Bath fans came to the match armed with flags in the club colors and the ‘In JVG we trust’ logo. This is a tribute to South Africa, which we believe can deliver the first major award of the 21st century.
The initials stand for Johann van Graan and his West Country team represent upward mobility. On Sunday they are at Northampton looking for a repeat of last season’s Premiership final, which ended in a painful four-point defeat, but the result did not derail a huge project. Far from it. Bath responded by thrashing champions Saints 38-16 on the opening weekend of the current campaign and moved to the top of the table having won eight of their nine league games so far.
Last weekend, they suffered a record-breaking 68-10 thrashing at The Rec by mighty Saracens. It is a far cry from the corresponding match in October 2021, which the London club won 71-17. In that horror season, Bath were demolished 64-0 by Gloucester at Kingsholm, leaving them bottom of 13 teams. If it had not been abolished they would have been relegated.
Van Graan inherited massive chaos and later declared ‘we are broken as a club’. But he cleaned up the mess and oversaw the kind of change that went beyond Sir Ian McGeechan and Todd Blackadder during his tenure. So what enabled Bath to secure their first Premiership title since 1996 and their first major win since their only Heineken Cup triumph in 1998?
There is no doubt that significant investment has been a powerful factor. While rivals cut their playing budgets to cope with the financial upheaval, Bath owner Bruce Craig has approved a massive recruitment drive. Scottish playmaker and magician Finn Russell has signed as a major asset from Racing 92 in a deal worth close to £1m per year.
As well as that statement, Bath have been astute in securing some outstanding English talent from bankrupt clubs, with Ollie Lawrence and Ted Hill both arriving from Worcester and Alfie Barbeary arriving from Wasps. Guy Pepper was lured in after a poor season at Newcastle last summer to further bolster the formidable back-row resources at Van Graan’s disposal. Bath are understood to be backloading some contracts as an accounting strategy, although opponents question how the salary cap can be met.
Johann van Graan led Bath’s stunning performance as they chased their first Premiership title since 1996.
His team suffered a painful defeat to Northampton Saints in last year’s Premier League final.
Russell made a huge impact as a winner, allying himself with Ben Spencer, the former Saracens scrum-half who became Van Graan’s captain, and with the medals to prove it. Crucially, the creative pairing has flourished under the guidance of Lee Blackett, who was recruited from the Scarlets as a pioneering attacking specialist after previously leading Wasps to the Premiership final.
‘Before I arrived and before Finn arrived the club was going through a major rebuild,’ said Blackett. ‘The year before John came here, they were literally playing everywhere. I remember coaching against Bath. “Kick it long and let Bath kill himself.”
‘John quickly changed that. He focused on defending and building on his set-piece foundation. Bath have gone from the extreme of always playing on their own line to the extreme of kicking a lot and playing a lot of territory. We needed players and coaches to keep the club going, and Johan and I talked about that. ‘Focus more on attack.’
Commenting on Russell’s influence, he added: ‘The most important thing is that he is truly a factor. He understands that boys will make mistakes, but we have a ‘next job’ mentality. He is a good example of that. He may make a mistake and the next moment he may come up with a work of genius.
‘There’s a very good link between him and Ben, who is a world-class pragmatist in terms of his kicking game and game management. Works well with X-Factor players like Finn Russell. I think they surprised everyone by seeing how they gelled immediately.’
According to Blackett, Van Graan demonstrated a ‘growth mindset’ by deciding to leverage his expertise rather than viewing someone who had been head coach of a successful premiership team as a potential threat to his authority. ‘Anyone who doesn’t seems to be worried about their job,’ he added. It also applied to the decision to reintegrate Andy Robinson as a link to a glorious past.
Having lost narrowly in the last final, Blackett feared Bath would become the latest runners-up to struggle at the start of next campaign, but instead they got a measure of revenge against Northampton and haven’t looked back since. One defeat at home to neighbors Bristol was the only blemish.
Club stalwart Tom Dunn explained the change in morale at Van Graan. The England hooker, who sang before speaking to Mail Sport and joked that he was ‘ready to talk about signing Henry Arundell’, reflected on how times have changed since the historic low a few years ago.
However, they have made an impressive rebound this season and are currently top of the league.
The club has been signing players wisely in recent years, having been transformational since Finn Russell arrived.
Meanwhile, former Saracens star Ben Spencer has enjoyed his best since taking over as captain.
‘It’s chalk and cheese,’ he said. ‘Faith is probably the biggest difference between now and then. We still believed in what we were doing at the time, but of course there was a part of us thinking, “We lost in year 60.” It’s easy to say, but difficult to put into practice. Winning makes it so much easier!’
Dunn praised the “open” honest culture that Van Graan has fostered. In the revamped squad, bonds were formed through small everyday gestures and fun. ‘Culture is built on small things. ‘No one really sees or talks about what it’s like to give someone help in training,’ he said. ‘Between training sessions, we all sit in the same room and have coffee.
‘We win and lose together. For example, after Newcastle it was a late kick-off and there were no flights back that evening, so we flew back the next morning. Although we weren’t forced to socialize, we ended up going to the same karaoke bar and singing together. I’ll never forget Niall Annett’s first piece. Belter. ‘I couldn’t believe it!’
Every squad needs its fair share of characters. Dunn is definitely one of them, and he’s not the only one.
‘Alfie Barbeary is always good value,’ he added. ‘He has too many party pieces to mention. He is like an onion. He has many layers and you have to break them down to really get to know the man inside!’
Bath’s resurgence has been built on a strong core of British and South African power, technology and expertise. Springbok prop Thomas du Toit finished the 2023-24 season as top scorer after adding significant scrimmage and leadership influence to the squad when he joined from the Sharks last year. He and his family settled well, attracted by the sweet prospects of success in the field and the attractive surroundings.
“I want to be in a winning team,” he told Mail Sports, adding, “Obviously Bath is an incredibly beautiful city and that definitely makes a difference.” We visited Bath once or twice before making our decision and we are absolutely loving it.
‘It helps that there are a few South Africans here, but I wanted to throw myself into the culture and enjoy it so much. All the British people here are fantastic people. One of my best friends is Tom Dunn. We sometimes have a Sunday roast and braai together. He likes biltong too, and that’s a good thing. I make my own biltong and he likes it too.
The club’s Springbok contingent was seamlessly integrated under Van Graan’s leadership.
Future stars, including 19-year-old prop Billy Sela, were also given a chance to shine.
‘Our children play together. I asked him to buy a quad bike for his son, and his son and my son sometimes drive the quad bike around Farleigh. We build a fire together and go fishing together. It’s really fun. This just proves that as a family we are really happy here.’
Mention of rural training centers is important. Farleigh House is a majestic and majestic place, but Van Graan has made it his mission to ensure that it is also suitable for sporting purposes.
‘When I started at Bath there was a lot of noise about the team not performing because they were training at Farleigh and it was so beautiful,’ the manager said. ‘But you do not judge a man by his outward appearance, but by his inward self. their hearts. The same was true for Farley.
‘We changed the conference room. We changed our gym facilities. We changed the dressing room. We actually made it our home and created a natural flow in Farleigh. It wasn’t designed as a rugby stadium, but Bruce (Craig) had a vision, so he accommodated Farleigh and changed the inside of the walls.
‘We’ve added little things the players have asked for to improve recovery. Sauna in the locker room. It also changed the learning environment, making the auditorium visually different from other places I’ve been. I believe that all these changes have enabled us to get the best out of our people and create an environment that allows them to thrive.’
There is no doubt that they are thriving, with positive results, connections, surroundings and the next generation of talent emerging. Vilikesa ‘Billy’ Sela is a highly rated professional who won the Junior World Cup with England, while another frontline prodigy, teenage hooker Kepu Tuipulotu, is set to make his league debut against Northampton.
Given Bath’s prospects, it’s no wonder players want to stay. England center Ollie Lawrence is currently in talks over a new contract. When asked for an update, he said: ‘I’m having a great time in Bath. ‘I have no intention of moving to another club at the moment.’
Sunday’s showdown with Saints will be an indication that Bath are ready to go one step further than last season. But at this stage they look every bit the same as true champions-elect. It’s no wonder fans believe in ‘JVG’ and his team.
