Bath star on the ‘next step’ for high-flying club as ‘turning point’ in fortunes revealed
Miles Reid on the 'next step' for Bath Rugby
Miles Reid has revealed the “turning point” in Bath Rugby’s fortunes, as the side find themselves in the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup.
Bath have undertaken quite the journey since the arrival of head coach Johann van Graan. From struggling at the lower end of the PREM table to achieving treble-winning championship status last season, it’s been some transition.
Following Bath’s nerve-racking, but brilliant comeback victory over Northampton Saints on Friday night, Reid spoke to Planet Rugby about the club’s change in fortunes.
“It’s so special,” he said. “Look at this journey that we’ve been on over the past three or four years. It’s amazing when you look at where we were. When we keep learning every single day, we keep getting better; that’s what’s so special about it.
“Making memories with each other and having a good time with each other. I’m so proud to be part of this squad and part of this team.”
Change doesn’t happen overnight, of course, but certain moments can alter a path for any individual or team, and Reid has pinpointed when their European success changed course.
“We love rugby because we feel like we can compete, and you want to test yourselves against the best,” he told the press pack. “We played Toulouse two, three years ago, and that was a big turning point for us as a team. We learned a lot from that.”
When asked by Planet Rugby if this Bath side could step it up another level, the 27-year-old was honest with his assessment, saying: “I always think there’s a next step for us. I think that the moment that you think there’s not is the moment you’re in a bit of danger. So I’m so excited to see where this team can go.”
Northampton crash out
On the other side of the coin, last season’s finalists, Northampton Saints, showed plenty of fight, but were pipped to the post, losing the lead with just three and a half minutes left on the clock.
Director of rugby Phil Dowson was full of praise for his team’s attacking work, saying: “Our ability to create space and run the next holes and create pressure in attack is outstanding.
“I thought our scrum was very good for large parts of it, some of our defensive shape in the first half was excellent, our movement and our hits and all those sorts of elements, and we worked incredibly hard. You can’t coach effort and heart and a pair of b******. So I’m incredibly proud of that.”
For all their brilliance, however, they crashed out two stages earlier than they did last season, and one stage earlier than the season before.
Dowson was well aware of their shortcomings, admitting: “There’s loads of parts of the game that weren’t good enough. So, on the balance of play, we didn’t do enough to win.”
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