LONG READ How university 'alchemy' is powering Bath's treble charge

If Bath winger Will Muir lifts the Gallagher Premiership trophy on Saturday, it will complete a remarkable journey along an underrated yet increasingly well-trodden path to success.

BUCS Super Rugby (BSR): if you know it, you’ll love it. And if you don’t, your rugby ecosystem will likely have been impacted by it without you knowing.

For the uninitiated, BSR is the highest level of university rugby one can play in the UK. Ten men’s and seven women’s teams compete across the country and since its inception in 2015, the competition has produced more than 100 male and 100 female professional players in the top domestic leagues.

The PWR and Red Roses are teeming with WBSR graduates, whilst MBSR’s developmental DNA can be found in the Premiership, URC, Top 14 and even Super Rugby Pacific.

Exeter Chiefs were the first to establish an official partnership with a university and have reaped the rewards for nearly 20 years, but now Bath too appear to be perfecting the student-elite athlete alchemy.

Horse came to Northumbria with no rugby CV – no rep rugby, no county, nothing. After playing a bit of freshers’ rugby, he spoke to me and said he was going to quit.

“You don’t win anything with kids” were the immortal and misguided words of Alan Hansen to characterise Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United ‘class of 92’ and while in the short term this may ring true for Exeter’s current crop, Bath’s seemingly unstoppable Blue, Black and White juggernaut complimented by undergrad talent is showing shades of Fergie’s young dynastic Red Devils.

Ten of Bath’s starting XV who won the Premiership Cup in February, the club’s first major trophy in 17 years, came through or are still on the BSR pathway. Another three provided impact from the bench. Prem Cup? That’s a comp for kids, you may say, but Johann van Graan’s faith in academic aces extends far beyond that.

Six of the matchday 23 who clinched the Challenge Cup in Cardiff again came through the university system. Will Butt, Max Ojomoh, Tom Carr-Smith (all Bath), Guy Pepper (Durham) and Muir (Northumbria) all cut their teeth juggling tutorials with tackling.

‘The Horse’ Muir has become the cult hero of BA2 and encapsulates the hidden gem story the league hangs its hat on. His then coach at Northumbria, and current Doncaster Knights supremo, Darren Fearn tells a remarkable tale of an individual who, had it not been for BSR, would never have come close to scaling these dizzying heights.

“What a cracking lad,” Fearn tells RugbyPass. “Horse came to Northumbria with no rugby CV – no rep rugby, no county, nothing. After playing a bit of freshers’ rugby, he spoke to me and said he was going to quit to play with his brother and old man at Guisborough. I’m so glad I convinced him to stay on.

“He was unbelievable for us. He was hungry, he grafted, and it wasn’t until he got spotted at The BUCS Sevens by Simon Amor that he got a shot with England Sevens and that proved to be his gateway to what he’s doing now – competing for Premiership titles and knocking on Steve Borthwick’s door.

“He deserves every accolade he has had so far and will inevitably get in the future. I’m so glad he decided to commit to the uni game after we spoke. It gave him a shop window. It could have been a very different story.”

We’ve developed a very strong respect and understanding of each other’s programmes and our missions over many years.

He now has corner of the Rec named in his honour. For 131 years that stadium has been at the heart of the city and only now have the Bath faithful found a man worthy enough to name a patch of it after.

When Muir was injured earlier this season, Bath business student Austin Emens came to the fore, and didn’t look overawed having, like Muir, had his first taste of big stadia rugby with Great Britain on the HSBC SVNS. With just-retired Olympic silver medallist Ruaridh McConnochie announced as Bath’s new skills coach, the best side in England look set to continue bucking the Premiership trend and complimenting their XVs with the unique traits honed in the abbreviated format.

Look further down the English rugby pyramid and it is awash with higher education ballers. Player production line aside, university rugby taps into a tribal nature that no amount of away end experimentation can recreate. The University of Bath held its annual anniversary match against Hartpury in October at the Rec – 7,000 braved the biblical (and I mean biblical) conditions to get behind ‘The Brothers’ in a 31-31 thriller that featured soon-to-be superstars Kepu Tuipulotu and Tyler Offiah.

Former Wasps centre Aaron James, who heads up the University of Bath’s blossoming programme, says the partnership “just makes sense”.

“It benefits both programmes and more importantly helps develop the student rugby players. We’ve developed a very strong respect and understanding of each other’s programmes and our missions over many years.

“Kepu and Austin Emens’ journeys are very good examples. Their development I think speaks volumes about how BUCS Super Rugby and our collaborative programme equips these young talents with what it takes to compete in the higher leagues.”

Now, university isn’t for everyone and BSR is by no means the only route to the top. Many varied avenues exist to reach the professional ranks. However, given the precarious financial position rugby perennially finds itself in, not to mention the inherently fickle nature of being a professional sportsperson, there is something to be said about young players being able to chase the dream yet emerge equipped with a degree should the doomsday scenario come to pass.

With so much university interest in Saturday’s Premiership showcase, it’s fitting that on Friday night, a couple miles down the road from the Allianz Stadium, Richmond FC will host the BUCS Sevens as part of the University Celestial 7s event.

So, if you’re looking to get the pre-Premiership final juices flowing early, or better yet, looking for the next Will Muir, you might do well to get down to Richmond on the eve of the big dance.

Which sits better on the head? A mortar board or a Premiership crown? Well, with BUCS Super Rugby, you can wear both.

The inaugural Celestial 7s will be streamed live and free on RugbyPass TV. Tickets are available from www.celestial7s.com. 

 

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