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LEARNINGS FOR NEXT SEASON. SEASON REVIEW CONTINUED.

Last week I reviewed Bath’s 2026 performance. Most responses to the question “was it failure, frustration or flatline?” seemed to opt for failure, though some optimists tended to suggest a plateau or ‘flatline’ effect. Many anticipated and have already expressed the points I had drafted for this second part of the review “So, where do we go from here?” As supporter debate continues, Van Graan has plenty to ponder while on his holidays, that’s for sure.
World Rugby Junior World Championship 2026 Preview

South Africa won the final last year in this annual competition (for obvious reasons) defeating New Zealand 23–15 MoM was Vusi Moyo (seen above tackling his Baby Blacks opposite number). This year the World Rugby Junior World Championship is in Georgia and promises to outline the future of rugby in future years. The tournament kicks off Saturday, 27th June and the home nations will have a big say in who lifts the trophy at the final on 18th July.The competition has expanded to 16-teams. As normal in all these world competitions there is a “group of death” which unfortunately features England and Ireland. That is the brutal Pool C containing England and Ireland with Argentina and USA completing the group.
FAILURE, FRUSTRATION OR FLATLINE? 2026 SEASON REVIEW

Now that the dust is settling, it is time to reflect on the outcome of the Prem season. Another club now has it’s hands on the trophy so for Bath has it been failure, frustration or flatlining? In a way it is all three and certainly no guarantee of future fulfilment. Should we though regard the van Graan’s fourth season with fury at falling short and fear for the future? Or instead, fearlessly foray forward in search of further fame? Let’s see.
"IT'S IN OUR HANDS”...BATH V EXETER.

“It's in our hands. We are at home with our people" So said Johann van Graan before Saturday's game against Leicester and it holds just as true for next weekend's semi-final against a very much in-form Exeter side. With the portrait of the late great Roger Spurrell looking down on the Rec at the start of the Tigers game I was tempted to go with "standing on the shoulders of giants" as my opening line. It's taken a very long time for Bath to step out of the shadow of the glory days epitomised by Roger Spurrell. Under JvG the current Bath squad is writing its own place in the history of our great club and I'm sure Roger would say that's exactly how it should be.
NOW OR NEVER: BATH V LEICESTER

It should be quite the occasion, the first of a (probable) double header against one of our oldest rivals.We have been fortunate enough to have seen some very special matches at The Rec in the last 12 months or so and this could be another.It will be billed as a Winner Takes It All scenario which is not quite true. Both teams will definitely play in the semi-finals, the only questions are where and against whom. The importance of this weekend lies in the fact that away semi-final wins are rare beasts. Since 2015, only Quins - in the ridiculous 2021 Bristanbul game - have managed it. And no team finishing third in the league have ever won the final.
BOUNCEBACKABILITY: EXETER CHIEFS V BATH RUGBY

It was the then Crystal Palace football manager Iain Dowie who coined the word ‘bouncebackability’ some twenty-two years ago. The Collins Dictionary defines it as “the ability to recover after a setback, especially in sport.”It is a quality that both teams will be searching for on Sunday. Both are coming back off successive defeats, one each in the Prem and in Europe. Both are rueing the impact of decisions around head contact and counting the cost of mounting injuries. Both know a third defeat could derail what has been a very promising season.
LE HANDICAP? BORDEAUX v BATH ECC SEMI FINAL

The European Champions Cup has developed into an unbalanced competition where some clubs simply have a head start depending on which part of Europe you come from.This discrepancy is like getting your old-fashioned match program printed on high gloss paper compared to that diaphanous absorbent paper comics were printed on that yellows with age. It looks the same from a distance but clearly is different when you get your hands on it.The major bone of contention is evidently the salary cap. The top 14 salary cap is currently £9.3 million compared with the Prem cap of £6.4 million and an undefined URC cap around £4.5 million, that is in England a 45% uplift or almost double that for URC clubs compared to French clubs.
“MAY YOUR CHOICES REFLECT YOUR HOPES NOT YOUR FEARS”.

In JvG we trust, reads the banner often seen proudly displayed by Bath supporters both at home and away games. And yes, we do, but the next couple of games are arguably season defining. As JvG and his team finalise their preparations for huge challenges in the Prem and in Europe, the thoughts of another South African, Nelson Mandela, who also understood a bit about hard decisions seem to strike a chord.
EYES BACK ON THE OTHER PRIZE! BATH v HARLEQUINS

As the last echoes of "Come On You Bath" fade after one of the most memorable nights at the Rec when the Bath squad, supported by a packed house in full voice, took a huge step forward in this year's quest for the biggest prize in European rugby, it's now time to shift the focus back onto the big domestic prize. Defending the title as Prem champions has challenged the best of teams over the years and we're going to need every bit of the spirit and "dog" that we showed on Friday night in all of the remaining games if we're going to achieve what only Wasps, Leicester and Saracens have managed to do since the Finals were introduce in 2002-03. And it starts with the visit of Harlequins this Saturday.
AIM FOR GLORY. BATH v NORTHAMPTON SAINTS ECC QUARTER FINAL

Both sides will be aiming for glory when Bath host Northampton Saints in Friday’s European Quarter Final. Victory will confirm England’s leading candidate to upset five years of French club dominance of the tournament. It will also pitch the winners into a daunting Semi Final, against either last year’s victors Bordeaux Begles or six times Champions Toulouse. That would be at a neutral venue, in England. First though, this match must be won.