A veteran himself of two World Cup campaigns, the fortunes of an Irish squad with a large Leinster contingent was always going to be of interest even though Dempsey is just as clued into how Bath’s players are faring with the two-from-two England in the Far East.
His one big hope, though, is that Johnny Sexton is only temporarily off his feet and will be back in harness later in the tournament after sitting out this weekend’s showdown with the host nation.
“Ireland are genuinely in a strong position,” he told RugbyPass. “They have openly made it known they want to achieve a semi-final position which is massively within their potential. The squad depth has grown but there are still positions where you look at key personnel who are going to be imperative to the squad succeeding.
Ireland promised after 2015 they would not be caught winging it at the 2019 RWC with an inexperienced out-half starting at No10 in a big match in place of Johnny Sexton, but they have not delivered on that aim https://t.co/Y2QThUAiJW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 27, 2019
“Having worked with Johnny Sexton and knowing him as a player and how competitive he is and how driven he is, he will want to succeed, he will want to be successful and he will want to have a successful World Cup campaign by ultimately putting them into position to get to semi-finals and final. He is a big driver for them.
“They have the potential, they have the players that have won on big occasions, won trophies and they know what it takes to beat the All Blacks. I have no doubt that Joe Schmidt and the coaches will have them well prepared and I’m massively excited.
“I have very much a massive interest in the England team as well in terms of the five Bath guys who are in their squad. I’m hoping they will go well but if they cross paths at any stage it will be fairly obvious which direction I will be cheering.”
Dempsey is loving his decision to trade places, swopping the all-conquering giant that is Leinster for a club trying to rekindle the dominance on the English scene it once used to enjoy. He could have stayed in Dublin, could have watched the trophies keep on rolling in, but there was something about Stuart Hooper’s pitch in 2018 that proved irresistible at a time when the coach’s Irish province were wallowing in the warm glow of a European and PRO14 double.
“Bath is a massive club and rugby is in the fabric of the city, where the ground is, the fans, everything. It’s incredible. On match day the city just comes alive and it is such an amazing buzz around the place. The ambition is to roll it back to the highs, back to being competitive and ultimately trying to win trophies.
“Stuart Hooper is a Bath man through and through. He played and captained the club and just his passion for the club is massive. I see huge similarities between Stuart and Leo Cullen in terms of their journey through the system of a club, playing and captaining and having that love for the club.
“Stuart is no different in that he is really passionate about bringing this club forward, bringing it back to the successful days and striving to achieve with the club. That is the big thing. From my initial first meeting with him, I could see that and I saw this was something I wanted to be part of because you could see his plan, his vision for where the club wanted to go.
“Being with Leinster for so long, it’s a well-oiled machine from the age-grade right through to the senior team. Structures are in place and you are quite sure of how the whole thing works, culturally and rugby wise. It’s all pretty much set whereas in another club you deal with different players from different backgrounds, different environments, different set-ups, different club competitions. It’s challenging in different ways.
A couple of Irishmen who were winning trophies for their provinces 13 years ago held centrestage at Wednesday's Gallagher Premiership 2019/20 season launch
https://t.co/Bff6NOlNXx— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 12, 2019
“That is what I wanted to do. I wanted to grow as a coach because I am committed to coaching. I love what I do and I am very fortunate and privileged to do what I do, but I wanted to challenge myself and in order to develop and grow as a coach I needed to step outside the bubble and to go and look at other opportunities.
“Opportunities were presented to me and this, for us as a family, was the best fit in terms of what we were looking for. You worry about our two boys but they adapted pretty quickly, settled in, made a new circle of friends and absolutely love it. It’s a change of environment, change of scenery living away from Ireland, which is unique for both myself and Anne-Marie. We never lived away from Dublin before. It’s a real experience for both of us but we actually love it here. It has been brilliant.
“Having listened to the ambition of the club and where it wanted to go in the future, it was a no-brainer (to come over). Really good systems in place, a good club with a strong history of rugby but it just hasn’t hit the highs of years gone by. They really want to grow and achieve, and we feel we have made huge steps and strides along that way in the last year.”
The Gallagher Premiership doesn’t swing into action until Bath take the short hop to Bristol on October 18. It’s typical of the English league – nearly all the away grounds are within touching distance and while Dempsey won’t knock the constant air travel involved in the PRO14 as he believes airports and hotels have their uses in building close-knit squad bonds, the challenge of doing well with Bath has him invigorated.
“As a competition, it is highly, highly competitive. I was aware of what it was before, but it is pretty relentless in terms of there is a big match every week and that is what it is, the next week is another big match and then another big match.
“It showed last year in terms of the season and the league standings. You saw from position one to position ten it’s competitive. You had Exeter and Sarries who were the outliers, who were the high performers that everyone was striving to chase, but outside of that when you looked at third position right down to 10th or 11th, one win and you could be up in the top four and one loss and you were back down in seventh or eighth.
“There was this see-saw effect because teams were so competitive that they were taking points off each other. Within the league, it is a big match every week and it is very much relentless in that. With the way the international set-up is in Ireland and the structure in the provinces, the squad rotation is not the same in the competition over here.”
With a young family, there are certainly easier ways to earn a living away from an intense results-based industry. But Dempsey is a new breed of coach who has stepped from the playing field and fitted seamlessly into a tracksuit. He just can’t escape that match day buzz.
“It’s that competitive edge, that innate competitiveness in me and within the group, within working with close knit squads,” he explained. “You know that you are always chasing that high, that big day, that big game atmosphere. Look at the first round this year and we have got Bristol away on Friday night and again it is going to be big, a 30,000 crowd. It’s a huge game and then we have them back to Twickenham for The Clash which is an incredible atmosphere, incredible occasion.
“You live for those big days, you live for those big moments, those big in-game moments and those wins. That is what drives me. There is always that player development within me that always loves to see players succeed and see players grow and develop. We have got a young squad and to see the growth within some of those guys, the leadership that they have taken on board in the last 12 months, is massively exciting and encouraging and the potential within the squad is huge and it is up to us to drive that forward.
“Ultimately that is what it is, that two prongs of desire to see people and players achieve their potential but also my competitiveness, I’m looking for those big days and the highs of that big win.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
19 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
19 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
12 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
19 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
12 Go to commentsAfter missing the curfew, the player was simply too “Shagged” to stand up.
12 Go to commentsVernier is probably the best 12 in the world though she has some English competition these days . I am nervous for England because it is unpredictable France and who knows which team will turn up, but they have not yet shown anything that should worry England, Saturday could be a different day. I would be more confident against the BFs.
1 Go to commentsWhat a difference Rodda and Carter made. Rodda has been out for ages but he is really the only world class lock in Australian rugby. Him, Carter and Beale made a huge difference on the weekend. If only they had a few decent props they’d be a much more dangerous team. Hamish Stewart was excellent last week as well. His carrying has improved significantly and has to be next in line after Paisami at 12 for the Wallabies. He’ll benefit hugely with Beale at fullback, there’s just no better communicator in Australian rugby than him and his experience will make a huge difference for the Force. No one sees space like Beale and he’s still sharp. I can see Force making a late charge into the top 8 if they can get some consistency.
2 Go to commentsRodda will be a walk up starter at lock. Frost if you analyse his dominance has little impact and he’s a long way from being physical enough, especially when you compare to Rodda and the work he does. He was quite poor at the World Cup in his lack of physicality. Between Rodda and Skelton we would have locks who can dominate the breakdown and in contact. Frost is maybe next but Schmidt might go for a more physical lock who does their core work better like Ryan or LSL. Swain is no chance unless there’s a load of injuries. Pollard hasn’t got the scrum ability yet to be considered. Nasser dominated him when they went toe to toe and really showed him up. Picking Skelton effects who can play 6 and 8. Ideally Valetini would play 6 as that’s his best position and Wilson at 8 but that’s not ideal for lineout success. Cale isn’t physical enough yet in contact and defence but is the best backrow lineout jumper followed by Wright, Hanigan and Swinton so unfortunately Valetini probably will start at 8 with Wright or Hanigan at 6. Wilson on the bench, he’s got too much quality not to be in the squad. Paisami is leading the way at 12 but Hamish Stewart is playing extremely well also and his ball carrying has improved significantly. Beale is also another option based on the weekend. Beale is class but he’s also the best communicator of any Australian backline player and that can’t be underestimated, he’ll be in the mix.
8 Go to commentsWhy do people keep on picking Ardie at 7 when he's a ball in hand 8? A modern 7 is the lead tackler and ruck clearer which isn't his strength.
19 Go to commentsSly dig there at Ireland’s propensity to back a non-Irish coach. Must really want it. I’m not sure I like ROG very much. Comes off as unpleasant. But he’d gain my respect if he took a number 7 ranked team and turned them into WC winners. Not even back-to-back. Argentina? Scotland? Or how about Wales? France would be too easy, no?
1 Go to commentsA bit of sensationalism, but surprised by the comments about SBW. I’ve always thought of him as a pretty authentic person. There is nothing worse than working with a colleague you’ve seen straight through.
12 Go to comments100% agree with your comment about Touch. I’ve been playing it competitively since Covid. It’s on a Wednesday night after work. It means the weekend is free for time with my family.
2 Go to commentsRodda back is massively important for the Wallabies. Kaitu at hooker important too coz he was very good a few years ago.
2 Go to comments