Fired-up Bath Rugby squad set to kick off pre-season training schedule

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First-team coach Neal Hatley is predicting an intense atmosphere when the Bath Rugby players return for pre-season training on Monday. 

The squad will reconvene for the first time since their 2013-14 campaign came to a disappointing end a month ago.

Head coach Mike Ford and his troops have had plenty of time to chew over defeats to Harlequins and Northampton Saints, which saw them miss out on the Aviva Premiership play-offs and fail to lift the Amlin Cup.

So far from easing themselves back in, forwards boss Hatley expects some pretty bruised egos to go hell-for-leather at Farleigh House next week.

“We are really looking forward to getting the guys back in, especially because of the way the season finished for us,” said Hatley.

“We’ve probably all been at home stewing on the defeats to Harlequins and Northampton.

“In the season, when you lose on the Saturday you are back in on Monday and can look to put it right again pretty quickly.

“To lose those two games at the end of the season and not be able to do something about it I’m sure will have got the boys fired up for when they’re back in on Monday.”

Next week will also be the first chance for Bath’s coaches to have a first-hand look at new recruits Luke Arscott, Nick Auterac and Grant Shiells, whose arrival from Newcastle Falcons was only confirmed on Tuesday.

Sam Burgess does not join until the end of South Sydney Rabbitohs’ NRL season, which could be as late as October, and Henry Thomas will not link up with his new Bath colleagues immediately either.

Prop Thomas is still away on England’s tour of New Zealand, and he and the rest of the club’s internationals will be given additional time off following their overseas excursions.

Hatley said: “I’m excited about the group we’ve got coming in as we’ve recruited some real quality individuals – I can’t wait to get them out there at Farleigh and see what they can do.

“And the guys who have been away on tours – people like Anthony Watson and Nathan Catt, who this is a new experience for – they are going to come back in with such a buzz and with so much more experience that we can all harness into.

“We’ll give the guys who have been away the time off they need because they have put in an unbelievable amount of work since the start of last season.

“I think with someone like Dave Attwood this week is week 51 in a row for him, so they’ll get the appropriate time to fully recover.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-27891196

Fired-up Bath Rugby squad set to kick off pre-season training schedule