It was a mediocre year at the Rec, with another bottom half finish for the team that hasn’t finished higher than 4th in a decade. Will anything change this year?

Bath have long been a creative attacking side, and usually field one or two of the more dangerous open field runners in the Premiership, but truly hard men in the forward pack have been in the minority in recent years. The additions of Paul James and Dave Attwood pointed things in the right direction last season, and a fully fit Rob Webber combined with new signings Matt Garvey and Leroy Houston should make a big difference this time.

On paper they have the talent and strength in depth to challenge the big boys and make a serious run at hoisting the Amlin Challenge Cup. The forwards look much stronger, and the outside backs are arguably the best group in the country. There are question marks at halfback, where veteran Peter Stringer could be first choice along with defected Leicester wunderkind George Ford. Given their talent anything less than a top 6 finish should be seen as a disappointment.

HEAD COACH – Gary Gold

In his second year in charge the South African has brought in exactly what he wanted, more beef! Gold has constructed a big name coaching roster that includes former London Irish head honcho Toby Booth amongst others, and appears to have the full support of both the management and the players. A good season would see his stock up both as a recruiter and director.

CAPTAIN – Stuart Hooper

‘Hoops’ has been retained as club captain, but will be challenged to keep his spot in the run-on XV. Plenty of competition meant that he often missed out last season, with Francois Louw acting as match-day captain. Though he isn’t the biggest second row, he is an astute lineout tactician and there’s no substitute for his experience there.

KEY PLAYER – Francois Louw

There are few players in the Premiership who perform with the consistency of excellence that ‘Flo’ does. He has developed into a world class flanker and an indispensable member of the Bath pack, one that will be sorely missed as he remains away on Springbok duty for the first few weeks and again in November.

ONE TO WATCH – Kyle Eastmond

The same might have been said about the diminutive demon last season, but the proverbial cat is out of the bag now. Surely the quickest stepper in Britain and deceivingly powerful, the question now is what position will he play? A centre partnership with Jonathan Joseph could be on the books, and that is one that should capture the full attention of the England selectors.

BIG SIGNING – Matt Garvey

‘Big’ is an understatement, as the London Irish export tips the scales at nearly 20 stone and provides a massive physical presence either in the engine room or at blindside flank. A punishing ball runner with an impressive work rate, he has up to now been largely ignored by the national selectors. One big season in the spotlight could change that in a hurry.

BIG SIGNING – George Ford

On the other end of the scales is Ford, for many the best footballer of English flyhalf stock. His decision to be the latest disgruntled talent to leave Tigers was all about playing time, something he should get plenty of at Bath. Armed with high quality goal kicking, silky distribution skills, and a good rugby brain, he could prove to be the club’s most astute signing for a long time.

BIG SIGNING – Jonathan Joseph

Just a short time ago he was being hailed as a potential star with England, but after falling out with London Irish his stock has dropped somewhat. He will be keen to restore his league standing after a strong tour to Argentina in the summer. This could be a make-or-break season for the speedster.

TRANSFERS

In – Juan Pablo Orlandi (Racing), Matt Garvey (London Irish), Alafoti Fa’osiliva (Bristol), Leroy Houston (Colomiers), Dave Sisi (London Irish), Martin Roberts (Northampton), Micky Young (Leicester), George Ford (Leicester), Gavin Henson (London Welsh), Jonathan Joseph (London Irish), Anthony Watson (London Irish)

Out – Lee Mears (retired), Brett Sharman (released), Will Tanner (Cornish Pirates – loan), Nick Koster (Bristol – loan), Ben Skirving (Bristol), Simon Taylor (released), Michael Claassens (Toulon), Mark McMillan (retired), Stephen Donald (Mitsubishi), Sam Vesty (retired), Ben Mosses (Bristol), Dan Hipkiss (retired), Jack Cuthbert (Edinburgh)