'It's about people, 63 young players and 32 staff... the complexities, the dynamics, the feelings of those relationships'
There will be nothing but friendly hellos and open doors when Stuart Hooper arrives at the Rec on Saturday two days out from his 38th birthday.
Bath have a Champions Cup campaign to get underway at home to Ulster and the prodigal son, who in recent times has gone from on-pitch talisman to off-pitch troubleshooter, will be expected to confidently get the show on the road in a tournament the club frustratingly haven’t won since 1998.
He won’t miss a beat perched high above the East Stand, his vantage point giving him a bird’s eye view of proceedings below on the hallowed turf he graced for so many years. But the vantage point wasn’t always this luxurious.
Glimpses of the action were only fleeting when he first clapped eyes on the club of his dreams as a ten-year-old, watching from Pulteney Bridge as a kid a fair size shorter than the 6ft 5in frame he went on to eke out a very credible Premiership career with.
He was immediately smitten, though, and here he is nearly 28 years later, in charge of the whole shooting match and aiming to rekindle Bath’s old love affair with winning trophies.
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“It’s very difficult to put into words,” he told RugbyPass about his long attachment with Bath which was only interrupted in the foothills of his playing career when he went away to earn his stripes at Saracens and Leeds.
“It means a huge amount to me. From a personal point of view, I first watched the club when I was ten years old and dreamt one day playing for them and then ended up captaining them for five years.
“We weren’t in the ground, we were above the ground looking into it on the bridge above,” he said, casting his mind to it all started from a spot above the River Avon looking on over the walls.
Over to you @bathrugby supporters – how many can you get? https://t.co/kDRfcvByFV
— Bath Rugby (@BathRugby) November 13, 2019
“It’s just a very evocative memory of what this arena right in the middle of a city felt like. Then life goes on and I kind of watched a bit, enjoyed supporting them through the ’90s and then started my own professional career in ’99 and eventually got the opportunity to play for them and played for nine years.
“There was stages of the journey where it was always like ‘this is incredibly special’ and then to be asked last year to lead the club this summer was a huge moment of pride for me, something I am determined to do well.”
He has his hands full as director of rugby. As a player, looking after himself and ensuring he was ready to peak every weekend was the priority. Now the demands are very, very different, a responsibility he aims not to shirk in any way.
‘In life, in rugby, things aren’t always going to go the way you want them to and you’re going to be dealt some pretty s*** hands’
– @FreddieBurns speaks w/ @heagnel about how he has bounced back at @bathrugby from his @ChampionsCup clanger ?https://t.co/RKBmjb8Y6O
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 25, 2019
“The whole thing is around continually understanding what the role means. The role is very different every day. The biggest crux of the role is it’s about people so we have got 63 young players and 32 staff and to lead all of those people, the complexities of the relationships, the dynamics, the feelings… and that is just the work.
“Then you have got outside of work, all the emotions of having all these people, it is a people business and everyone will tell you it is time-consuming and all-encompassing. I don’t think I was surprised by that, but it was just a realisation that that is what it is.”
If there is a comparison about the value the club hopes he will bring, it’s with Leinster’s Leo Cullen. The Irish club’s long-serving lock switched from club captain to club boss quicker than envisaged when Matt O’Connor was sacked and while there were initial teething problems, Cullen has since gone on to enjoy remarkable success.
That feeling when @ChampionsCup rugby is back.
? @bathrugby ? @UlsterRugby
?? The Rec
?? Saturday 16th November
? 13:00
?? https://t.co/lFcforcthV
? 01225 536 900 pic.twitter.com/2a7jwlD9j7— Bath Rugby (@BathRugby) November 11, 2019
Similar joy is longed for at the Rec now that Hooper, their long-time rugged skipper, has taken over the reins from Todd Blackadder earlier than expected. He knows the comparisons are there and would love nothing better that to get Bath back to where he feels they belong.
“There is always going to be different comparisons with different people. The important thing for us is we are Bath and we are pushing ahead with the way we feel that is right. Leo has done a fantastic job at Leinster, as Stu (Lancaster) has as well. I have a lot of admiration for what they have done.
“As with any other environment I try and learn as much as I can from as many different people, and Leo is certainly someone who has had tremendous success as a former player.
“It is a massively challenging role in an incredibly challenging competition. But exciting was the overriding feeling and the opportunity to work with the group of players that we have got is massive. It remains exciting and remains challenging.
“I didn’t come to Bath until 2007, but memories of the victory down in Bordeaux in ’98, memories of the guys lifting the trophy and bringing it back to Bath, are very vivid.
“This city is so vibrant on game day and the support from the whole city is massive. Looking back over recent history when we got to different finals, the whole place comes alive and to have our supporters behind us is massive. Success is what we want to bring back to the club, for sure.
Who are those big lumps wondering around the rugby field?? ????
One of those very same lumps himself back in the day ? @bathrugby director of rugby ? Stuart Hooper is here to describe THE SECOND ROW ?
New to the game? Still learning? Let the pros explain. pic.twitter.com/UJb2eRMZKU
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) November 12, 2019
“I don’t think we are very far away. The margins are tiny,” he suggested following a start to the Premiership where Bath have broken even, winning twice and losing twice. “The challenges are huge but we have a group of players that are determined to succeed. They are a group of players that are excited to play with each other.
“They are excited to try and create something and what we have got is a load of other clubs who want to do the same thing. We have got to be diligent, we have got to be professional but we have also got to enjoy what we do and forge our own path. We are very much committed to our performances and to putting in place the thing that we practice, getting our guys back from the World Cup and pushing on.”
Balancing the books is all part of Hooper’s new remit as director of rugby and the salary cap governing the Premiership has been all the rage since punishment was meted out to Saracens, his former club, last week. “It seems to have been dealt with thoroughly and very professionally. From our point of view, it doesn’t change a huge amount. We’re focused on getting into the top four without or without Saracens in that top four.
“That is what we want to do and we will be doing everything to make that happen. It [salary cap] is always a challenge but that is a challenge we sign up for. It is something we are all aware of and understanding the nuances is something we have to do. It is part of the role and something we do thoroughly and regularly.”
There will be no pause for breath now that Bath are entering the business end of winter. Ulster, Harlequins and Clermont twice are all waiting for them in Europe, a four-match run of fixtures only broken in the middle by welcoming the aforementioned Saracens to the Rec in the league on November 29.
It’s a tasty schedule, one where Hooper will learn much about his Bath squad and about how he is faring himself in a new role his four sons are taking great interest in. “They’re eleven, eight, six and four. They love the rugby and are my biggest supporters. They are supporters as well as my sons, so they love it when we win and they give me a hard time when we lose.
“I do try to (get a break from rugby when I can). I do think it is important to create a little bit of space. I try and find a little bit of time. I spent a little bit of time playing with my sons, take the dog for a walk and spend time with the family just away from all the electronic media and that sort of stuff. Just have a bit of time to think and then get back to it… it keeps me very level going back into the players the next day.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments