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Banahan reveals the real reason he left Bath

Matt Banahan has told The Rugby Pod that his move from Bath to Gloucester was never about money but came about because of a time limit put on negotiations by the club.

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The 31-year-old scored a hat-trick against London Irish last weekend to take his tally for Bath to 100 but they will be his last tries for the club as he has agreed to join West Country rivals Gloucester on a three-year deal and he admits to being disappointed more time wasn’t allowed for negotiations.

“It was never about money. It all kicked off with the negotiations and I was on a timescale,” he said.

“Being there for 12 years, I thought I’d have a bit more time to make a decision but obviously it was taken off the table pretty soon before December 31 and once that was taken away I had to look at what was best for me and my family.”

Banahan also revealed that Director of Rugby Todd Blackadder was not in charge of the discussions surrounding his contract and admitted that can cause problems.

“I know it’s not coming from Todd [Blackadder] so all I know is that it comes through a representative of the club and I don’t know who’s above that,” he told The Rugby Pod.

“I can only speculate who it is but I think when you look at how coaches want their players and we’ve gone through so many coaches maybe that might be the reason why because who’s team is it sometimes.”

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The Jersey-born back has been at Bath for over a decade, working under a number of different coaches, and says the league table shows that the club needs to have consistency at the top if it wants to achieve success.

“In 12 years I’ve had 12 different coaches,” he said. “If you look at the stronghold of the league at the moment with Exeter, Saracens and Newcastle up there with Dean [Richards], they have got a structure with coaches that have been there and performing well for a few years and have the foundations to build on.

“Hopefully in years to come Bath will have that when they find the right mixture but obviously I’ll just move on now and look back at the good times I’ve had.”

Banahan also told Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton that Tabai Matson, who left Bath in September for family reasons, is the best coach he has played under.

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It’s becoming increasingly rare for coaches or players to spend anywhere near as long as 12 years at one club and Banahan admits he is sad to be saying goodbye to The Rec but says he’s looking forward to a new challenge.

“I knew around Christmas time that my journey was finishing and it didn’t come as a surprise to me so I just had to move on and enjoy my last six months at the club,” he said.

“There’s a massive sad part inside of me but I think it’s the right time for me to leave. I’ve done a lot at the club in 12 years and sometimes you don’t have the fairytale ending. I’ve had an opportunity to move on and enjoy my rugby somewhere else.”

Watch the full video for Banahan’s views on his tattoos, being overlooked by England and much more.

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Enjoy and you can listen to all previous episodes here

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BeamMeUp 29 minutes ago
The Springboks have something you don't have

A few comments. Firstly, I am a Bok fan and it's been a golden period for us. I hope my fellow Bok fans appreciate this time and know that it cannot last forever, so soak it all in!


The other thing to mention (and this is targeted at Welsh, English and even Aussie supporters who might be feeling somewhat dejected) is that it's easy to forget that just before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, the Boks were ranked 7th in the world and I had given up hope we'd ever be world beaters again.


Sport is a fickle thing and Rassie and his team have managed to get right whatever little things it takes to make a mediocre team great. I initially worried his methods might be short-lived (how many times can you raise a person's commitment by talking about his family and his love of his country as a motivator), but he seems to have found a way. After winning in 2019 on what was a very simple game plan, he has taken things up ever year - amazing work which has to be applauded! (Dankie Rassie! Ons wardeer wat jy vir die ondersteuners en die land doen!) (Google translate if you don't understand Afrikaans! 😁)


I don't think people outside South Africa fully comprehend the enormity of the impact seeing black and white, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and all the other hues playing together does for the country's sense of unity. It's pure joy and happiness.


This autumn tour has been a bit frustrating in that the Boks have won, but never all that convincingly. On the one hand, I'd like to have seen more decisive victories, BUT what Rassie has done is expose a huge number of players to test rugby, whilst also diversifying the way the Boks play (Tony Brown's influence).


This change of both style and personnel has resulted in a lack of cohesion at times and we've lost some of the control, whereas had we been playing our more traditional style, that wouldn't happen. This is partially attributable to the fact that you cannot play Tony Brown's expansive game whilst also having 3 players available at every contact point to clear the defence off the ball. I have enjoyed seeing the Boks play a more exciting, less attritional game, which is a boring, albeit effective spectacle. So, I am happy to be patient, because the end justifies the means (and I trust Rassie!). Hopefully all these players we are blooding will give us incredible options for substitutions come next year's Rugby Championship and of course, the big prize in 2027.


Last point! The game of rugby has never been as exciting as it is now. Any of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Argentina, Scotland, England & Australia can beat one another. South Africa may be ranked #1, but I wouldn't bet my house in them beating France or New Zealand, and we saw Argentina beating both South Africa and New Zealand this year! That's wonderful for the game and makes the victories we do get all the sweeter. Each win is 100% earned. Long may it last!


Sorry for the long post! 🏉🌍

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