Van the man to complete Bath revival
RUGBY UNION Bath will face Northampton at Twickenham on Saturday after being transformed from Gallagher Premiership no-hopers to title contenders in under two years.
South African Johann van Graan has overseen a remarkable revival since starting the task of waking a sleeping giant in July 2022.
When he arrived at the Recreation Ground from Munster that summer, Bath could not sink any lower, having propped up a then 13-club Premiership after winning just five of their 24 games during the 2021-22 campaign.
But Bath are now back on English domestic rugby’s biggest stage following a nine-year absence, seeking a first Premiership crown that would end their 16-year wait for major trophy honours.
It is all a far cry from the pre-Premiership era - Bath won six league titles in nine seasons between 1987 and 1996 - yet provides glowing evidence of the impact Van Graan has made.
“We are very respectful of the history and the heritage of Bath Rugby, and that is why a lot of us came to the club,” head of rugby Van Graan said. “It is because of the history and what it represents.
“For us as a group we respect our past, but this is about this group.
“Since we started on July 11, 2022, we have focused on what we need to do - becoming tough to beat, putting the pride into our jersey and then getting better.
“Since we started in week one, the message has been to treat every week the exact same never too high, never too low – and to start every week on zero and get better.
“After 18 (Premiership) rounds, we said we would see where we are.
“That got us into a home semi-final, which we treated as a one-off game, and now we are in the final.
“So, you can never predict, but we are exactly where we should be, and all credit to the players and the staff that have worked incredibly hard to put us in this position.
“There is one game remaining, and two very good teams are going to compete in it.”