'We're sorry to see him go': Hughes' loan deal at Bath is over
Nathan Hughes’ loan at Bath will end next Monday, leaving the No8 returning to Bristol to see out the final months of his existing Bears contract back at Ashton Gate. Bath had recruited the ex-England back-rower in January to help alleviate an injury crisis and he has since played six times in the Gallagher Premiership for them – two appearances more than the four he has managed in the league during 2021/22 for Bristol.
However, this Saturday’s game at Exeter will be Hughes’ last involvement for Bath as he will return to his parent club ahead of Bristol’s two-legged round of 16 Heineken Champions Cup tie versus Sale.
Bath head coach Neal Hatley explained: “Nathan has made a fantastic contribution on and off the field over the past two months and we are sorry to see him go. However, as both us and Bristol turn our attention to European competition, the simple fact that he is registered only to play for Bristol in Europe means he must return there.
“We will miss him, but his return to Bristol will create opportunities for other players to step forward and make an impact on the rest of our season, as we seek to climb the Premiership table and make progress in the European Challenge Cup.”
Hughes’ return to Bristol is a significant shift from where he stood earlier this week, revealing in a RugbyPass Offload appearance that he hadn’t spoken with Bristol boss Pat Lam since before the Bears’ February 25 game versus Wasps.
Asked on the show if he was on the phone a lot with Lam, Hughes replied: “Not, actually not. I think the last time I spoke to him was before they played Wasps and it was basically ‘if there are any injuries we will call you back’, but nothing has been said or anything like that. All I am doing is basically leaving it and letting the rugby talk and just keep playing as much rugby as I can.
“When they played Leinster they had three head knocks in that game so they needed back rows,” added Hughes when explaining how his January loan switch from Bristol to Bath came about. “That all happened, been there two months and now it’s basically week on week if they need me or not. I’m enjoying it, enjoying the environment. The facilities are quite good there, the chefs are pretty good, it keeps me going there.”
Hughes was a big-money signing from Wasps in 2019 and his initial two seasons at Bristol were busy as the back-rower made 45 appearances – 44 as a starter. However, he has since paid a heavy price for underperformance at Wasps last September in a round two game where the Bears were mauled 8-44, Fitz Harding becoming Lam’s preferred choice at No8.
With his deal to Bristol set to expire at the end of the current season, Hughes, who will start as the Bath No8 at Exeter in his final loan outing, has been linked with a switch to Clermont in the Top 14 next season.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments