Johann van Graan wary of ‘very dangerous’ Edinburgh and as Bath on verge of ‘another step’ in their journey
Bath boss Johann van Graan looks ahead to facing Edinburgh.
Bath sit top of Pool Two with three wins from three, facing Edinburgh on Friday night in an Investec Champions Cup fixture that could secure a home Round of 16 clash.
It’s the sort of position Johann van Graan’s side weren’t occupying a few seasons ago, but the South African coach is relaxed about the pressure that comes with being favourites, even if he’s acutely aware of what Edinburgh bring to The Rec.
“They’re a very dangerous side,” Van Graan says.
“We came up against them last season in the Challenge Cup semi-final in Edinburgh so we know what they’re about. Really good set-piece led by Pierre Schoeman, they go forward at the breakdown, Ben Vellacott at nine is always sniping around the edges and they’ve got some dangerous backs, none more so than Darcy Graham on the wing.
“It’s a fascinating contest but it’s like every weekend in this competition, you come up against every good player in the northern hemisphere across multiple weekends and it will certainly be a big game on Friday.”
The connections between the clubs extend beyond player familiarity. Edinburgh’s Sean Everitt coached alongside Van Graan with South Africa and the two have been circling each other in Scottish and English rugby for years now.
“Sean and I go back a long time, obviously I’m from the Bulls and he’s from the Sharks, and when I was with South Africa we worked really well together at the Sharks with that coaching group,” he said.
“We both came across to the UK a few years ago so we’ve coached against each other for a number of years now. Sean’s a very good man and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
With Pool Two still wide open heading into the final rounds, the mathematics of qualification and seeding could shift dramatically over the weekend, but Van Graan is characteristically pragmatic about focusing on what Bath can control.
“Firstly as a coach you have to prepare for all the different scenarios and know exactly what all the different permutations are because as we saw last weekend, anything can happen in a game of rugby. So myself together with the coaches and the leadership group, we’re very aware of what we need. But then we go back to just what we do,” he explained.
“It’s another game on a Friday night and we’ve had multiple games on Friday night so we’ve got to adapt our preparation accordingly. What I enjoy about this one is we’re playing first so we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do on Friday night, then we’ll see what happens on Saturday and Sunday.”
The forward battle that will decide it
This fixture will be won or lost in the collisions before Finn Russell ever touches the ball. Schoeman has been arguably the standout loosehead in Europe this season and Edinburgh’s pack arrive at The Rec with real, proven physicality. If they can disrupt Bath’s scrum and slow down their ball at the breakdown, Russell and the back three become isolated rather than lethal. Bath know this, which is why Thomas du Toit and the front five will carry as much responsibility as anyone wearing 10.
Van Graan’s scrum has been major weapon, and if Bath can establish dominance there whilst Sam Underhill and the back-row secure quick ball, Edinburgh’s defence will be scrambling all night.
“The breakdown is always a battle against them,” Van Graan notes, and that understates what’s really at stake. Control that area and Bath win comfortably, but lose it and this becomes attritional.
Injury update encouraging
The injury situation remains relatively encouraging for Bath, as Van Graan confirms.
“We actually came through Castres pretty well. Josh Bayliss has got a bit of stiffness so we’ll wait until late in the week, but nothing new to report. Sam (Underhill) and Ollie (Lawrence) both finished the training session today so they’re both available for selection. Charlie Ewels is still a bit further away but nothing serious. He’s actually been in for three days this week so he’s off the crutches in terms of his leg. He’s in good spirits but as I’ve said, this will take a number of weeks. Great to have him around at Farleigh though.”
The conversation inevitably turns to Bath’s attacking evolution since Lee Blackett’s departure after Round One, with some observers suggesting the team’s style has shifted towards a more forward-oriented game.
Van Graan pushes back gently on the characterisation, saying: “I wouldn’t say we’ve changed a lot. I’m aware there’s some perception around it but I think the most important bit to state is that Lee left after Round One of the Premiership and we’ve wished him well, Lee’s a phenomenal coach.
“But Martin Gleeson has come in and I think it’s important that everybody who comes into our environment is their own man. So obviously there’s some differences, there’s personality differences, there’s small tweaks around the game, but we haven’t specifically changed a whole host of things.
“If you think back to the Gloucester game, Bristol game, the Saracens game, we attacked really well. Then you get weather like we did on Friday night, or I take you back to the Munster game where we scored four tries within how many minutes in all different shapes and forms. Yes, our front-row have scored a lot of tries but Ted Hill at six has scored a lot of tries since joining in 2023.”
On managing heightened expectations after last season’s success, Van Graan is philosophical.
“In professional sport, expectation means that people care. People care about this team,” he said.
“The fact that we’ve won three trophies means we’ve had a target on our back since Round One and that’s a different kind of pressure we’ve embraced. Expectation means people expect something of us and it’s a great position to be in, a position I certainly enjoy.”
Regarding Friday’s Investec Champions Cup challenge, Van Graan distils it to essentials.
“We want to improve in this competition, it’s another step in our journey and we’re doing things we haven’t done before,” he said.
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“For us we’ve acknowledged the fact that yes we’re currently number one in the group and should we win on Friday night that means we’ve got a home Round of 16, something we as a group haven’t achieved yet.
“But then we just take it back to the basics, back to zero, have our two days of training, get away from rugby and enjoy Friday night. We’re certainly not going to add any pressure on ourselves. We know exactly what position we’re in but we’ve been in a few big games over the last number of years.
“This is just another week in our season. Yes it’s got implications for what happens potentially in April but you’ve got to love it. Round Four in Europe is so special.”
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