Two former England captains have tipped Bath Rugby to be the side that finally ends the nation's long wait for success in Europe's premier club competition.
Ending the English Drought
It has been six years since an English club last won the Investec Champions Cup, but the newly-crowned Gallagher Premiership champions are being backed to stop the rot. Lawrence Dallaglio and Chris Robshaw, both former national skippers, believe the West Country outfit has the credentials to make a serious impact this season.
Bath, who ended a 29-year wait for the English title last term, currently lead the Premiership once more following a significant away victory at Saracens. Despite being placed in a challenging Champions Cup pool, the pundits are optimistic about their continental prospects.
Strength in Depth Key to Challenge
For Chris Robshaw, a Challenge Cup winner with Harlequins, Bath's squad depth positions them to compete with the dominant French sides and Irish powerhouse Leinster. The Top 14 has produced the winner for the last five consecutive seasons, but Robshaw points to Bath's formidable pack, anchored by world-class tighthead Thomas du Toit, as a potential game-changer.
"Those big guys, in a World Team of the Year, don’t come around too often," Robshaw noted, highlighting the luxury of being able to rotate Du Toit with England's Will Stuart. He added, "You look at this Bath squad on paper and it looks like it could compete with a French giant, a South African giant or whoever."
Robshaw, who is part of Premier Sports' coverage team this season, issued a note of caution, however, emphasising the critical importance of the group stage. "It comes down to the knockout stages, are they playing at home? They have got to get this group stage right."
Learning from Past Mistakes
Bath's European campaign last season serves as a stark warning. After an opening home defeat to La Rochelle and a loss with a weakened side away to Benetton, they failed to qualify for the knockout rounds, despite later lifting the second-tier Challenge Cup.
Lawrence Dallaglio, a two-time Champions Cup winner with Wasps, has urged the team to start strongly this time. Bath face a tough opening sequence, hosting a resurgent Munster before travelling to Toulon. "Hopefully Bath will have learned from their mistakes last season," said Dallaglio, also working with Premier Sports.
"I do think this year, they are English champions now so the natural next step is to go and challenge for more silverware... If there is to be a serious challenge from England, I think Bath are the ones to provide that, not just because of the quality of their squad but also the depth."
Dallaglio stressed the marathon nature of the tournament, requiring a strong squad from start to finish, and pointed to the consistent team selection of French giants Toulouse and Bordeaux as the benchmark to follow.
