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DIGITAL PROGRAMME: ULSTER RUGBY (ICC: R1)

Saturday 9 December 2023

By Bath Rugby

December 8^th, 2023

DIGITAL PROGRAMME: ULSTER RUGBY (ICC: R1)

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FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TARQUIN MCDONALD

Welcome to The Rec for our Round 1 fixture of the 2023/24 Investec Champions Cup competition against Ulster Rugby

We extend our greeting to Saturday’s visitors and their players, staff, and supporters for what promises to be an enthralling return of European competition for us at home.

It’s going to be a special occasion not least because it’s an opportunity to see a Bath team wearing our striking new red kit as opposed to our more familiar Blue, Black and White.

We launched a city-wide ‘Paint the Town Red’ campaign in the build-up to this game to celebrate our return to what is arguably the biggest club rugby competition in the world.

The campaign has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the connectivity and support which exists between Bath rugby club and the city’s iconic landmarks, such as Pulteney Bridge lit up in red, and leading local businesses who have offers in place for ticket holders.

The manner in which the club secured Champions Cup rugby last season is a brilliant example of the belief and desire which the players have continued to demonstrate so far in this current campaign, under the leadership of Johann van Graan.

All of us at the club recognise we’ve not achieved anything yet this season but having the opportunity to test ourselves against some of the best clubs in world rugby through our participation in the Champions Cup is exactly where we want to be.

Thank you as ever for your loyal and passionate support.

COYB!

Best wishes, Tarquin.

EPCR WELCOME MESSAGE

A warm welcome to this Round 1 match in the 2023/24 Investec Champions Cup. This promises to be a compelling 29th season as we acknowledge the landmark addition of Investec to our suite of blue-chip sponsors as tournament title partner.

We are certain that the long-term support of the leading international bank and wealth manager will serve to enhance a tournament which is widely regarded as the pinnacle of global club cup rugby.

In further hugely positive developments, the brewing giant, Heineken, are continuing their historic association with the competition as a premium partner, DHL have renewed their long-standing partnership with EPCR and Georgia Rugby Marketing Hub have come on board as an official partner as we continue to expand our footprint into new markets.

We can also look forward to 24 elite clubs, with 40 EPCR titles between them, battling it out initially over four rounds in a multi-pool format, and then four knockout stages, as all roads lead to the London 2024 Finals which will be staged at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 May next year.

We are delighted to be joined on the journey to London by Investec, by Heineken, and by our official partners, DHL, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Georgia Rugby Marketing Hub, as well as our official supporters, Tissot, Gilbert and Kappa, and also by our official airline partner in South Africa, Qatar Airways.

TNT Sports, ITV and RTÉ in the UK and Ireland, beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France, and SuperSport in South Africa, will continue to provide comprehensive and innovative broadcast coverage, while S4C in Wales and FloRugby in the USA and Canada will showcase the matches to even more viewers.

To our world-class players who continue to create so many unforgettable moments, to the staff of the competing clubs, to the match officials, to the fans, to the media and to all our stakeholders, we wish everyone a truly memorable Investec Champions Cup season.

Yours in rugby,

Dominic McKay,

EPCR Chairman

EWELS HITS 150 AS BATH RUGBY PAINT THE TOWN RED

The Investec Champions Cup is here and Johann van Graan has named his side to take on Ulster Rugby as they head to The Rec this Saturday.

Dorset-born Charlie Ewels will reach his 150th appearance in the Bath badge this weekend, celebrating the huge achievement in front of The Rec faithful.

Joining him in the pack, van Graan retains his forwards set-up from the emphatic win over Exeter Chiefs last week, seeing Beno Obano, Tom Dunn and Will Stuart pack down in the front row.

Ewels will be paired with Elliott Stooke at lock, who returned to the hoops of Bath Rugby last weekend.

Miles Reid, Sam Underhill and Alfie Barbeary will all run out in red after a hugely impressive performance last weekend, in which Underhill was named Player of the Match and Barbeary scored two tries.

Ben Spencer and Finn Russell are named again as half-backs, seeing Cameron Redpath take the inside centre spot to accompany a returning Ollie Lawrence at 13. This fixture will see Redpath get his 50th appearance for Bath Rugby.

Will Muir, Joe Cokanasiga and Matt Gallagher complete the back line, seeing just one change in van Graan's starting XV.

Coming in on the bench, Thomas du Toit is back for Bath, alongside Juan Schoeman and former-Ulsterman Niall Annett.

GJ van Velze and Jaco Coetzee are again named as replacement loose forwards.

Louis Schreuder, Orlando Bailey and Will Butt complete the 5-3 bench split, with Butt having scored within a minute of entering the pitch last weekend.

Nine years after making his Bath Rugby debut, Charlie Ewels is set to make his 150th club appearance against Ulster Rugby.

Charlie talks through his journey in Blue, Black and White, from his debut in 2014 to earning his 150th appearance in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup, after Bath fought their way back into the competition in the closing minutes of last season.

"THIS COMPETITION IS AS CLOSE TO TEST RUGBY AS YOU CAN GET" - BEN SPENCER

Captain Ben Spencer on why Bath are relishing the challenge of Champions Cup rugby

We caught up with Bath captain Ben Spencer ahead of facing Ulster Rugby in Round 1 of the Investec Champions Cup to find out why this competition is so special.

“This competition is as close to test rugby as you can get outside of those matches,” he said.

“As players, we want to test ourselves every time we walk out onto the pitch and qualifying for the Investec Champions Cup gives us the opportunity to do that. We’re under no illusions that we have a big challenge facing us this weekend but it’s one that we’re really looking forward to.”

Ben acknowledged that Bath’s recent performances outside of domestic rugby haven’t been what the club would have wanted but believes the squad is better placed currently to deal with the demands.

“This is a competition certainly since I’ve been here that we’ve not done too well in, even the Challenge Cup, and our expectation this year is to go into every game and try to win. We know we’ve got a squad capable, and we’ve definitely got a belief now in the squad that this team can achieve things but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and make sure that week-to-week we’re coming into the training ground wanting to get better and I think if we keep doing that and keep improving we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

Turning attention to this Saturday’s opponents, Ben talked about the challenge of facing Ulster as one of the leading teams in the competition.

“We know they are a very good defensive side, close to conceding the least amount of line breaks in the URC so we’re going to have to be right on it at the weekend but it’s a challenge that we’re going to relish.

“It’s good to have guys in and around our squad who know the competition well and I know that Johann (van Graan) is a huge advocate for the Champions Cup. Obviously, he had a fair amount of success with Munster in the competition. We know it’s one that he goes after quite hard so we can’t wait to get stuck in at the weekend.

“They (Ulster) have multiple internationals, we know we’ve made a good start to the season, but we need to carry the momentum of the Premiership into this competition and see where we get to.

“We’re enjoying ourselves and enjoying our rugby and I think there’s definitely a belief in the squad now in terms of what we think we can achieve and we’re just trying to keep our feet on the floor and enjoying it week after week.”

OLLIE LAWRENCE WINS GALLAGHER PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARD

After stunning displays against Gloucester and Bristol Bears, Bath Rugby's Ollie Lawrence has been voted Gallagher's Player of the Month for November.

England and Bath Rugby centre Ollie Lawrence has been voted as November’s Gallagher Player of the Month, winning the public poll ahead of Arron Reed (Sale Sharks), Tyrone Green (Harlequins) and Andy Christie (Saracens).

Lawrence is also the reigning Gallagher Player of the Season, picking up the top gong at last season’s Premiership Rugby Awards ceremony after a breakthrough campaign which began at Worcester Warriors before making the quick adjustment to life with Bath.

In Round 5, Lawrence scored two stunning tries in a blistering away win over historic rivals Gloucester Rugby and the powerhouse centre followed it up with the Gallagher Player of the Match award as Bath overcame Bristol Bears in a West County thriller at the Rec in Derby Weekend – Round 6.

Lawrence is the second Bath player to be awarded the Gallagher Player of the Month this season with teammate Ben Spencer picking up October’s prize.

"We’re delighted to present the award for Gallagher Player of the Month to Ollie Lawrence for his strong performance in November.

So far in the season, the Bath team has shown brilliant form and Ollie has been a key player throughout. In recent games, Ollie has had some big moments and we’ve seen him make good calls on the pitch. Overall, his performance and decision making has been integral to the team.”

Andy Ferguson, Managing Director of Gallagher’s Bristol Office

THE REC TO HOST TWO ENGLAND U20 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES

England U20 Men’s team will return to Bath Rugby for their penultimate 2024 Six Nations fixture against Ireland on Friday 8 March, with tickets available to buy now.

The Rec will welcome Mark Mapletoft’s young side for the 7.15pm kick-off, meaning a return to the venue a month after their Round 2 meeting with Wales U20 on Friday 9 February.

ALFIE BARBEARY SHORTLISTED FOR RPA'S NOVEMBER 15 UNDER 23 AWARD

Created to highlight the young members of the Gallagher Premiership, the Rugby Players Association '15 Under 23' awards draw a shortlist of four players under the age of 23 who have stood out each month, before fans get to vote for their MVP of the Month.

The whole process culminates in the picking of the 15 Under 23 from the long shortlist for each competition. The Teams of the Season will be announced in May.

FULL STORY

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THE REDDY: PAINT THE TOWN RED

WHEN GATES OPEN FROM 13:15

Happy Hour - secure your discounted pints 🍻
Tunnel of noise for the players' arrival 👏
Live music from Break Cover 💿
Southgate Samba Band 🪘
Official After Party at Walcot House 🪩
Bath Rugby Foundation raffle - win a SIGNED England Rugby World Cup shirt!
Matchday Ambassadors 👋
Half-time Super Six Kicks 6️⃣
Mascot Max 🦁
Food & beverage - with a new pizza vendor! 🍕
Exclusive Paint the Town Red offers! 🤑
Bath Rugby Shop - secure your Euro kit 🔴
Fan Radio 📻
Bath Rugby Supporters' Club 🤝
Face painter 🎨
Travel sorted with Centurion Travel 🚌
More travel information ℹ️

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PURCHASE VIÑALBA

MATCH PREVIEW

In one of the most hotly anticipated competitions in domestic rugby, the Investec Champions Cup returns this weekend.

Seeing Bath Rugby take on the Ulster men of Northern Ireland, Head of Rugby Johann van Graan has previewed the challenge, being open about the fact that he "loves this competition".

"“I’m really looking forward to this competition. It’s one that I love and a competition that’s the best versus the best. It’s teams not only from Europe but now from South Africa and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some amazing games in the Champions Cup.

“I’ve previously coached in Ireland for five years and I understand what the Champions Cup means to the Irish teams. Ulster are a European giant and a team that have been very successful in this competition so we can’t wait for it.

"This competition is just as tough as the Premiership from an intensity perspective. There’s no weekend that we’d think “oh we’re at home we’re going to be ok”, the Premiership is very tough. The difference in Europe is the prestige of the competition. It’s teams from all over. Our lads at Bath haven’t played against Ulster for a while and it’s the different flavour the competition offers.

“At the start of the season last year, we collectively said as a group we need to get back in the Champions Cup. And if we take it back to the last ten minutes of our season last year, we had to make up 21 match points at that stage on Bristol, and in the last play of the game we were -1 point behind. The drama around that game, who’d have thought the fight for eighth place would be talking point.

“We’re happy with where we are in the Premiership but we have the excitement of the Champions Cup looming now and two weekends where we play opponents who we don’t face a lot.

“Dan [McFarland] is a good rugby friend of mine. We crossed paths when I was still with South Africa, and after a few of my seasons at Munster, he then became Ulster’s coach. He’s done so well and we’ve got respect for each other. He’s a good rugby man and we’ve had some big battles.

“Every point counts and with the way this competition is designed now you’ve got six teams in your pool, you play against four of them and you have to make the top four to advance to the next stage of the competition, so every point matters.

“We’re up against a team who are used to European rugby, and for us, this is our first time we as a group are up for Champions Cup rugby so for us it’s really exciting. We want to improve our record in this competition and it’s brilliant to be part of it and we’re going to give it a full shot."

READ THE FULL PREVIEW

PAINT THE TOWN RED

We're back in Europe's top flight competition and to celebrate Bath Rugby welcoming Irish opponents Ulster Rugby to The Rec in the Investec Champions Cup, the club has launched a city-wide Paint the Town Red campaign.

Wearing a striking new red kit, the Paint the Town Red initiative will see Bath Rugby partners and local businesses offer special discounts for all Bath Rugby Investec Champions Cup ticket holders.

There will also be an ‘Official After Party’ at Walcot House, fans can be in with a chance to win a Rolex with Watches of Bath (supporting the Bath Rugby Foundation) and there will be other magical experiences in the city and at the game.

Get your tickets and join us as we Paint the Town Red!

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20% OFF EURO KIT!

Get your hands on the striking red strip with 20% off for this weekend only!

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ABOUT THE OPPOSITION: ULSTER RUGBY

Having last met in 2020, Dan McFarland heads to The Rec to take on Bath Rugby in the Champions Cup.

With the additional man power added from his World Cup stars, McFarland will be relishing the challenge offered by a Bath Rugby side with the momentum behind them.

The likes of World Cup winner, Steven Kitshoff, and former Exeter Chiefs man, Dave Ewers, joined their ranks this season and the Ulstermen will no doubt provide Bath with a physical opposition who will look to bring the challenge to the Bath forwards.

Other big names for Ulster include Iain Henderson, John Cooney, Stuart McCloskey and Rob Herring, all of whom have Ireland caps to their name.

Having lost to both Edinburgh and Glasgow in their opening rounds of the URC, the Belfast side will be out for blood and ready to storm The Rec with strong travelling support.

With our own Ulsterman in our squad, Niall Annett, who left the region 10 years ago, is relishing the opportunity to front up against his old club come Saturday afternoon, giving a shout-out to the well-known Flan O'Brien's and a tip-off to order additional Guinness kegs.

ULSTER RUGBY'S LAST VISIT TO THE REC

Bath Rugby 16-17 Ulster Rugby

Saturday 16 November 2019

BATH RUGBY V ULSTER RUGBY 2019/20

TRY MR FILBERT'S

CLUB CONTINUES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROMOTING MATCHDAY SAFETY

Every week, Bath Rugby supporters travel from far and wide to support the Blue, Black and White.

Whether at home at The Rec, or travelling across the country, win or lose the Bath Rugby faithful is there to cheer the team on.

As a club, Bath Rugby wants to make sure it is doing all it can to ensure the matchday experience is a safe space for all its supporters and the wider community.

After the success of its campaign with Avon & Somerset Police and British Transport Police last season, Bath Rugby has joined forces once again with the two organisations to tackle violence and harassment against women and girls in the South West area.

The initiative promotes the act of being an active bystander, where we as a community can come together and safely challenge unacceptable behaviour on a matchday, on the journey to the stadium and when travelling home.

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BECOME A NEXTGEN MEMBER!

NextGen, the destination for junior Bath Rugby fans.

NextGen membership is designed specifically to cater for the next generation of players and Bath Rugby fans aged between 4 and 16, providing exclusive access to child-friendly content, unforgettable experiences and fantastic competitions.

If you fit the below criteria, NextGen membership has you covered!

✔️ Forever Blue, Black and White

✔️ Aged 4-16

✔️ Rugby fanatic

✔️ Enjoy watching funny content

✔️ Excited to win exclusive prizes

And the best part - it's all FREE!

SIGN UP TO NEXTGEN TODAY

GINGERBREAD HOUSES WITH BATH RUGBY

Let's throwback to when Miles Reid, Sam Underhill and Kieran Verden tried their hand at decorating their own gingerbread houses!

Who will be victorious?!

RUN THE BATH HALF FOR US IN MARCH!

Looking for your next challenge? Open to pushing yourself? We're looking for people to run the Bath Half on behalf of Bath Rugby Foundation in March.

When running and raising money for Bath Rugby Foundation, you'll not only be changing the lives of young people in and around Bath, but you'll also get:

Free limited edition Bath Rugby Foundation running vest
Training runs and running clinics to improve your time and recovery
Massage sessions throughout your training, as well as on the day of the Bath Half
Secure bag storage
Warm space pre and post run
Food and hydration taken care of
Bath Half cheering support
Jelly babies!!

WIN IN THE MATCHDAY RAFFLE!

Our brilliant volunteers will be out in the fan village and hospitality boxes selling raffle tickets, giving you the chance to win a SIGNED England Rugby World Cup jersey.

Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill and Will Stuart have all signed the shirt which comes in an England Rugby presentation box, complete with a travel pack!

ENTER THE RAFFLE

BY NICOLA CURTIS, BATH RUGBY SUPPORTERS CLUB

As we head into the start of the European season, it is a good opportunity to pause for a moment and look back on how the Premiership season has gone so far.

That we are going into the domestic break sitting second in the league, and only denied top spot by our points difference with Sale Sharks, tells its own story.

The lead-up to this season somehow felt different. It is Johann van Graan’s second season and we have begun to see how Bath Rugby is being shaped under his leadership.

We’ve seen the arrival of Finn Russell, the homecoming of Ollie Lawrence after a successful World Cup and we have welcomed back Elliott Stooke.

We’ve beaten all three West Country rivals in Gloucester, Bristol and Exeter, and despite the cold and the rain, us supporters have turned out to support our team, as we always will.

After a few dark years, winning matches in the manner that we have been is uplifting, joyous and reminds us why we keep flocking to The Rec.

In BRSC news, there is still time to book for our annual charity quiz. This is taking place on the 12th of December in the clubhouse at The Rec.

You can book on our platform MemberMojo, by emailing admin@allez-bath.co.uk or visit us at our gazebo today. You can find us by the Swift Half. All proceeds from the quiz will be going to the Bath Rugby Foundation.

We will also be bringing back our always popular 'Ask the Ref' event, where we will be visited by Tony Spreadbury, Head of Match Officials at the EPCR.

Tony will be bringing his usual mix of insight and entertainment on Tuesday 13 February. We’ll be releasing more details soon so stayed tuned!

A reminder that membership to BRSC is still available; visit our website allez-bath.co.uk for details or visit us at the gazebo today, where you can join on the spot!