Having players picked for their countries is in Bath Rugby’s interests, according to the reigning treble champions’ head of rugby Johann van Graan.
International call-ups can only be good for Bath Rugby, according to the club’s head of rugby Johann van Graan | Photo © Richard Briggs
“The more players we have playing international rugby, the better for us as a club,” said van Graan at the club’s pre-Gallagher PREM Derby Weekend press conference on Tuesday 7th October.
“I want as many as guys as possible being selected but I don’t have control over that. What we do have control over is our performance.
“Loose forwards – if you think about Miles Reid he’s been absolutely fantastic, if you again look at the line that he ran on Friday night [against Sale Sharks]. You’ve got Sam [Underhill], you’ve got Guy [Pepper], Ethan Staddon has been really good this season at both open and blind side, I thought Tom [Thompson] Cowan three weeks ago against Exeter was one of our best players. You’ve got George Timmins coming through.
“So there’s a real squad effort here. Whoever wears the specific jersey on the weekend, they perform for the team – and hopefully some guys get international rugby.
“I guess what we as a group can do is just keep working hard and keep improving and hopefully keep performing on weekends to put players in a good position to be selected for national teams.”
Bath’s long-serving hooker Tom Dunn believes he is now at his peak – and he is keen to savour more of the glory he experienced during the club’s 2024-25 trophy-filled season.
He said: “I’m feeling the best I’ve felt technically and understanding-wise.
“Physically you can be a bit smarter. Ten years ago I’d run at 100mph and make 35 tackles, whereas now I’m being more effective at what I’m doing.
“So even though I’m only making 15, 16 tackles, my dominance might be higher – making less carries but my dominance might be higher.
“We took a moment to appreciate what we had achieved [last season], how we did it together.
“The phrase that was used was success is rented. You’re not a champion this season, you’re champions last season. We rented that success and the feeling we all had and how much we enjoyed it – that is driving me to achieve that again.”
Dunn acknowledged the importance of taking on board ideas from newcomers to the squad, such as Dan Frost.
“When Thomas [du Toit] joined here from the Sharks, I learned so much from him,” said Dunn.
“Dan’s come in this year, talking about how they do things there [Exeter Chiefs], ‘Have you thought about this?’.
“You don’t change the route you’re on, you add to it or you realise there are other ways of doing things, there are benefits or there’s Plan A, there’s Plan B. And then you work to each other’s strengths as well.
“Being in the front row is, I always say, the ultimate teamwork because you almost have to change exactly what you’re doing, depending on who you’re against and who you’re with and who suits who, and it all fits together like a jigsaw.
“I love the knowledge that Dan’s brought and I’m always keen for that.”
Van Graan says that Bath have moved on from the glories of 2024-25.
He said: “In the years to come when we get together, we’ll always speak about the 24-25 season. We’ve done something in rugby that not a lot of other teams have done. So we’ll always be proud of it, we’ll always enjoy being together over it.
“We started on zero on 21st July [when Bath returned to training after their summer break] and we took a moment to acknowledge what we’ve done, but then we moved forward. We don’t speak about the trophies, we don’t speak about the finals, we speak about what is to come.
“We speak about what it’s going to take to do it again and get better again, and over the last two weekends all credit to the players, who ultimately are the ones that need to deliver on the pitch.
“They are the ones training every single day, we as coaches guide them, and they’ve been fantastic since we restarted.
“There’s obviously small things in the game, you need to make sure that you stay ahead of the curve, and you look at what’s happening around the game, there are parts of our game that we want to improve.
“It’s pretty much we’re on the fourth journey [fourth season under van Graan] now, two games into the Premiership, there are 16 rounds remaining, back on zero for the week, which we all say every single time, and now we’re just looking forward to Gloucester, another team which we respect. It will be another great occasion at 5.30pm on Saturday, and then after that we’ll go onto the next one, and who knows where the road goes?
“We plan very well and we’re very fluid, very composed and we try to play the game with a smile on our face – and should the bus be late, then we’ll just adapt, should the post fall over, then we’ll just try to put it straight back up again and play again. We just adapt as best we can with the hands that we’ve been dealt.”
And van Graan said that players who find themselves on the sidelines on a matchday have not been given a nasty late shock.
“We as a group plan weeks in advance so guys will know at certain stages when they will play more and when they’ll play less and then things like injuries and rest periods etc come into play,” he said.
