Thursday 11 June 2009

Bath Rugby: Reasons to be cheerful

It's been a proud week for Bath Rugby. And I defy anyone to say I'm being insincere.

Last week was a real shocker for the club – and that's putting it mildly. But the past few days have actually yielded plenty of reasons for Bath fans to be cheerful and even optimistic about next season.

Just look at how many players the club has away on international duty. – and, more importantly, how well they are playing.

Wing Matt Banahan took his debut Test appearance for England in his (giant) stride when he ran out against Argentina last weekend, opening the scoring and earning praise from the notoriously fastidious Martin Johnson.

Almost as important as size and speed at international level are composure and attitude, and the Jersey Juggernaut seems to have those qualities by the shovel-load.

Talking of size, Bath's incoming 19st 3lb prop, Davey Wilson, also impressed Johnson during the Argentina match at Old Trafford. Matt Stevens may have been a massive loss to Bath Rugby, but head coach Steve Meehan's decision to sign this 24-year-old Geordie, who hopefully still has his best years ahead of him, looks increasingly astute with every passing week.

And while Wilson and Banahan could well force themselves into contention for next year's Six Nations, there are also encouraging signs to be taken from the way Bath's England Saxons contingent is bearing up in Colorado.

Stuart Hooper has been made the England A team's captain, while the remainder of the Bath cohort – Nick Abendanon, David Flatman and Peter Short – were all given a place in the Saxons' starting line-up for the victorious opener against Argentina Jaguars.

Hooper's selection as Saxons skipper is significant, as much for Bath fans as it is for England fans.

Prior to this summer's Churchill Cup campaign, the lock/back row already had plenty of leadership experience thanks to his tenure as Leeds Carnegie skipper before his switch to Bath. Now his leadership credentials have been given another boost.

With Michael Lipman and Alex Crockett having abruptly left the club, Bath need a proven leader and unifier as their new skipper.

And Hooper's exposure this summer to the captaincy at representative level could well tip the balance in his favour in Steve Meehan's mind.

Away from the Americas, Bath players Jonny Faamatuainu (Manu Samoa), Josh Ovens (England Under 20) and, of course, Lee Mears (British & Irish Lions) have been doing their club proud.

Far from their minds being frazzled by the distracting events back home, Bath's players are proving themselves on the big stage – and for that deserve a pat on the back.

Whether that form can be recreated once they return to the inevitably unsettled environment of their club, however, only time will tell.

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