Bath's Meehan keen to do it again
Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:54
The English domestic and European rugby season might have ended only a few days ago, but Bath head coach Steve Meehan can't wait to right the wrongs next season.
It may be almost two weeks since Bath Rugby won the European Challenge Cup and whilst still celebrating the victory, Meehan will be reviewing the performances in preparation for next season and looking ahead to continue Bath's winning ways.
Before returning to his native Australia, Meehan took some time to reflect upon the past twelve months, the successes, the difficulties and preparing for the next challenge.
After a well-documented 10 year trophy drought, Steve Meehan and his team had a struggle to try and finally put an end to the the lack of silverware.
Playing amidst constant comparison to the halcyon days when rugby had only just turned professional, the team had a lot of expectation to live up to and they faced the challenge head-on, bringing back to the Rec the European Challenge Cup.
Much was said about the style of play that Bath adopted; a free-flowing, wide and expansive game that led to some of the most exciting matches seen in the Guinness Premiership and Europe this season. But is that really down to one man, or a result of a superb collective effort?
"I don't think I would ever claim that it was my stewardship in particular," admitted Meehan.
"The fact of the matter is that the team includes the strength and conditioning coaches, the medical staff and everyone involved in team management. Within that, the coaches developed a pretty good understanding of the players and what they required to perform at an optimum level."
What does it take to achieve that optimum level then? Belief? Endless commitment? For Meehan, it's courage.
"The players have been very courageous and I don't think people understand that. They have been courageous in consistently persevering with this style of rugby.
"It is far easier, if you have a poor performance, to go back into your shell and revert to type. But, they continually tried to improve and I think that that, combined with the knowledge that everybody has of the players as individuals and as a group, is a great illustration of how our performance has progressed."
Amidst the undeniable progression, the reality of the departing figures of Steve Borthwick and Olly Barkley was enough to shake the faith of even the most avid supporters. But for Meehan, it is no reason to panic.
"Justin Harrison is a guy who has operated at the top end for a long time and will arrive as an authoritative figure. He is someone who has proved himself time and time again and will be demanding of those around him.
"I think that Stuart Hooper will also arrive wanting to prove something and I think will react well within this group. He has led a squad that struggled this season and I think this time he will be part of the group rather than be 'the man' of it.
"When you surround yourself with a good set of players, you are able to use all the tools that you have at your disposal. So, in that sense, I am very certain that we will overcome the loss of Borthwick.
"As for Olly Barkley, I believe what will need to happen is for Shaun Berne to continue to play well. We also need Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu to step up and prove himself on a consistent basis. He has the ability to do that and he will have the support, backing and faith of the coaches.
"Then, the introduction of Shontayne will change the dynamics of the team. We cannot be a carbon copy of what we were this season - we need to change and evolve."
However, there still remains a strong group of individuals, who will continue to take Bath from strength-to-strength, including younger players like Matt Banahan and Nick Abendanon.
"Hopefully, people like that will keep improving and that will put us in a position where we can just keep going."
With thanks to guinnesspremiership.com
