Son of Bath legend could be handed dream club debut vs Bordeaux

Former Bath and England hooker Lee Mears’ son, Isaac, is on standby to answer the club’s call-to-arms for Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final in the wake of a potential scrum-half crisis.

Bath captain Ben Spencer is described as ‘touch-and-go’, along with a few other frontline players, for the match against reigning European champions Bordeaux, after missing the last two matches because of a shoulder injury.

With Bernard van der Linde having undergone surgery on the ankle syndesmosis he suffered early on in last week’s PREM deefat to Northampton, that leaves Tom Carr-Smith as the only fit specialist nine in Johann van Graan’s squad.

Young Welsh scrum-half Ieuan Davies is on a season-long loan at Cardiff, but it was Mears who was referenced by van Graan during Wednesday’s media briefing, as potential cover for Carr-Smith if Spencer doesn’t prove his fitness.

University of Bath student Mears, 18, signed his first professional contract with Bath earlier this month, and is very highly rated at the club, although it’s a hard to think of a tougher debut than Bordeaux away with a place in the Champions Cup final at stake.

“I thought Tom Carr-Smith was exceptional against Northampton on Saturday. Isaac Mears is the next 9 in, who we’ve pulled out of the England Students, so he’s in the group,” van Graan revealed.

Fixture

Investec Champions Cup

Bordeaux

38 - 26

Full-time

Bath

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Van Graan also hinted that he has a contingency plan in place to use a player with no previous scrum-half experience, without naming any names, if the worst-case scenario pans out.

“One of the bits that obviously the group knows but the outside world doesn’t is we go through multiple situational plays in training sessions throughout the year,” the South African boss said.

“So, let’s just say in the worst-case scenario, you might see somebody play at 9 that’s never played at 9. But if you refer back to the World Cup final back in 2023, one team [the Springboks] decided to go without a 9 on the bench. So, you know, there are many different things that we could do.

“We’ve got faith that Ben will be fine on the weekend, and whether he or any other player is not, we’re all pretty adaptable.

“I think there are always two choices you can make with injuries: you can feel sorry for yourself or you make a plan, and this group is exceptional at making plans.”

In addition to Spencer, centres Cam Redpath and Max Ojomoh, and giant winger Joe Cokanasiga are also doubts heading to the Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Metropole, with van Graan leaving his final decision on selection until Friday.