Losing George Ford Could Be a Blessing in Disguise for Bath

The 2016/17 Aviva Premiership season belonged to Exeter Chiefs, as Rob Baxter’s side clinched their first title with a thrilling 23-20 victory over London Wasps. Saracens and Leicester Tigers were the two other clubs to feature in the playoffs of 2017, with Bath falling short in their quest for the top four, finishing fifth and seven points behind the fourth-placed Tigers.

Tabai Matson’s side will be looking for a return to the top four during the 2017/18 season, and are sure to have aspirations of becoming the first Bath side to win the Premiership title since Jack Rowell’s 1995/96 squad brought the double to the Recreation Ground.

There will be one significant change to the Bath playing squad next season, with England fly-half, George Ford, leaving the club this summer, to move back to Leicester – where he began his professional career. Coming in the opposite direction is Freddie Burns, who is returning to his hometown club, with a point to prove having been cast aside by Eddie Jones and England.

"George Ford" (CC BY 2.0) by Fearless Fred

The switch between Ford and Burns could benefit Bath significantly next season, particularly with the former’s England commitments set to disrupt his Premiership appearances.

Burns will be expected to be available to Matson throughout the 2017/18 campaign, whilst Leicester are likely to be missing Ford for large parts of the season, as he will almost certainly be involved in Jones’ squad for the Autumn internationals, before aiming to secure a hat-trick of Six Nations titles in early 2017, where the bookmakers are confident of England defending their crown, with the latest rugby odds pricing the side up at 4/6 to triumph.

One area that Bath struggled in the Premiership last season was their attack. Despite having the second best defensive record in the league, they only managed to score 486 points across 22 fixtures – averaging out at 22.09 points per game. In comparison to Wasps and Exeter, who finished as the top two and contested the final, Bath’s attacking stats are poor, with Wasps averaging 31.5 points per game and Exeter 30.32.

Bath’s attack will certainly be an area where Matson will be looking to improve over pre-season, and having a constant at fly-half in Burns, could make a real difference in improving stats over the next 12 months. It will be the 27-year old’s duty to manage games for Bath, but also bring out the best in England’s Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph, when the duo are available to their club.

"Freddie Burns takes another penalty" (CC BY 2.0) by Fearless Fred

While Bath are losing the England international fly-half, which from the outside looks a major blow for Matson’s side, replacing him with Burns could be a serious positive for the club, particularly with the 27-year old arriving at the Rec on the back of guiding Leicester to the Premiership semi-finals.

Burns could be the major difference at the Rec next season, and with the 27-year old set to be a constant in the Bath XV, there is every chance Matson’s side will be back in the top four in 12 months' time and potentially challenging for their first title in over 20 years.