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Reports link Bath with former South African forwards coach van Graan
By Paul Smith
The Irish Independent has today linked Munster head coach Johann van Graan with English Premiership club Bath.
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The struggling former giants of English rugby are winless after nine rounds of Gallagher Premiership action and as a result find themselves ten points adrift at the foot of the table.
Despite there being no relegation from the top flight for a second consecutive year, youthful director of rugby Stuart Hooper is facing huge pressure.
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And according to Ruaidhri O’Connor’s story South Africa’s former forwards’ coach is under consideration to succeed Hooper at the Rec.
Van Graan has been in charge at Thomond Park since November 2017 when he was appointed in the wake of fellow countryman Rassie Erasmus’ departure. Prior to this van Graan spent five years working with the Springboks following a lengthy spell with the Blue Bulls.
Irish sources have for some time suggested that the South African is out of contract with Munster at the end of the current season, and it now appears that discussions regarding a new deal to extend his five-year stay in Limerick are not progressing smoothly.
41-year-old van Graan plus assistants Stephen Larkham, Graham Rowntree and JP Ferreira were all believed to be close to extending their deals to 2024, but with the former Wallaby fly half now departing for Australia that seems less clearcut.
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Hooper says Bath were the victim of bad luck after the club were hit with fresh injuries in Northampton. #NORvBAT https://t.co/xoFCdb140E
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2021
Bath’s poor start to the season prompted owner Bruce Craig to last month bring in controversial former Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths to “scrutinise each component part” of their rugby operations.
As a result of this chief exec Tarquin McDonald recently announced that the club will beef up a number of off-field areas including physiotherapy and performance psychology.
McDonald’s update also advised fans that a specialist defence coach will be appointed “to start as soon as they are available this season.”
Bath were strongly linked with former Sale and Saracens boss Steve Diamond, but he has since joined Worcester in a consultancy capacity. This means Hooper’s coaching team, which is headed by former hooker Neal Hatley, remains intact.
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The former Heineken Cup winners who dominated English rugby in the 1980’s and 90’s, remain one of the biggest spenders in English rugby thanks to Craig’s huge personal wealth.
They also have some of the best facilities in the sport at their purpose-built Farleigh House training base.
MATCH REPORT: A case of a picture painting a thousand words? #NORvBAT https://t.co/xHqzj3kZpg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2021
The problem is Bruce Craig spends in the wrong way - Spencer from Saracens was a good acqusition but Cipriani and others have been "dogs".
But Craig is also naive - giving Hooper the Director of Rugby position with absolutely NO experience in top flight coaching.
Hately given the coach position, why??? What experience did he have? Let's not say England - he was a forwards coach, under the control of Eddie Jones - he had huge talent to manage - so this is no proof of pedregiee to be a team coach (but remember the forwards were dismantled by Boks in RWC19).
A few years ago Bruce Craig brought in a whole coaching team from London Irish led by Toby Booth - what a joke, you bring in a coaching team who are coaching a team that were perennial bottom of Premier league!!
And you want success Mr Craig - you hire Tod Blackadder from Crusaders - name sounds outstanding but he hired a guy who had no success with arguably the strongest NZ franchise (8 years the Crusaders were without a trophy under Blackadder - Roberston takes over and they win super rugby 5 years in succession.
Bruce Craig has money, but there is something wrong in the management of this once great club.