Bath Rugby : Bath Rugby Academy enters new season

New Academy player Rhys Crane

Bath Rugby Academy enters new season

23 July 2008, 3:41 pm

By Simon Clark

Bath Rugby Academy players returned to training alongside the first team squad at the beginning of July. In line with other Premiership clubs the academy squad has been reduced for this coming season but Bath will still have one of the largest full time groups in the Premiership.

From last season’s squad Matt Banahan has graduated to the first team squad after a great debut season. Three contracted Academy players were released at the end of the season as the competition for places in the senior squad gets harder each year. Mike Myerscough (Cornish All Blacks) George Hughes (Doncaster Knights) and Ian Davey (Bedford Blues) have all found new professional clubs for the coming season.

This seasons Academy squad now consists of nineteen full time players, plus eight in the Elite Player Development Group (EPDG) Gold, seven in the EPDG Silver and twenty one in the EPDG Bronze squads who train during the school holidays and evenings during the season.

The nineteen are:- (returning from last season) Jack Bentall (Openside Flanker), Nathan Catt (Loose Head Prop), Luke Cozens (Fly Half), Jack Cuthbert (Full Back), Adrian Griffiths (Lock), Ed Jackson (No8), Mark Lilley (Hooker), Billy Moss (Loose Head Prop), Ben Williams (Centre), Lee Audis (Scrum Half), Josh Ovens (Blind Side Flanker), Guy Mercer (Openside Flanker) and Tom Heathcote (Fly Half).

New to the full time squad this year are:- Rhys Crane (Wing), James Currie (Tight Head Prop), Scott Hobson (Lock), Paul Roberts (Fly Half), Ted Stagg (Hooker), Kane Newport (Tight Head Prop).

Several of the older players have already trained with the first team this pre-season and six will go with the squad to the pre- season camp in Portugal next week. They are Catt, Cuthbert, Hobson, Crane, Jackson and Ovens, the remainder will continue to train under the watchful eye of Academy head coach John Palmer and Academy strength & conditioning coach Patrick Hogben.