When you go from being the hunters to the hunted, how do you evolve to stay alive? For Bath, winners of the Gallagher Prem, Prem Cup and Challenge Cup last year, it has been about turning to their big beasts up front.
Bath were supposed to back up their first league title win since 1996 by cruising to another, and go deep for the first time in decades in the Investec Champions Cup having added quality to a squad already bulging with talent.
It has been intriguing because something has felt different about them. They have lost only three of 12 frontline games — to Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints in the league and Toulon away in Europe — and yet watching them you feel at times that they are playing within themselves.
Back-row forward Ted Hill shows off his physicality, with the front eight having a more prominent attacking role this season
BOB BRADFORD – CAMERASPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES
But is that right? Or are they just evolving, to stay ahead of the game’s trends and the chasing pack?
Here are some marquee stats to ponder about Bath in 2025-26. One third of all of their tries have come from front-row forwards. Last year their back three accounted for 26 per cent of them, but now it is Thomas du Toit, Tom Dunn, Beno Obano and co who have scored more than any other position. Bath have super-charged their pick-and-go game.
Against Newcastle Red Bulls on December 21 Bath secured a bonus point within 43 minutes, all four tries scored by the starting front row of Francois van Wyk, Dan Frost and Archie Griffin — the first time that statistical quirk had happened in the Prem.
And then against Exeter Chiefs on January 3 Bath rescued a 33-26 win, having been 26-0 up, then level with six minutes to play, with a try from back-row forward Arthur Green after 38 phases of largely picks-and-go moves. It was reminiscent of Rob Baxter’s Double-winning Exeter side of 2020, who never kicked penalties but seemingly always scored through their forwards in the “red zone” after grinding their opponents into the dust with percussive carries.
One view of this may be that this is depressing. Bath have Finn Russell, one of the most dashing No10s on the planet, as well as Santi Carreras, signed from Gloucester as a second playmaker, plus Cameron Redpath, Max Ojomoh, Ollie Lawrence and Tom de Glanville, all ball-playing backs, plus the incomparable speed of Henry Arundell on the wing. And yet they go for power.
But the opposing take is that they are showing nous and adaptability, and are doubling down on a super-strength few can match. Their depth of props and back-rowers in particular is incredible. Bath being able to beat you both ways is alarming for everyone else — as long as they remember to move the ball too.
Despite the arrival of speedster Arundell, Bath’s back three contribute only 21 per cent of tries, as opposed to 33 per cent from the front row
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Bath have played more narrowly than any other club in the Prem, Top 14 or United Rugby Championship this season. The majority of their passes (67 per cent) are less than ten metres, while they rarely throw beyond the first receiver (less than 13.6 per cent make it past that player).
Bath also kick about four times more per match than in 2024-25 — 30 times this season to 26 in the last campaign — and only five teams in Europe’s leagues have slower ball than them (Sale Sharks, Zebre, Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets). They also pick-and-go nearly 26 times per match, way up from 19.7 from last season.
Half of Bath’s rucks last more than three seconds. Compare that with Bordeaux Bègles, who whisk the ball away within three seconds 67.6 per cent of the time, the best in class, and you see the wild contrast.
This is where it gets interesting, though, because these limitations have not curtailed Bath’s ability to score points or tries at all — in fact, they have improved both statistics from last year.
So what is happening? Johann van Graan, the Bath head coach, says that there has been no concerted effort to change Bath’s style but points to the seamless departure of Lee Blackett, the attack coach who left for England early this season, and the arrival of successor Martin Gleeson as a factor, especially compared with other clubs.
“We’ve had a coaching change after the first round, and some other teams have had coaching changes too, so I’d like to think we’ve come out of that pretty well,” he said, citing Harlequins, who have collapsed after Danny Wilson left them high and dry when he joined Wales just before the season started.
Is Van Graan actually being very tactically intelligent this season? With referees told to be tight on illegal maul set-ups, rolling them is trickier, so Bath hardly maul at all, instead tapping penalties from close range. Winning kicking contests these days is also invaluable now that catchers are less protected.
Fly half Russell has said Bath are looking to play more expansively as the season goes on
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Speak to Russell and you learn more about why Bath have favoured a kick-and-power game this season.
“We’ve looked a lot at going to the air with the aerial threats we have,” he explained. “Defences are getting better in their blitz and staying more connected, so if we can go to the air it gives us more options. That flows naturally into picking and going and being tighter. With the super-strength we have in the forwards we might as well use that.”
Gleeson has focused on the attacking shape of the forwards and is keen to add clever running lines to Bath’s arsenal. Russell wants to play wider as the weather improves to use his back-line weapons and thinks Bath’s 43-20 win away to Castres, who have a strong pack, was the best demonstration so far of their varied skills.
“We’ve spoken about playing more expansively like last year and the year before. How do we bring the backs into the game more?” Russell asked. “The backs and the ball-players we have are a real strength. It’s getting the balance right.”
Edinburgh come next to the Rec and Bath beat them up in the Challenge Cup semi-final last season, so perhaps expect more of that. If they are to retake the Prem, and challenge the likes of Bordeaux in Europe, though, you feel forward power will not be nearly enough.