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Where are they now? The Bath 1988/89 Courage League title winners

Bath prop Gareth Chilcott (Photo by Russell Cheyne/Allsport)

Bath are bidding this Saturday to be champions of England for the seventh time and become the second most successful team in the competition’s history.

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The West Country giants currently have six titles – the same as Saracens and Wasps – but are still five short of the most successful team, Leicester Tigers, who won their 11th crown in 2022.

Bath, who last won the title in 1996, have been runners-up five times, including in their last Premiership final appearance in 2015.

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Damian de Allende – Walk the Talk Trailer | RPTV

Springbok Damian de Allende joins Jim Hamilton for a fascinating chat about all things Springbok rugby, including RWC2023 and the upcoming Ireland series. Full interview coming Thurs 6th June.

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Damian de Allende – Walk the Talk Trailer | RPTV

Springbok Damian de Allende joins Jim Hamilton for a fascinating chat about all things Springbok rugby, including RWC2023 and the upcoming Ireland series. Full interview coming Thurs 6th June.

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The first title win in 1989 – in the second year of the competition – sparked one of the most successful periods that English club rugby has ever known.

That season, Jack Rowell’s Bath won 10 of their 11 games. The only defeat suffered was 15-12 against deposed champions Leicester at Welford Road in the final round of fixtures.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
3
Draws
0
Wins
2
Average Points scored
24
29
First try wins
80%
Home team wins
100%

They finished five points ahead of runners-up Gloucester while Waterloo and Liverpool St Helens dropped out of the top flight in an era of relegation.

The Courage League title wasn’t the only piece of silverware to end up at The Rec that year as Stuart Barnes scored a try and two penalties in the Pilkington Cup final to edge out Leicester 10-6. This is what happened to Bath’s 1989 double winners:

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Stuart Barnes: England and Lions fly-half has a successful media career with Sky Sports, The Times, and Sunday Times.

Gareth Chilcott: England and Lions loosehead has been involved in a music venue in Bristol, The Tunnels, and Venatour, a sports travel company.

Mark Crane: Prop has worked in the dairy industry and is a commercial manager at Chew Valley Dairy.

Damian Cronin: Scotland and Lions Lock runs a firm in Little Bookham, Surrey, that supplies and fits new and reclaimed wood and stone flooring.

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Graham Dawe: England hooker has been a farmer and was director of rugby and head coach at Plymouth Albion. He also coaches Cornwall and has done some coaching for England.

Jimmy Deane: Hooker was the manager of the Bath Rugby Foundation and is the founder of Sporting Family Change.

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Dave Egerton: England back row worked in insurance and investment, and also commentated for BBC Bristol until his death in February 2021.

Jeremy Guscott: England and Lions centre has worked in the media, was a director of a cosmetics company, and has a property rental firm.

John Hall: England back row formed PGIR Ltd, a Wiltshire-based performance and analysis company, and is an investor relations specialist.

Simon Halliday: England international, who could play in the centre or on the wing, has worked in investment banking and was chairman of EPCR, the organiser of the Champions and Challenge Cup tournaments.

Richard Hill: Scrum-half has coached in England, Wales and France where spent a decade with Rouen and Perigueux Dordogne Athletic Club.

Keith Hoskin: Full-back had jobs for Courage Brewers before becoming a project manager in the IT industry.

Richard Lee: England B tighthead still runs the family farm near Taunton in Somerset.

Audley Lumsden: England B full-back is a physics teacher and helps with games at Lord Wandsworth College in Hook, Hampshire.

John Morrison: England B lock is the founder and managing director of Four Wealth Management Ltd.

Victor Obogu: England prop owned a sports bar, Shoeless Joe’s, and launched VU Ltd, a sporting travel and hospitality business based in Twickenham.

John Palmer: England centre was a school teacher while playing. He worked at the Bath academy until 2012 and then returned to teaching at Prior Park.

Nigel Redman: England lock worked for British Swimming as head of performance team development and is now the RFU’s team performance director.

Andy Robinson: England flanker has coached England, Scotland and Romania. Is currently Bath’s head academy coach.

Fred Sagoe: Ghana-born winger is a barrister who was called to the bar in July 1983. Now works out of Villa Chambers, Oundle, near Peterborough.

Paul Simpson: England back row works in financial services and is a director of Leicestershire firm, Angell Mallinder.

Tony Swift: An England winger when an accountant, he was Bath’s chief executive and is now the managing director of the healthcare firm, Apodi Limited.

Barry Trevaskis: England trialist winger coached and worked in Plymouth’s police marine unit, retiring after 27 years of service.

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O
Oh no, not him again? 1 hour ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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