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Bath sign 5 to academy including son of Martin Offiah and U18 captain
By Josh Raisey
Bath have confirmed the signing of five players to their senior academy, including Tyler Offiah, son of rugby league legend Martin, as reported in Fissler Confidential.
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The winger Offiah is one of three former London Irish players to join Bath, alongside hooker Kepu Tuipulotu and centre Charlie Griffin, who has played for Saracens this season.
Dragons and Wales U18 fullback Jack Woods and Bath academy product and England U18 captain Connor Treacey complete the quintet.
Woods is not the only Welsh-qualified player joining, as Tuipulotu also qualifies having been born in Wales. The Harrow School pupil has represented and captained England U18, while his sister Sisilia represents Wales Women. He also qualifies for Tonga, but has bizarrely not yet qualified to play for England’s senior team. There is likely to be a tug-of-war in the coming years over who he represents.
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan said after signing the players: “We are thrilled to welcome these five talented individuals to our Senior Academy.
“They have already showcased immense talent and dedication at every stage of their development, and we believe they have the potential to make a significant impact on the future of our club.
“We take great pride in our academy system and the role it plays in nurturing young talent.
“These signings are a testament to their hard work and also that of the team here at Bath Rugby in identifying them as having the potential to be amongst the next generation of Bath Rugby stars.
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“On behalf of everyone at Bath Rugby, we extend our congratulations to Charlie, Tyler, Connor, Kepu, and Jack and look forward to supporting them as they embark on this exciting next chapter of their rugby careers.
England U18 head coach Jonathan Pendlebury recently explained to RugbyPass ahead of the U18s Six Nations festival how Tyler Offiah compares to his father, who was one of the most prolific try scorers Great Britain has ever seen in rugby league, and even had a brief dalliance in rugby union with Wasps.
Tyler was part of the 26-player England U18 squad, which was captained by Treacey.
“They like scoring tries, yeah,” Pendlebury said.
“I think, yeah, just similar in that he [Tyler] likes playing rugby with a smile on his face. I remember watching his dad play in all those Challenge Cup fixtures that always used to be on the BBC and he was in some pretty dominant sides in that era.
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“So you have got a young man who is trying to find his own way in a different sport and certainly a different era. But yeah, young Tyler is working hard.
“He had a little bit of a setback where he picked up a knock but then he has come back into the squad with us and hopefully, just like all the other guys, is in a position to express himself and just enjoy it and maximise the opportunity they have got with us.”
