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BATH RUGBY v MONTPELLIER

By Bath Rugby

April 30^th, 2021

CEO MESSAGE: TARQUIN MCDONALD

Good evening and welcome to our Saturday night European Challenge Cup semi-final against Montpellier. This will be a fiercely contested game and everyone at the Club is hugely focussed and excited by the opportunity to win a place in the final in three weeks’ time.

Sadly, we will be without your support at the Rec although we know you will all be with us cheering the team on at home. As you experience the build-up to the game, and the game itself, you will notice the silence on our social media channels and on those of our players. This is because we, along with other Premiership clubs, have chosen to join BT Sports’ Draw The Line campaign. We are boycotting all our social media channels over the weekend to highlight the growing problem of online abuse.

Social media has had a transformational impact on how we collectively communicate, and it has been instrumental over the past year giving all of us the ability to keep connected in ways unimaginable just a few years ago.

When used incorrectly, however, and with the intention to cause mental distress, it becomes a vastly different platform. One that can have significantly detrimental effects on user’s mental health, to devastating consequences. That is why we fully support this campaign.

Tonight’s game, our second semi-final in Stuart Hooper’s first two years in charge as Director of Rugby, presents us with a fantastic opportunity to win our first place in a European final since the European Challenge Cup final in 2014. We now know that the final will be played at Twickenham in front of 10,000 supporters. How amazing would it be to share that moment with you as we continue on track with the government’s roadmap to emerging from Covid?

This evening’s game presents a great opportunity for our players, and one of the defining features of our squad has been the continued emergence of outstanding pathway players as we continue to develop a squad that is at least 50% home grown by 2023, together with the experience of our more seasoned internationals.

We have been delighted with Orlando Bailey’s progress this season and tonight will be a significant moment for him starting alongside the experience of Ben Spencer at scrum half. Likewise Miles Reid and Josh Bayliss, both starting on the bench this evening, have been hugely impressive this season and have taken every opportunity to learn their craft from the likes of Sam Underhill and Taulupe Faletau.

You will have seen this week that the Premiership Clubs and the British & Irish Lions have reached agreement regarding the release of available players outside the international windows. We are pleased that agreement has been reached, and that those of our players who earn a place in the Lions Squad will be fully available once our season has completed. A place in the Lions Squad is an amazing achievement for any player. It was important to reach a specific agreement which did not undermine the principles of abidance by the official international windows, which is fundamental to the rugby calendar.

You will also have seen that Darren Childs has stepped down as Chief Executive at Premiership Rugby. We wish him well and we look forward to news regarding his successor. The future remains very bright for rugby and we look forward to a successor who will work with Premiership Rugby Chairman Nigel Melville and the Clubs to help build the best possible future for the sport at all levels of the game: international, club and grass roots.

I mentioned earlier how exciting it would be to make the European final, with the opportunity to play in front of you our supporters. We launched our 2021/22 season tickets a fortnight ago, and everyone at the Club is so excited by the opportunity to welcome you back to the Rec for next season. Many of you have already bought your tickets, some of you may have questions.

We really hope you will join us next season, and that you will enjoy the excitement of coming back to the Rec. If you have any questions, please call our Supporters’ Services team and they will be very happy to help.

My final words are thanks to you our supporters, and particularly our members including those of you who have generously donated to the club. On behalf of everyone at the club, thank you so much for your support.

We hope tonight is a great evening for the Club and for all of you watching at home. Your passionate support means so much to us and we cannot wait to see you back at the Rec.

Until then, keep well and stay safe.

BT LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE ONLINE HATE

BT has launched Draw The Line – the first stage of a multi-million pound BT campaign to step up and stand against hate speech and abuse on social media.

The campaign aims to address the problem by raising awareness of the impact of online hate and advocating change, as new research commissioned by BT and YouGov shows that over 1 in 10 have experienced some form of online abuse in the last year and over 1.8 million people have experienced threatening behaviour online in the last 12 months.

BT’s campaign Draw the Line will spotlight the issue across BT Sport channels for the remainder of the season and see the implementation of an Anti-Online Abuse Policy. BT will proactively respond, delete, block or report hate and abuse to ensure its own social channels are safer spaces for their communities.

Spot. Report. Support.

VIEW DYSON V11 OUTSIZE HERE

European Rugby Challenge Cup semi-finals

Semi-final time in any tournament is special and this season’s European Rugby Challenge Cup is no different with all four participating clubs having experience of lifting a continental trophy.

Bath Rugby (1998), Ulster Rugby (1999) and Leicester Tigers (2001, 2002) all feature on the European Cup’s roll of honour whilst Montpellier lifted the Challenge Cup in 2016 with victory over Harlequins in Lyon.

Leicester find themselves 80 minutes from the final for the second season in a row and their contest against Ulster at Mattioli Woods Welford Road is a genuine clash of heavyweights that has often been a recent feature of the Heineken Champions Cup. Bath and Montpellier, who meet at The Rec, have not met since 2014-15 and this straight shootout gives the Gallagher Premiership club the chance to put one over the Top 14, whose clubs so dominate the ‘big brother’ tournament with three of the four Heineken Champions Cup semi-finalists.

This Challenge Cup season has operated with a modified format as a result of COVID-19’s impact on the global rugby calendar but the knockout rounds to date have still provided some compelling action with attacking flair on show across the Round of 16 followed by some titanic and thrilling quarter-finals. The commitment of clubs across Europe to both tournaments has never ceased to both amaze and impress, irrespective of the format in which they are played.

Working with all shareholder leagues and unions on the future formats for European club rugby tournaments has been high on our agenda in recent weeks and months and an announcement is due shortly. The collaboration has been really positive, all with the view of delivering the best for the tournaments and all involved with it: players, coaches, clubs, fans, match officials, leagues, unions, media, broadcasters and commercial partners.

The knockout rounds to date have given terrific entertainment to global television audiences and we are grateful to BT Sport, beIN SPORTS, France Télévisions and Sky Italia for their comprehensive coverage as well as that of a host of linear, OTT and streaming solutions across a range of territories worldwide. We are proud to also share the journey to the final with the backing of official partners Tissot, the Financial Times, Gilbert and Kappa.

Enjoy what promises to be a mouthwatering weekend of European club rugby semi-finals.

Yours in Rugby

Simon Halliday, EPCR Chairman

BATH RUGBY & COMPEED LAUNCH WALKING RUGBY

Bath Rugby and Compeed are searching for 30 committed individuals, who want to make some positive changes to their lives, by joining them in the club’s inaugural Walking Rugby programme set to launch in June.

After what has been an incredibly difficult time for so many throughout the pandemic, this organised weekly occurrence will offer the opportunity, for those aged above 45 years of age, to regain and retain their core aerobic fitness.

Walking Rugby is a non-contact version of the game and is particularly well suited to both sexes who are over 45 and wish to stay fit and active.

The 8-week programme will take place on the Rec outfield each and every Friday starting from 4th June (9.30am-11am). To celebrate the successful completion of the activity, the final session will take place on 23rd July on the Rec playing pitch; accompanied by a few familiar famous faces.

Compeed, the blister plaster experts, are generously covering all expenses and providing qualified coaches. Therefore, the Walking Rugby programme comes at no expense to those who want to be part of this. All that is asked, is that each participant can commit to the eight-session delivery programme.

Register your interest today

Watch the full interview here

YOUR NAME, OUR STADIUM - NOW LIVE!

In February, Bath Rugby launched it's Your Name, Our Stadium campaign, designed to recognise the support shown to the Club since the 2020/21 season restarted in November last year.

To reward that loyalty shown to the club by members during the pandemic, to express our gratitude and honour our commitment of bringer you closer to the Club than ever before, we printed the full name of every Member (Club+, Club and NextGen) onto the walls of our tunnel at the Rec.

And we're delighted to reveal that it's nearly ready!

The tunnel will be installed on Friday and available for Members to view from Sunday 2 May. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, members are asked not to visit the Rec before that date.

We can't wait to unveil the tunnel in all it's glory in front of a packed our Rec soon!

DYSON SEVENS IS BACK!

The Bath Rugby Sevens, in association with Dyson, is set to return for its fifth year, marking its place as one of the fastest growing and most inclusive competitions in the junior club calendar.

After a hugely successful 2018/19 tournament, which saw the inclusion of girls teams for the very first time, the series is back and continues to grow in stature as an inclusive grassroots competition.

The tournament will continue to provide a valuable platform for clubs across Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset to come together, participating in a COVID secure event for the first time since the pandemic began.

SHOP THATCHERS CLOUDY LEMON

BATH RUGBY - THE FINAL STOP ON MUIR’S WORLD TOUR

When Will Muir set out to study Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University, he had a vision of working overseas in Dubai or Singapore.

He achieved that dream, albeit not in the field he saw himself heading towards.

The 25-year-old’s Sevens rugby talents have seen him travel the globe and experience different cities from a sporting aspect as opposed to a designer of power-producing machines.

“I always had in my head that I wanted to work abroad, maybe Dubai or Singapore where there were good opportunities,” he said.

“But as soon as rugby came up it was sort of a no brainer to take that opportunity. It was crazy. Professional rugby didn’t really seem like an option for me at all until the third year at Uni. To get an opportunity to do it, I just jumped at it.”

Muir had limited Sevens experience when he began his University degree and was introduced to the code during his second year.

Playing in small tournaments across England, he was part of a successful side which won the National University BUCS tournament and thereafter, they were invited to competitions where RFU bosses could scan for potential rare finds – of which Muir turned out to be one.

“There was a partnership tournament where we’d play a few Unis and the England Sevens Academy would be involved and then Simon Amor picked a few names from Northumbria.

“There was me and Yaree Fantini who jumped down and had a bit of a trial. I got a bit of a look in in a tournament with the Academy in San Francisco and then got an offer out of University to move down to London and play.”

It was just a week after graduating that Muir’s rugby dreams were realised as he was straight on a plane to San Francisco, USA for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament at Major League Baseball franchise San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park.

“That was my first senior tournament,” Muir reflected. “It was a good one to start! Five-star hotels and all the works for two weeks, it was pretty crazy!

“I graduated and then flew out the same week. I think we had almost two weeks there where we flew out beforehand and then we had some good time off. We went to Alcatraz one day, got the bikes out another day, Golden Gate Bridge and had a good look around San Francisco.

“I only got the odd few minutes in games here and there, but I was just like a rabbit in the headlights, running around aimlessly! But getting to the final was an experience; I loved it.”

From that tournament in California, Muir excelled on the World Stage as he joined the Sevens programme on a full-time basis.

He was named 2019 England Sevens Men's Player of the Year – the first male player to win the award in their first season of England Sevens - and scored two tries in his country’s opening 2019/20 World Sevens Series event as they secured bronze in one of his previously preferred living destinations, Dubai.

The proud Yorkshireman has since transferred his try-scoring skills to the XVs game with Bath Rugby. Joining ahead of the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership campaign, the wing, affectionately known as Horse for his running style, has featured in Blue, Black and White nine times, crossing the whitewash on five occasions.

“It’s not pretty, is it?” he joked of his gallop.

“Any back three just wants the ball in space to have a crack. I guess that’s transferrable from Sevens as you’ve obviously got a lot more space there. I’m just trying to utilise what I’ve been doing the past two years and if I find space, get my head and have a crack and see where it gets me.”

It is clear to see Muir is relishing life at Farleigh House and taken to life in XVs game like a duck to water – or a horse in an open field.

He notes ex-Sevens teammate Ruaridh McConnochie and longstanding Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni as huge influences since his arrival alongside coaches Girvan Dempsey and Ryan Davis, but insists everyone at the club has allowed him to grow his knowledge.

“It’s going alright!” Muir said.

“I’m still learning so much each game and I’m trying to review everything after each game so I can keep learning as much as possible. I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to go out there and express myself.

“The lads go out of their way to make sure I’m on the right page and up to scratch with things. Any sort of doubts or questions they go out of their way to put me right; all I have to do is ask and they are more than happy to help me out. There are obviously some good leaders and some special back three players here who have a lot of experience so it’s worth me absorbing as much as I can.

“If I keep being hungry and keep trying to learn as much as I can, keep the reviews and try and gather as much information as I can every step of the way then hopefully I’ll keep pushing on and help the team achieve its goals.”

Muir will make his European bow on Saturday when Bath Rugby host Montpellier in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

A night fixture under the lights at home would normally see the Rec full to the brim with supporters creating an electric atmosphere. Unfortunately not the case this time round, it is something Muir is greatly looking forward to when the time comes.

“I’m hugely excited for it,” he said.

“I had no idea that Bath as a city was so rugby orientated. You go down the street and you see everyone wearing Bath merchandise.

“I’ve heard the Rec is absolutely bouncing on game day and everyone gets down and are buzzing for it. To be able to play in front of a crowd that is so passionate about their rugby in the city is something I can’t wait to get stuck into.”

CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINAL

Bath Rugby produced a measured performance to advance to the Challenge Cup semi-finals with a 26-13 victory over London Irish.

The Exiles crashed into an early lead through Agustin Creevy, but Josh McNally and a Will Stuart double gave Stuart Hooper’s side a deserved half-time advantage.

Points were sparse for much of the second period until Zach Mercer barged home for Bath’s fourth of the night to seal the result and progression to the last four.

MATCH PREVIEW

Bath Rugby and Montpellier have met twice before in the Challenge Cup with the Blue, Black and Whites winning both clashes in the 2006/07 pool stages.

Since then, there have been four further meetings in the Heineken Champions Cup (2011/12 and 2014/15), three of which resulted in Bath victories – including both at the Rec.

Stuart Hooper’s side have reached this stage of the tournament on six previous occasions and have progressed to the final from four of their last six appearances at this stage while Montpellier have only reached the semi-finals once – they did go on to lift the trophy in 2016.

MONTPELLIER'S ROAD TO THE LAST FOUR

Montpellier last appeared in the last four of the Challenge Cup in 2016 when they beat Dragons en route to claiming the title with a win over Harlequins.

The French side began the season in the Heineken Champions Cup but after two defeats before the tournament was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, they reignited their European hopes in the Challenge Cup.

They hosted Glasgow Warriors in the Round of 16, holding on to a 26-21 to defeat the plucky Scots.

The first half saw Glasgow go ahead early on through fly-half Adam Hastings before Montpellier counterpart Alex Lozowksi, who racked up a tally of 16 points for the game, levelled.

The pair exchanged penalties once again before the game was 20 minutes old, but Hastings’ third effort from the tee looked to be enough for the Scottish side to go into half time ahead.

With just over a minute remaining in the half however, Montpellier hooker Guilhem Guirado drove over to score and with Lozowksi adding the extras, the hosts opened up a four-point lead.

Montpellier scored again early in the second half, with a flowing backs move releasing Anthony Bouthier. Lozowski added the extras as the hosts opened up a healthy lead.

Glasgow remained in touch though as Hastings kicked another penalty, but TJ Ioane was sent off for the visitors as their hopes of overhauling Montpellier took a hit.

Lozowski and Hastings exchanged penalties once again, before the Glasgow fly-half’s replacement Ross Thompson reduced the deficit to five points as the visitors refused to roll over.

Montpellier responded immediately through Lozowski, with Thompson’s second penalty shortly after eventually proving insignificant as the French side advanced to the last eight of the Challenge Cup.

The quarter-final saw them match up against Benetton and it was a head-to-head which produced another close encounter.

Benoit Paillaugue tallied up 23 points and Paul Willemse scored a try after Anthony Bouthier’s first-half drop goal to record victory over the stubborn Italians.

Montpellier did have Willemse and Yacouba Camara sin binned but, despite a 22-point haul from Paolo Garbisi, they held on to reach the semi-finals for the first time in five years.

LAST MEETING

Sam Burgess set up a try, albeit inadvertently, within two minutes of his first rugby union start but Matt Banahan stole the limelight in Bath's Champions Cup win over Montpellier in 2014.

Banahan scored the first two tries of his hat-trick inside 13 minutes.

George Ford's boot gave Bath a 17-0 half-time lead and Banahan soon completed his treble.

Alex Tulou and Mickael Ivaldi replied for Montpellier but Horacio Agulla's try secured a bonus point for Bath.

Burgess made an immediate impact, although not in the way he might have imagined as a tricky pass from Leroy Houston cannoned off his knee and into the hands of Banahan.

The giant winger - at 6ft 7in, two inches taller than Burgess - had an unopposed canter to the line.

Fly-half Ford converted and soon added a penalty after Burgess hammered into midfield for the first time and Montpellier infringed.

Bath added a second score after 13 minutes when Semesa Rokoduguni made a searing break through midfield and 20-year-old Anthony Watson - the man who replaced him in the England team in November - sent Banahan over for his second of the night with a fine pass.

The mighty Banahan completed his hat-trick soon after the interval but a bonus point looked unlikely as Montpellier roused themselves and twice scored from driving mauls.

However, with the final whistle looming Argentina winger Agulla cut a superb line and sliced through the Montpellier midfield off Ford's pass to score Bath's fourth try and secure the bonus point.

Bath: Watson; Rokoduguni, Joseph, Burgess, Banahan; Ford, Cook; James, Batty, Wilson, Day, Attwood, Faosiliva, Louw, Houston.

Replacements: Agulla for Rokoduguni (67), Young for Cook (60), Auterac for James (52), Webber for Batty (52), Thomas for Wilson (52), Hooper for Attwood (9), Sisi for Faosiliva (74).

Not Used: Devoto.

Montpellier: Berard; Artru, Ebersohn, W Olivier, Viriviri; Selponi, Pelissie; Leleimalefaga, Geli, Cilliers, Tchale-Watchou, Privat, Ouedraogo, Qera, Tulou.

Replacements: Sicard for Berard (67), Ranger for Ebersohn (32), Paillaugue for Selponi (49), Watremez for Leleimalefaga (41), Ivaldi for Geli (64), Attoub for Cilliers (58), Donnelly for Privat (49), Bias for Qera (49).

Sin Bin: Paillaugue (53).

Ref: Marius Mitrea (Italy).

ONES TO WATCH

Alex Lozowski

On loan from Saracens, Alex Lozowski had a tough start at Montpellier but has proved an influential figure at fly-half for the French side. The England international, who has performed expertly at centre over the years for Sarries, has won two Heineken Champions Cups so far in his career and has completed 80 minutes in his last three European outings.

Yacouba Camara

Having gone through the Rugby Club Massy Essonne Training Centre, a club in the Paris region playing in Federal 1 then Pro D2, Yacouba Camara joined Toulouse in 2013. Three years later he earned his first international cap for France before signing for Montpellier 12 months later. A back rower with destructive power to his game, the 26-year-old has featured in all four of Montpellier’s European matches this season (two Heineken Champions Cup, two Challenge Cup).

Anthony Bouthier

Anthony Bouthier is a six-time capped France international who made his name at Vannes, starting out in Federale 1 before gaining promotion to the Pro D2. He switched to Montpellier in 2019 and earned his first French cap in the 2020 Six Nations after just 13 Top 14 appearances, scoring against Wales in a win at the Principality Stadium. A lively full-back with a massive boot, Bouthier recently signed a new deal to stay with Montpellier until 2023.

ANTHONY WATSON ON BBC RADIO BRISTOL’S THE SCRUM

Anthony Watson caught up with BBC Radio Bristol’s Geoff Twentyman on The Scrum.

The England international looked ahead to this weekend’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Montpellier.

“The opportunity to play in the final of a European competition is a game you don’t get too often as a professional, so everyone is massively excited and we want to put our best foot forward.

“It is a fine balance because it is important people understand the magnitude of the game, but it is important not to change how you prepare week-on-week too much because you still need to understand there are two posts and a bit of grass in the middle."

MAY SKILL SERIES

The following players will be attending our upcoming Skills Series sessions and what a line-up it is 🔥💪

Breakdown session with Sam Underhill and Josh Bayliss at Royal Wootton Bassett RFC

Decision making session with Tom de Glanville and Anthony Watson at Bath RFC (Lambridge)

Principles of Attack with Tom Dunn and Will Stuart at Devizers RFC

Contact with Cameron Redpath and Will Muir at Salisbury RFC

Principles of Defence at Cotsham RFC - players attending but tbc

Sign up to these sessions today

rugbycamps.co.uk/bath

"I THOUGHT THEY WERE OUTSTANDING."

Craig Lilley was extremely pleased to see things learned on the training pitch transferred into competitive action as Bath United earned back-to-back friendly wins over Gloucester United and Harlequins A.

The Academy Manager watched on as a mainly young group, interspersed with some experience, took to the field for valuable game time in a year which has seen so little opportunity for them to do so.

Gloucester were put to the sword in a six-try display which included a hat-trick from Tom Doughty – scores which were similar to the first team’s pattern of play – before the Blue, Black and Whites edged out Quins by a point on their visit to the Rec.

“I was proper chuffed with the boys,” Lilley said.

“Considering they haven’t had much game time going into it I thought they were outstanding.

"It was good because you had some experienced boys who came in and led it well and a load of young boys who were hungry for it.

“What we spoke about before the games was we’ve got to get the nuts and bolts right around the set piece, around the way you exit, around the middle third… stuff we’ve been working on all year… and if you get that right then you’ll get your rewards.

“It was nice to see us do the fundamentals of the game and then boys like Max and Gabe show their class when put into space.”

On the maul success, Lilley added: "They’ve worked both sides of the maul. They’ve defended a lot against the seniors and then had the opportunity to go out there and put it into place in terms of attack.

"The things they have learned on the training pitch they’ve been able to go out and execute which has been great to see."

In the second game against Harlequins, Bath were put under pressure in the early exchanges at scrum time and found USA international Paul Lasike a handful to deal with.

One of the most impressive displays of development led to Bath gaining the upper hand later in the game whilst also stopping Quins’ midfield threat at source.

“As soon as we denied their platform it allowed us to get back into the game,” Lilley explained.

"That’s the majority of the work we’ve been doing with them. It’s been around problem solving moments and at the set piece, understanding what they can do to get the ascendency.

“To see that and get the opportunity for those guys to do that against Quins was awesome."

FOR EVERYONE, FOR BATH

The Bath Rugby Foundation and Community teams have been hard at work over the past 12 months, reaching out across the city and surrounding areas to provide much needed support in difficult times.

The pandemic has undoubtably intensified the challenges faced by both teams - and the work required to overcome those challenges – to help families facilitate healthy living.

Wellbeing has taken centre stage over the past 12 months as the world sought to grapple with the physical, mental, financial and social impact of the pandemic. In a city with one of the UK’s starkest divides between wealth and poverty, the Bath Rugby Foundation and Community teams have been at the forefront, helping to drive positive wellbeing through existing programmes and new ones specific to the current challenges.

Facilitating a combined approach to tackle the issues perpetuated by the pandemic, the Community team and Bath Rugby Foundation have worked to reach as many young people across the catchment area as possible, using a range of initiatives including Easter Breakout, camps and a new Skill Series programme.

Both teams have seen a record level of sign-ups for the respective programmes owing to the pandemic, with the need for physical and mental exercise at the forefront after many months of restrictions.

The Easter camps, run by the Community department, saw just under 1,000 children participate across 11 different sites; a 554% increase compared to 2019. The demand was such that the team introduced events at three new clubs and hosted the first girls only camp in conjunction with Bath Ladies.

To support attendees in their physical development, following prolonged periods of sedentary in lockdown, the team also included strength and conditioning expertise for the first time.

During the same period, the Bath Rugby Foundation continued its crucial BreakOut programme. Delivered over two weeks of the Easter school holidays at three locations spanning across BANES, the programme provided over 490 balanced meals (over 60% of attendees received free school dinners) as well as 200 hours of fun activities including crafts, sport, music, DJing, youth work, cooking, drug awareness and mental health workshops.

127 young people aged between 5-16 attended BreakOut; nearly a quarter of whom are classified within the highest 30% of those living in deprivation in the UK.

Supported by a consortium including charities, local businesses, the programme offered much needed support to parents across the community who need childcare in order to work.

Working with over 2,500 children each year, the Bath Rugby Foundation charity, through programmes like BreakOut, empowers vulnerable children and young people in Bath and the surrounding area to succeed.

Of course, the work doesn’t stop there, with a more initiatives set to launch to keep the community active, including the new Skills Series programme starting in May. Led by Bath Rugby Academy and Community Coaches, the two-hour sessions help develop players in specific areas of the game, encouraging physical activity and in-person coaching – adhering to strict COVID-19 safety measures.

Held across give community clubs, the Skills Series present an excellent way for children aged between 13-16 to develop new skills, challenge themselves both mentally and physically and crucially, spend time with friends new and old.

The cumulative effect of Bath Rugby Foundation and community teams, respectively, is undoubtably vast in helping to enrich the lives of young people and families across the region, with our sport and its value at the core.

BIENVENUE MONTPELLIER!

European competitions are embedded in the blue, black and white DNA of just about every Bath Rugby supporter. Over the years we’ve enjoyed some memorable trips to a variety of locations and have built up lasting friendships with supporters of Clubs across Europe from Toulon to Treviso and beyond! There’s always something special about these games and it doesn’t get much better than a cup competition semi-final at the Rec – except of course that we can’t be there to create the atmosphere that the boys deserve.

It always used to be an article of faith held by many of us the 'French teams don’t travel well'. It was probably never quite true, but we’ve all heard largely apocryphal stories about visiting teams from France, accustomed to playing in the sunlight of the Cote d’Azur, emerging from dressing rooms on a cold, wet winter’s night in the West Country and mentally getting straight back on the plane again! If it was ever true it certainly isn’t these days and any game, against a French team, let alone the semi-final of a European Challenge Cup, is going to be tough.

That said, and the 'bump in the road' at the Ricoh last Sunday notwithstanding, we’re going into this one in pretty good shape. As Stuart Hooper recently said, at this stage of the season all games take on the guise of knock-out rugby and we’ve certainly played that way, even on Sunday and in the narrow loss to Irish at Brentford a few weeks back. If dog and determination is what wins cup competitions, then our boys keep on showing that they’ve got what it takes. Nevertheless, I’m sure we’d all prefer a little more of the 'never in doubt'. The cliffhanger endings to the Gloucester and Leicester Tigers games contained more last-minute drama than an episode of Line of Duty!

Last weekend saw Tom Dunn’s 150th appearance in the Blue, Black and White. Slightly belated but nonetheless wholehearted congratulations from all of us, Dunnie, we’re all very proud to have you in the team that we love.

Coventry wasn’t necessarily the easiest place to go to celebrate that milestone. Before the game Wasps were a couple of places below us in the table and were coming off the back of a run of disappointing results so there was every expectation that they would be looking to lay down a marker. A second half performance which showed what the boys in BB&W are all about nearly got us over the line, but it’s pretty difficult to stop the Wasps’ attacking threats with 14 men. Still, scoring four tries is a strong positive to take into this Saturday’s game.

Come on boys. This one’s definitely within our grasp and it’s high time we had another trophy to add to the list. We can’t be there in person, but hopefully you’ll see the message on the big screen from us. We’ll be supporting and shouting as loudly as ever.