Bath boss has ‘no regrets’ over squad rotation despite loss to Leicester

Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan claims he does not regret rotating his team for their 35-22 loss to Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.

Van Graan opted to keep many of his first-choice players fit and fresh for their West Country derby with Gloucester next week.

Leicester seized the chance to take the win against a high-flying Bath side with four tries and a penalty try powering them home in front of a big crowd.

Rotation is normal

The Bath boss underlined that rotating the team is normal and that he does not regret it after the loss.

“I’ve no regrets about my decision as we’ve had 18 games in 17 weeks and I’ve rotated my squad from the opening game of the season,” Van Graan said.

“There are a number of teams in all of the European competitions that rotate their squad so we are no different.

“We have had a good December, so we are in a good position.

“We obviously want to win every competition that we are in but the key factor is that we aim to get better week by week and I believe we are doing that.

“The decision not to award a penalty try for a high tackle on Tom de Glanville in the first half was a major turning point in the match but Tigers deserved to win.

“You won’t win any matches by giving so many penalties away in the mid third of the field, which then gives the opposition easy field position in your 22.”

Selection surprise

Meanwhile, Leicester Tigers head coach Dan McKellar admits being surprised by Bath’s team selection. Still, the tactician felt it was a good outing for his side.

“I was surprised by Bath’s selection as a lot of people would have loved to see Finn Russell here but Johann (van Graan) is a very experienced coach and knows what he’s doing and they were still a quality side,” McKellar said.

“After last week’s disappointing performance at Exeter, I asked for a response and the boys were determined to provide one.

“In the first half, I thought our exit strategy was clinical, which put us in the right areas of the field and from there we were able to execute our power game.

“We needed the win to stay in touch in the league table and it’s important that we keep winning and build momentum.

“However, I was frustrated with the second-half effort as I wanted us to maintain standards but we weren’t able to do so.”

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