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Bath sign former England lock Dave Attwood

Dave Attwood of England looks on during the RBS Six Nations match between England and Italy at Twickenham Stadium on February 14, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Bath are set to sign former England lock Dave Attwood from Bristol Bears – the powerful forward returning to the Gallagher Premiership side he left three years ago.

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According to widespread reports, Attwood has signed a two-year deal with the Gallagher Premiership strugglers.

Attwood was sent out on loan in 2018 to Toulon, a move that reinvigorated the 6’5, 119kg forward. After a brief return to Bath, he signed for Bristol Bears, where he has spent the last three seasons.

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Nathan Hughes – A Fijian Ferrari, Bronco Tests and Playing for England | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 27

We hear about his early days playing in New Zealand before moving to Wasps and eventually lining out for England. He gives us an incredible insight into life under Eddie Jones and Pat Lam, why he left Bristol for Bath and his aspirations to line out for Fiji. Lots more including his introduction to Lawrence Dallaglio, his run-in with Ryan Wilson when England played Scotland and his England debut versus the Boks.

Video Spacer

Nathan Hughes – A Fijian Ferrari, Bronco Tests and Playing for England | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 27

We hear about his early days playing in New Zealand before moving to Wasps and eventually lining out for England. He gives us an incredible insight into life under Eddie Jones and Pat Lam, why he left Bristol for Bath and his aspirations to line out for Fiji. Lots more including his introduction to Lawrence Dallaglio, his run-in with Ryan Wilson when England played Scotland and his England debut versus the Boks.

Director of Rugby Pat Lam said: “Dave has been an excellent servant to Bears during his time with the club. He’s been a key part of our leadership group and a positive ambassador for our Bears Team Culture.

“We are grateful to Dave for everything he has contributed and he can be proud of what he has achieved in a Bristol shirt. Dave leaves with our best wishes at the end of the season and we know he will be fully invested in helping us finish the campaign strongly.”

Attwood added: “I’m so grateful to Pat, the Lansdown family, and Chris Booy, for the opportunities they have afforded me with the Bears. I will obviously be fully committed through to the end of the season.

“I will be sorry to close this chapter of my career as the Bears has been such an exciting story to be a part of and I look forward to concluding the season with my teammates.”

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Attwood won 24 caps for England between 2010 and 2018.

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Speaking to RugbyPass last year, Attwood said that when he returned to England after his loan spell in Toulon he was a transformed player. “I realised when I went to Toulon that I had been stuck in a rut. I was 30 and not really enjoying rugby. I was privileged to be playing, I recognised that, I was very fortunate to be able to do what I did but I didn’t love what I did to get out of bed in the morning, I wasn’t excited to go to work.

“Getting out of the environment I had been in for seven years, getting out to Toulon, that opened my eyes and I came back in my last season at Bath, I was players’ player of the year, I was loving rugby again and I had broken out of the mindset of functional, pragmatic rugby that you often get drawn into. The Premiership is a very gruelling mistress and it’s very easy to get segwayed into playing that very narrow, restricted brand of rugby.”

 

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Hellhound 14 minutes ago
Scotland's Gregor Townsend confirms Tom Jordan Glasgow exit

NZ lost a great player there. Played brilliantly for Glasgow and against SA was the best player on the pitch. Caused the Boks some headaches. Slot him into the current AB's team, and they would be very dangerous, especially broken play.


However, the Scots isn't stupid and their recruiting from the SH countries is starting to pay off. They don't have the player pool the SH countries have, nor that of their neighbours even.


I applaud them for being so open-minded as giving those players who have loyally played their rugby in Scotland for years a chance. SA for one have such a vast pool of players that's so talented and could be world class given the smallest chance, but will never get a look in because there is just so many stars in the country.


I don't mind that Saffas play for other countries to further their own careers. Besides, it makes Scotland better and makes for one more team to step up to the big stage and make rugby more exciting than just the top 4 that usually wins.


Scotland may have lost by 17 against a rusty Bok "B" team, but that score is not a true indication of that match. The Scottish biggest mistakes was kicking at goal the entire time, instead of going for the jugular. If they tried to go for tries, they may have been stopped and the score might have been bigger, but the game was on such a knife edge, that if they did go for it, they might have scored a couple of tries or more and we very well might have seen a Scottish upset.


It was by no means a bad effort at all. Tom Jordan is one of their best new talents coming through. He should've stayed with Glasgow. What a loss for the URC Champs. Going to Loftus and getting one over the Bulls is something that not even the so called best team in club rugby could do. Leinster keeps losing at Loftus. For Glasgow to do that in a Final was phenomenal and Tom Jordan was no small part of that feat.


Rugby is truely becoming a global sport now, where the eligibility rules is making rugby a much smaller world, but a much bigger global game. The Scots is most likely the team with the most aliens in their team. They welcome players with open arms. I applaud that. They are a sleeping giant, and if they continue playing like they did against the Boks, despite the results, they will become a real threat for 2027.


I admired how they played. They impressed everyone. I say good on them. Results will come if they continue on their upward trajectory. I wish them and Tom Jordan all the luck they deserve.

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