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BATH RUGBY V NEWCASTLE FALCONS

By Bath Rugby

September 24^th, 2021

TARQUIN MCDONALD: "WELCOME HOME, WELCOME BACK TO THE REC!"

Dear supporter,

Welcome home, welcome back to the Rec!

The past 18 months have been challenging for everyone, incredibly tough for some. What has been evident has been the support for one another through these unparalleled times. Your support for the club has been amazing, and everyone of us is delighted to be welcoming you back to the Rec after such a long absence to experience some fantastic rugby, and also to reconnect and be in each other’s company once again.

As ever, I would like to thank all our club partners for their continued support. I'm also delighted to welcome three new Official Club Partners for the season - Avon Protection, the Bendac Group and Grant UK. We're tremendously excited to have you on board and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.

It was great to see so many of you make the trip to the AJ Bell Stadium last weekend. Danny, Johannes, D’Arcy and Jaco earned their Bath Rugby debuts and several young players such as Ollie Fox, Max Ojomoh and Orlando Bailey stood up and played critical roles as we took back control of the game in the second half, demonstrated the style we want to play and very nearly earned a brilliant comeback win.

I am sure you are all excited to see how we have developed our game as we welcome Newcastle Falcons to the Rec in Round 2.

Last Saturday’s game was not broadcast by BT Sport, and therefore could not be watched live by the majority who did not travel up to Sale. During the pandemic lockdowns, with games being played behind closed doors, BT Sport agreed to broadcast all games. For the 21/22 season BT Sport have reverted to their contract terms with Premiership Rugby and will be broadcasting three games per weekend, with TV picks being made periodically through the season. Premiership Rugby is exploring the opportunity for the remaining games to be made available through a direct streaming service.

Many supporters across the clubs have also asked about there not being a highlights programme with Channel 5. Premiership Rugby was unable to secure a highlights broadcast package due to diminishing interest from broadcasters as accessibility to clips on social media has reduced audiences for highlights programmes. Premiership Rugby has launched an inhouse highlights programme The Lowdown, hosted by David Flatman, which is available online.

We are of course delighted to be welcoming you back to the Rec, but we also want to see as many people as possible having easy access to watch Premiership Rugby. We want Premiership Rugby to provide as much access as possible to both live rugby and highlights programmes, and I will continue to update you on developments.

As you all know, the current Premiership campaign comprises 13 clubs following the return of Saracens to the top flight. If the top Championship club this season meets minimum requirements the Premiership will welcome them as the 14th side for 2022/23, and the league will then remain at 14 clubs for the 2023/24 season. The moratorium on relegation allows an aspiring Championship club to join the Premiership, whilst also providing a critical foundation for the clubs in rebuilding stability as we all emerge from covid. The financial impact of covid runs into many millions of pounds of losses per club, and the impact of relegation would likely mean the death of a club.

This period of stability is vital for the clubs as we now look to the future and ensuring not only a thriving men’s game, but also investment across developmental and women’s rugby.

Attempts to grow and market the game are forever progressing and you may well have seen the recent proposal for a new World 12s competition. This new competition was launched with much fanfare, but little substance, and it is unclear how another new competition could fit into an already congested calendar. Now more than ever we need to ensure we integrate our competitions with managing player welfare. At Bath we have contributed to studies informing World Rugby’s freshly announced guidance on contact training, and further research involving instrumented mouthguards. We support innovation, but we cannot see a place for the proposed World 12s competition.

Massive congratulations of course to Anthony Watson, Beno Obano, Charlie Ewels, Sam Underhill and Will Stuart on their selection by Eddie Jones for the England squad.

My final words are thank you to you, our supporters. It will be an emotional occasion having you all back at the Rec in full voice and I wish you all a fantastic afternoon.

Best wishes,

Tarquin

VIEW DYSON V15 HERE

COACH'S CHECK IN: MARK LILLEY

This week's Coach's Check In, In Partnership with Compeed, looks at home advantage with Scrum Coach Mark Lilley who has a deep relationship with Bath as a city and the rugby club.

DE CARPENTIER SIGNS AFTER SUCCESSFUL TRIAL

Bath Rugby is delighted to welcome Richard de Carpentier to the club until the end of the 2021/22 season.

The 31-year-old has impressed whilst on trial during pre-season and featured in the second half of Bath’s pre-season friendly against Cardiff Rugby, scoring a try.

With a successful recent history of recruiting players from the Sevens programme, he follows in the footsteps of Ruaridh McConnochie and Will Muir and bolsters the club’s options in the back five of the scrum with an ability to play at lock or in the back row.

FULL STORY

COWAN PENS SENIOR ACADEMY CONTRACT

Bath Rugby is delighted to welcome Tom Cowan into the Senior Academy on a two-year contract.

The young back row, who was part of the Bath Rugby Developing Player Programme as a 13-year-old and came all the way through the pathway into the Under-18s, re-joins the club after an impressive pre-season which ended in game time in the first team’s friendly against Cardiff Rugby.

After a year away from the club at University, an opportunity arose this summer to bring Cowan into Farleigh House to assess the progress he has made and he trained with the senior squad day in, day out, showing long-term potential.

He has signed a dual-registration with Loughborough University which will allow him to continue his studies but also be available to Bath Rugby throughout the season.

FULL STORY

COMING TO THE REC ON SATURDAY!

Introducing Ben Spencer and Sam Underhill's new venture - Grass & Roots coffee.

The duo have an aim of giving back to the foundations of grassroots sports and their coffee truck will be at the Rec for this weekend's fixture!

Check it out and let Ben and Sam know what you think on social media!

Give the guys a follow on Instagram too by searching grassandrootscoffee

2021/22 AWAY KIT NOW ON SALE!

Our brand new away kit is now on sale!

As worn in Round 1 of the Gallagher Premiership, the strip continues Bath Rugby’s long-standing away colours. The jersey is white but this season has something extra to make our style come alive.

It has a block polo neck with gold detailing and has two horizontal stripes in the centre – one black one and a more prominent blue stripe with Dyson emblazoned across it. The same combination of colours characterises the sleeve edges, while partners Thatchers, Avon Protection and Grant UK feature on the back of the shirt and Compeed on the right sleeve. Dyson and The Bendac Group appear on the white match shorts.

The fabrics used within the away shirt ensures maximum strength and comfort on the field adding to the lightness and breathability.

Twelve lucky players were the first in the squad to view the new away kit with Tom de Glanville expressing his delight with the design.

“I’m a big fan of the shirt,” the full-back said. “It has a look that is synonymous with Bath Rugby and it is extremely comfy to wear.

“I’m really looking forward to running out in the shirt on the opening day against Sale. Hopefully we can make the city proud whilst wearing it this season.”

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“THE MINDSET HAS TO BE ABOUT GETTING THE BALL BACK TO ATTACK AGAIN.”

Over the past few years, Miles Reid has had to overcome injury-related hurdles seasoned professionals may not experience throughout their whole career.

The 23-year-old has suffered two serious knee injuries to date, but his driven personality has seen him work tirelessly to become a Bath Rugby regular and one of the most promising back row players in the country.

It was his form in the 2020/21 campaign – a term which saw him debut in Europe as he made 21 appearances in all competitions for his hometown club – that led to him catching the eye of England head coach Eddie Jones.

Reid rightfully earned his shot on the international stage and was named in his country’s 34-man squad to prepare for summer series matches against Scotland A, USA and Canada.

A culmination of nine years his way through the Bath Rugby pathway had contributed to the call-up and memories that he will never forget. However, an unfortunate collision in a training session ended his hopes of a first cap.

Though the facial injury ruled him out of any England action, he revelled in the whole experience and is relishing being back out on the field in club colours.

“I was gutted to get injured and for it to end prematurely but it was really valuable,” he said. “I was really happy to get my chance there and show what I could do in that environment.

"It’s obviously very different to here at Bath but a really good environment where I learned a huge amount on the rugby pitch. Off the pitch, I got to see how players who have been in the England setup for a while conduct themselves.”

On the incident, he added: “It was a pretty weird one. In the morning we had a session and I took a blow to the face which I thought was just a small cut but it turned out to be a facial fracture and I spent most of the day in hospital trying to get it sorted out.

“I had my time off, got away for a bit and thankfully it’s all healed now and I can concentrate on playing for Bath.”

Appropriate that it would be a contact situation where Reid would sustain such damage considering his love for all things defending.

Ever since he started his journey in the Bath Rugby Academy, the physicality side of the game has been of huge importance and enjoyment for the flanker who insists the connection with teammates in defence is crucial to being successful.

“I enjoy that contact element; it’s always been a strength of mine. Growing up I was always marginally bigger than other lads so that slowly started to become the best part of my game.

“There is so much detail in the professional world on defence, it’s not just going head down and smacking people off the line. I love the aspect of working together to stop people getting past you and it’s really rewarding when it goes well.

“It gives the team a hell of a lot of energy. If someone makes a big hit or someone reads a play out the back and stops them, it provides huge energy. Not only does it make things easier, but it also spurs you on to go and get them again after that. The noise the crowd brings on top of that is massive for momentum too.

“A lot of it is communication between the people either side of you and then the connection; so not getting split and not someone shooting out the line and leaving the other person behind. A hell of a lot of it is around that connection and how the team works together. Obviously, there are finer details around the tackle and other areas, but the main thing is you defend as a unit. We all need to be on the same page and buying into the same thing.”

Each week there is a focus on being cohesive without the ball with Reid and his fellow back rowers working smart following sessions to fine tune their breakdown skills, their defensive alignment and ability to get off the line.

The squad have been dedicated to adopting a new style in the off-season with an approach of defending to get the ball back, moving away from a ‘contain’ method as Reid explains.

“The whole focus has been on our style and how we want to play the game. Some of our principles and how we view things around the game are different. We have been getting people comfortable in different positions like props and second rows on the edge rather than just back rows and it’s been class. People have been able to express their skillsets and we’ve seen it come into fruition.

“We tried to contain a lot last season and soak up what teams threw at us. This year we’re going to be the aggressor, find teams out the back and make sure they don’t attack for long periods.

“You have to be ruthless with it. If you can bang teams physically and control them physically, you’re more than likely going to have the upper hand on them in defence.

"The mindset has to be about getting the ball back to attack again; we always want to sit in that area where we’re attacking them and that fits with our style.

“We want to defend for as short as possible time whether that’s blasting through breakdowns and getting counter rucks like that or we’re stealing or ripping the ball… that’s always the most dangerous ball to attack from. Your mindset must be that you’re not going to attack for long and force them into a mistake, force the ball back.

“We don’t want to defend for long and that’s going to show this year.”

Bath’s fresh style and desire to have more time on the ball and be creative was evident on the opening day against Sale Sharks.

The attack was in full flow at the AJ Bell, particularly in the second half, and Reid feels if the defence and attack marry up, Bath will be a force to be reckoned with.

“You look at some of the toughest games in the premiership and teams who are stronger defensively normally see out wins. Teams are scoring more and more points so if you can have a stronger defence then it’s a massive asset. You can’t just rely on scoring loads of points; you have to be able to defend and keep teams out.

“The most dangerous attack is turnover attack and when you strip the ball, their defence is going to be scrambling and there are going to be holes to attack. If you look at the last game of last season when Josh McNally stripped the ball and Josh Bayliss went on and scored, it’s always the most dangerous ball. That’s the point we want to get to.”

A relentless display of physicality and dominance earned Bath Rugby a superb victory against Newcastle Falcons back in March.

Ruaridh McConnochie made his 50th appearance for the club but it was the forward who crossed for all the tries in the North East.

Sam Underhill and Zach Mercer got the visitors off to the perfect start inside 15 minutes, and following Trevor Davison’s score for Newcastle, Tom Dunn grabbed the first of his two match tries.

Tom Penny brought Falcons back to within seven ahead of an authoritative second-half Bath performance.

First, prop Henry Thomas burrowed home for the all-important bonus point score before Dunn and Jack Walker completed a scintillating 80 minutes.

Falcons were awarded a late penalty try for their efforts on a day where Bath were ruthless from minute one.

BATH RUGBY V NEWCASTLE FALCONS

It was fantastic to see the return of a larger crowd in Round 1 at the AJ Bell Stadium and this weekend will be even more special with Bath Rugby fans set to pack the Rec for Newcastle Falcon’s visit on Saturday.

The city will be abuzz with Blue, Black and White shirts in the build-up to the match with supporters able to enjoy one another’s company and catch up on their mutual love of rugby and Bath.

It will be the first opportunity for the majority of Bath fans to see the team’s new style in action. Those who travelled north on the opening weekend will have witnessed an expansive game full of attacking intent and offloads which almost resulted in a superb second-half comeback.

Scrum-half Ollie Fox and replacement fly-half Orlando Bailey marshalled the attack well in the half-back slots while homegrown duo Miles Reid and Max Ojomoh also impressed on the front foot.

England international Sam Underhill gained over 80 metres from 13 carries, putting in a Bath game-high 11 tackles while the styled allowed for the back three to express themselves with ball in hand as Tom de Glanville, Semesa Rokoduguni and Will Muir accumulated 202 metres as a trio.

READ FULL PREVIEW HERE

HEAD TO HEAD

In the past 10 league meetings at the Rec, Bath Rugby have recorded eight victories to Newcastle Falcons’ two.

In that period the match has seen an average of 39.2 points scored with the Blue, Black and Whites accumulating more than 20 points on nine occasions.

Last season’s win for Stuart Hooper’s side on the road at Kingston Park was their first since 2015 and six forwards were on the scoresheet.

Tom Dunn now has two career tries against the Falcons, on par with Jonathan Joseph and Joe Cokanasiga, while Semesa Rokoduguni has nine to his name – four more than the closest current Newcastle play in Mark Wilson.

This fixture was the season opener in 2020/21 with Newcastle securing a 19-12 victory courtesy of a second-half try from Ben Stevenson.

ONE TO WATCH: ADAM RADWAN

Adam Radwan carried over his fine form from the 2020/21 campaign into the opening day of the new Gallagher Premiership season.

The wing was put in a blistering display, making 131 metres from just eight carries and defeated 10 defenders in the process - the most of anyone in the league in Round 1.

He also scored and assisted in Newcastle's narrow defeat to Harlequins as well as making two turnovers and three clean breaks - both game-high statistics.

Radwan earned an international call-up with England in the summer, debuting with a hat-trick against Canada where he showcased his electric pace.

The 23-year-old has been named in Eddie Jones' latest training camp squad and is certainly in contention for further caps this autumn.

BATH RUGBY UNSEEN | EP7: THE DEBUTANTS

Episode 7 of Bath Rugby Unseen, powered by Dyson, focuses on the new boys in town!

Danny Cipriani and Johannes Jonker earned their Blue, Black and White debuts in Round 1 of the Gallagher Premiership against Sale Sharks with D'Arcy Rae and Jaco Coetzee making their first appearances from the bench.

Johannes, D'Arcy and Jaco describe the feeling of running out in the Bath jersey for the first time as well as their excitement of this weekend's home clash with Newcastle Falcons.

MY DEEPER WHY: NAHUM MERIGAN

My name is Nahum Merigan and this is my Deeper Why.

I wasn’t always into rugby. My mates all played football, so I naturally wanted to do that too. My size never really allowed me to be successful on that front!

I used to get into trouble for knocking things over or barging into people accidentally. Thinking back, I probably wanted to be smaller, to be everyone else’s height and size. I stood out like a sore thumb, and I was only eight-years-old.

That was when my uncle mentioned playing rugby to my mum and said to take me down to Taunton RFC and as I progressed and developed, I got to an age where I just owned my body and height. I can now look at it as a blessing as it has opened up opportunities for me to do different things and excel in a sport that I really enjoy.

It was just mum and I during that stage of my life. As a single parent, going down the rugby club was as beneficial for her as it was for me. I have a lot of good mates down there who I still talk to to this day, and she has friends from there who she’s been on holiday with. It quickly became a wider family for us – a second family.

If anyone looked at mine and my mum’s dynamic… it’s very weird! We sort of treat each other as good friends. You’d listen to our conversations sometimes and be like: ‘what the hell are they even talking about!’ because we’d be taking the mickey out of each other.

Unfortunately, she was very ill for a large part of my childhood. As the ‘man of the house’ so to speak, it came to a point where I was looking after her. Thankfully, my grandparents only lived down the road and my relationship with them is as strong as it is today because most weeks, I’d be round there five times a week having a cup of tea after school. That was our dynamic, that’s how it worked. It was tough but you get on with it; it becomes your normal. It’s like when covid hit, it became the new normal. It’s just how you can adapt and get on with things.

Even though my grandad and uncle have been around, I’ve never had that fatherly figure there 24/7 but the values my mum and my family have taught me, and the other grandkids as well, have helped me through a lot and it’s definitely something I’ve tried to carry into my rugby.

I’m very passionate about my rugby. If you ask the boys, it may seem like sometimes I’m kicking off or throwing a tantrum but it’s because I care a lot about what I do because I enjoy doing what I do and I want to get the best out of it. My mum taught me to throw everything at it and not hold anything back because if you do anything half-arsed it most probably won’t work out for you. She’s shaped a large part of who I am today.

That’s the reason she, and my family, are my why.

The support they have given me has been unbelievable. Even though she was struggling with illness, she made sure I had everything I needed – including boots every six weeks as I grew at a rapid rate! She still drove me here there and everywhere for games on a Sunday even though she wasn’t feeling the best and other members of my family would also help as much as possible. As much as I enjoy my rugby for myself, I try and succeed at rugby as much for them as well. They are the reason why I’m here and it would be morally wrong to push that aside.

It’s an emotional why. It’s definitely a why I try and wear on my sleeve too. My mum and I used to come to Bath games when I was younger and I remember I came to Danny Grewcock’s last ever Bath game when he retired. My passion became her passion and it meant I’ve always had that support there and she likes to keep me in check. She always asks what the next thing is for me and what the next thing is I can strive for, which keeps me grounded.

I have clear goals here at Bath and I want to become a regular starter which I know isn’t going to be easy. I’ve dreamed of making as many appearances in Blue, Black and White as I can ever since we used to go to games when I was a kid.

I’m happy here, this is what makes me happy and I’m going to work hard every day to make that happen and make my family proud.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MIXED ABILITY RUGBY

For those of you who haven’t experienced it first-hand, what is the best way to describe it? It’s just rugby!

It is not a disability sport, players are not classified by physical, intellectual or mental disabilities or barriers. It is a sport open to anyone who wants to play regular full-contact rugby. If you happen to have some form of disability or barrier but want to play regular rugby, then in Mixed Ability rugby you are more than welcome.

The same goes if you have no disability or barrier. Games are played in true rugby spirit.

Why does Mixed Ability work so well in rugby? Well, rugby has always been the sport for all sorts – all shapes and sizes, and all abilities. So, there is a spot for the strong, slow, small and fast players on the same team and all are valued for what they can do.

Mixed Ability rugby just takes the same format as any other rugby team in a club. If you feel you don’t have enough experience, might not be good enough, are new to the game or just want to get back to playing for a bit of regular training and team bonding then a Mixed Ability team is for you.

To truly experience rugby, Mixed Ability must play the same format as a regular rugby team. The only law change is uncontested scrums which you often see in social or veteran matches too.

If you want to see rugby played for rugby’s sake, then we would encourage you to go look at a game of Mixed Ability Rugby in your area and see what it’s all about. Even better, grab a pair of boots and experience it on the pitch!

But what does all of this have to do with the Bath Rugby Foundation?

The Bath Rugby Foundation supports multiple Mix Ability teams across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset helping to grow our game for all people.

For example, on Saturday 22 May 2021, Bath Ladies Trojans and Walcot Warriors (two mixed ability teams supported by the Bath Rugby Foundation) participated in a momentous ‘double header’ fixture with Walcott Warriors, Men’s Mixed Ability Team playing against Yeovil Men’s Mixed Ability Team and Bath Ladies Trojans vs Yeovil Women’s Mixed Ability team, to create the first fixture of its kind in the rugby world.

Walcot Warriors are back for a new season and the team would love for you to join them.

All abilities are welcome, with training taking place on Wednesday evenings at Walcot training ground.

Email callum.pitt@bathrugbyfoundation.com to find out more information or to sign up for your first session.

A BIG BRSC WELCOME BACK TO THE REC!

A massive welcome back to The Rec from the Bath Rugby Supporters’ Club (BRSC) Committee for the first home game of another new season. We have all been through a difficult period and our thoughts and sympathies go out to all those whose lives have been affected.

The first game of the season away to Sale Sharks may not have been the opener we wanted, but what a come-back in the second half! A lot of hard work and tremendous effort saw Bath fall short in the very last minute by one point last Saturday, but it gives us hope for the rest of the season. Who would have thought that back in 2020, after the home game against Bristol Bears, it would be 18 months before we are all back at the Rec? I am sure that like me, you are all excited to be back to see what Danny Cipriani will bring to the game and what input our new coach, David Williams, makes to our attack.

There are five rule changes this season and, in particular, I am interested to see whether the 50:22 change (if a player kicks from their own half and it bounces into touch within the oppositions 22 then the attacking team will receive a line-out) will provide more attacking opportunities. It takes time to build but hopefully now with the foundations and strategies in place we will start to see a more consistent team performance. All looks good on paper and I have confidence that the team will now begin to deliver.

During this time away from the Rec your BRSC Committee has remained busy although, like everyone else, we have had to develop new ways to communicate and carry out our business. We held our second 'Zoom' AGM in July and would like to welcome new committee members, David Harrington, Beverley Wallis and Karen Willetts. We did also lose some experienced hands and thank Kevin, Pat, Anne and Chrissy for their many devoted years of service. The new committee is now working hard to bring BRSC members a range of suitable events for the new season. Following a members survey we will be looking to hold some socially distanced events, including our very popular 'Ask the Ref' with Tony Spreadbury.

BRSC is one of the oldest and most established Supporters’ Clubs in the Gallagher Premiership and we are currently helping to create a forum with the other 12 clubs Supporters’ Clubs to exchange ideas and best practices and the inaugural meeting took place last week.

It is really important in this first season back to a new “normal” to show our support for the boys in the BB&W and BRSC offers a warm welcome to our new signings and also to our established Players. BRSC is totally independent and receives no financial support from Bath Rugby, relying completely on members subscription. We work very closely with Bath Rugby and enjoy an excellent relationship where the views of our Membership are sought and listened to. So, why not join, or renew your Membership of Bath Rugby Supporters’ Club and become part of a friendly Club and the wider Bath Rugby community. It costs as little as £10 with a family membership only £17.50.

It is easy to join on-line at www.allez-bath.co.uk or come and have a chat to us at our match day Gazebo, located next to The Presidents Lounge, opposite the back of the big screen – we are there from “Gates open” to 30 minutes before kick-off.