Bath are enjoying a stunning start to the Gallagher PREM Rugby season, with three wins on the bounce pinning the men in blue, black and white to the top of the table. Johann van Graan’s side have racked up maximum spoils from their opening trilogy of fixtures, as 15 points saw Bath sweep aside Harlequins and Sale before securing a West Country derby win over Gloucester this past weekend.

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Last weekend’s ‘Derby Round’ marked more than just renewal of regional rivalries, as a handful of the PREM’s top international stars made their long awaited return to their clubs. For Bath, the third round of the competition marked the comeback of Finn Russell, who was on a prolonged stand down from action after his stellar campaign at the helm of the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.

Russell slotted back into the mix, with stand-in fly half Max Ojomoh slotted into his regularly scheduled spot within the centres. The Bath back-line seamlessly clicked into top gear, with fullback Tom de Glanville delighted at to have the Scotsman back leading the side. De Glanville spoke to RUCK today, about how it was a team effort to steer the ship without the Flying Scotsman at the helm.

“Firstly, with Finn [Russell] coming back, he obviously adds an X factor and a level of control that, especially I feel as an outside back, we can thrive off. Moments like his kick for Ewan [Richards’] try there, if you’re on the same page as him, he creates so many opportunities for players.

“Max was awesome holding that [fly half] down. I think it’s a testament to our group, the way he can slot in, and people around him supported him. It wasn’t just him in there, there’s Spenny [Ben Spencer], he was helping him from nine, everyone taking on duties, kickoffs, penalties, whatever it was. So, the load was shared which ultimately made his ride easier.”

Whilst Russell’s 13-point personal haul from the win over Gloucester, coupled with an uncharacteristic trip to the sin bin, took the headlines from Bath’s last outing, there was also plenty of focus upon a debutant in blue, black and white. Fresh from a Rugby Championship campaign with Argentina, Santiago Carreras made his maiden appearance for Bath this past weekend, against none other than his old club Gloucester.

Dependent on how you look at it, this was either the best or worst possible case scenario for Carreras’ debut, as he ran out against his former Cherry and White teammates in a fiercely contested West Country derby. Whilst Tom de Glanville did not share the pitch with Carreras, as the Pumas star was substituted on for the versatile England hopeful for the final 22 minutes, de Glanville had plenty of plaudits for the new-coming Argentine after a solid debut at the Rec.

“We just tried to make him feel as comfortable as possible in this group. We didn’t want him to go down to the pitch feeling like he wasn’t connected to us as a group of players. Especially as outside backs, 10s, fifteens, that’s the most important thing, is understanding what the players around you are going to be doing. So, the quicker we made him feel comfortable, the more likely he was to feel comfortable with the pitch and perform well, like he did.”

“I think competition is always good in every aspect. For me personally, learning off him, like Johann [van Graan] says, the players he brings in, everyone’s different. He’s [Santi Carreras] got a skill set that I might not have a similar skill set to, and being able to learn off him and talk to him about it, it’s just a brilliant experience.”

Tom de Glanville accredits his Director of Rugby for such a solid gelling within the side, despite the potential for hindered cohesion given the staggered squad returns of the Bath stars. The final international players returned to Farleigh House last Monday, with a week of catching-up enough to bring the side back up to their usual standards which won them an unforgettable treble this past season.

“Well, especially since Johann’s came here, speaking on a personal note, the way he’s gelled a squad and built this club up has been amazing. The people he’s brought in, the staff and players has been so special, just the way everyone sort of amalgamated to create this culture we have now is amazing.”

“I think it’s just the journey we’ve been on. Not just over the last year, a lot of people might look at that last season as a journey, but actually it started way back, five years ago. The kind of trust we’ve built over that, I would say, you’re always driving. You want people to perform well in your position, everyone’s supporting each other. I think we’ve [the players and coaches] honestly got a really special bond.”

Pivoting from Bath’s team cohesion and instead assessing his personal journey, de Glanville did not down play how a recent law change has had a tremendous impact upon his game. As a fullback, de Glanville prides himself upon his dominance of the areal battle, with a back-field management that reads any impending kick into his air space. However, the recent law change to kick returns has steadily favoured the attacking wings, with de Glanville, ever a student of the game, altering his defensive approach.

“It’s definitely been something of interest to me recently, how the aerial game has change with the new rules brought in. Learning, especially off nine, the way wingers are attacking the ball, it’s all changing completely. So, I think as fullbacks collectively, we have to start changing the way we approach and catch, because wingers are sort of ahead of the game.

“At the moment, it’s in favour of the winger chasing the ball to win the ball back. So, have to change the way we [fullbacks] catch to get the one-up back on them.”

“I would say 70% of high balls is mental. and sort of having that desire to win that space and win the ball. A lot of it is done off the pitch as well, looking at how specific wings chase, whether they tap back, whether they go for the two hands. So, every week is different, and every team’s kicking strategy is different. So it’s just understanding that.”

Turning his attention to the next task of the PREM Rugby season, de Glanville is chomping at the bit for a re-match of the latest PREM Rugby Final. Bath take on Leicester Tigers at Welford Road, as the two oldest rivals within the English top division clash once again. The Bath fullback expects nothing less than a hard-fought and physical encounter, when the blue, black and whites enter the Tigers Den this Saturday.

“You know what they’re bringing, the physicality they bring as a team, and their areal work is awesome. They’ve got some amazing back three players that can really get the challenge to us, so we’ve got to contend with them there and make it as tough as possible for them to get into the game.”

Tom de Glanville: Bath buoyed by Finn Russell’s return and debut of Pumas wing Santi Carreras

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