Club: Bath
Last season: 8th
Odds for the title: 18/1
Season opener: home v Worcester Warriors, 15 September
Ins
Mike Baxter (Pertemps Bees), Daniel Browne (Northampton), Michael Claasens (Free State Cheetahs), Neil Clark (Cornish All Blacks – loan), Paulica Ion (Bucarest), Butch James (Natal Sharks), Lorne Ward (Harlequins), Martin Purdy (Wasps)
Outs
David Bory (Brive), Gareth Delve (Gloucester), Christian Loader (retired), Chris Malone (Harlequins), Mike Mangeolles (Bristol), Matt Perry (retired), Pietro Travagli (Parma), Dave Ward (Northampton), Andy Williams (Dragons), Martyn Wood (retired)
The head coach preview
Bath's Australian coach Stephen Meehan gives his views on the season ahead
Good pre-season?
It was a far more specific pre-season than it was last year. We didn’t have all our coaches in place last season so we’re a lot further in front this time around and we can approach the campaign with a lot more confidence. It’s been a good pre-season.
Do you think the uncertainty over the coaching situation last season had an impact on results?
I think it was a factor, whether it was a major one I’m not sure, but it did contribute to things. I said at Christmas time that we’d finally found our game and we’ve started to develop since then. We understand what we’re about now and that puts us on the front foot.
Fans would probably be disappointed with last season, is that fair?
They may well be but the truth is for the past few seasons we’ve had pretty much the same starting 15. We had a disruptive start last term and a lot of players were unavailable so we had to blood a lot of players. The beauty of that is that they’ll be so much better for the experience and know what’s expected of them. Our squad is much better prepared this year.
Happy with your signings?
Yeah, relatively happy. I suppose the Guinness Premiership is a competition that demands you continually evolve and look for new talent and that may be bringing guys in from the outside or through the academy. If we do it the latter way all the time that would be ideal, but it’s not always possible. The new signings that have arrived have had a good impact and we’ve got a good one to arrive in the near future.
And that would be Butch James. Are Bath splashing the cash a bit now?
Well I think it shows the club is ambitious. It’s not only the signings, they’ve also improved the training facilities as well, and we’re not finished yet. Also, the announcement that Simon Halliday (ex-England and Bath) has joined us as executive director is an aggressive stance from an administration point of view. We’re a club that’s on the move and we’ve got a lot of people that want to see us get back to our glory days.
What does James bring to the side?
He brings a lot of experience to the side, and different experience too. He’s very well-known for his defence and certainly our openside flankers have enjoyed his signing as they reckon it will mean less defensive work for them to do. But he’s also got a good passing game that people often overlook and he’s an all-round player. He’s also only 28 which is good for the Guinness Premiership because it means we’re not bringing in players that are past it – he’s riding on the crest of a wave at the moment.
The fans must be excited about his arrival too?
Yeah, I don’t know how many times I’ve been stopped in the street now with people telling me how excited they are about the season. Michael Claasens has made a good first impression too, and it’s always exciting to bring new half-backs into a club because it gives a team new direction. You’ve got to keep changing in this competition…
It’s been a while since a trophy found it’s way to the Rec…
I can understand the fans being a bit anxious about that. I’d love this squad to win something, a lot of them have been here quite a while and have worked hard and they deserve reward. I’d love to see a trophy. We started with the Rag Doll (the ‘trophy’ awarded to the winning side whenever Bath meet Scarlets) when we played Scarlets the other week but I’d like some silverware by the end of the season.
What are the aims for campaign?
The priority is to make sure that we get in the top-half the of the Premiership and get into Europe and, if we can pick up another trophy along the way, that’d be fantastic.
Who else do you fancy to do well?
I think Worcester will do well, they’ve signed a couple of good, attacking backs in midfield and out wide. That will change the way they play and they’ll be very dangerous. Obviously, there’s been some changes at Saracens too so they’ll be looking to beat last season’s efforts.
How excited are you about the new campaign on scale of one to 10?
I’m up in the realms of eight or nine…
Supporters’ prediction: 6th. “Butch James is an awesome signing and we’ve got to do better than last season. I fancy we’ll turn things arou00
Rucked prediction: 8th. Best chance lies in the cup. Great first-choice 15, but even with Butch James, they’ll struggle to make an impact in the Guinness Premiership with the squad just not comparable to the likes of Leicester and Gloucester.