FORD TAKES EARLY BATH

Mike Ford, the Bath coach, is leaving the club with immediate effect. He moves on after four years, having failed to move forward from last season's successes, with Bath only winning 9/22 league games and finishing 17 points off play offs. OATH has been critical of underperforming Bath this season, and the club never really recovered from the "Burgess" saga post RWC 2015, also losing two more players due to ill discipline towards the end of the season, along with Stuart Hooper, the captain, to injury, and finally the calming influence Neal Hatley from the coaching team to England. There appears to have been a lot of emotion, pressure and intensity at Bath, led by the owner, Bruce Craig, as well as Mike Ford. Some players respond to this, obviously most at Bath, did not. There wasn't a lot of fun to be had, and key players form dipped as a result (Joseph, Watson, Denton). Some decided to leave like Ollie Devoto, who is moving down the road to the new West England powerhouse, Exeter Chiefs.

Few smiles at Bath this season...

So who will pick up the poison chalice and try to transform a great club into Premiership Top 4 next season. The bookies favourite is Heyneke Meyer, the ex-Springkoks coach, as others in the running, like Stuart Lancaster, either look set to move elsewhere (Queensland Reds or Highlanders), or stay put, as in Pat Lam (Connacht) or Gregor Townsend (Glasgow) to finish off what they have started. Bruce Craig may have to be patient for success as Nigel Wray has been financially supporting Saracens for 20 years, and has only just won the European Champions Cup.