by Redemption can happen in some unlikely places. Bath head coach Will Stuart arrived on the kitchen floor a few weeks ago with his back spasming and his partner giving him drip-fed tea.
Earlier that day, Stuart had tackled Steven Kitshoff, a man he knows a lot, in Bath’s opening Champions League win over Ulster. Just over 12 months ago, Stuart dislocated his elbow in front of a scrum during England’s win over South Africa. Then in October Stuart was forced to watch from the stands as a non-playing member of the England squad which lost to Kitshoff’s Springboks in a World Cup semi-final where the scrum was the deciding factor.
So, for all the scrum dominance Bath has enjoyed this season, none felt sweeter than coming up against Kitshoff, his past tormentor, at the Rec, although he did succeed that in a slightly different way to many of his teammates. “A few of the lads went for a few beers but I was sprawled back on my kitchen floor, with a heat pack on my back with a tea drip line from my missus, so it wasn’t that exciting,” Stuart said. . “I didn’t get a chance to scrummage against South Africa in the semi-final and the last time I scrummaged against Kitshoff was the previous November and I dislocated my elbow in that game in the scrum. I was scrummaging directly against him but I don’t want to blame him or point fingers. Of course it was a big thing for me to get a few dominant scrums knowing that he did much the same as me the previous November.”
Back spasms are an occupational hazard for a tight-headed prop, not helped by his girlfriend’s choice of mattress. “It’s a bit too soft for me so I’ve spent a few nights on the floor stuck in a duvet,” said Stuart. “To be honest criminal I’m fine. Post-matches are a nightmare, I can’t sleep after the games so I’m usually sat down with a cup of tea and binge-watching Netflix, that’s pretty much it on a Saturday night.”
As painful as a back spasm and a dislocated elbow, Stuart looks much more uncomfortable as he reflects on his World Cup experience. He started three of England’s four warm-up games but fell behind Dan Cole and Kyle Sinckler in the pecking order at the tournament. Rather than blaming the coaches or the circumstances, Stuart takes full responsibility for not grabbing the shirt while he was in possession.
“For me, the World Cup was just gone, I’d say it was a missed opportunity,” said Stuart. “I played in the warm-up games, I played some of the group games and then I missed out on the quarter-finals and semi-finals. I had the opportunity to make the shirt myself so it was a missed opportunity.
“I started the first three games warmed up and had a couple of games where I played OK and one where I didn’t think I played my best. In rugby if you mean you’re undroppable, that’s your chance to really claim your shirt and I didn’t do that in the three games so I ended up playing a few games off the bench and playing here and there so what I was. I mean when I say I was frustrated at a missed opportunity.
“I understood Steve [Borthwick]the reasons for the decision. We had a lot of long conversations and we’ve had a lot of long conversations since then and there are things he wants me to work on in my game and it’s stuff I agree with, so it wasn’t like I was sitting . in the stands kicking the seats going ‘I should have been on there’ at all. It went back to me feeling that I had missed that opportunity and then the frustration for the lads not going into the final.”
At 27, Stuart is just entering his prime and there are few other English tight ends in that age range. He has certainly come back strong with Bath where he has produced a ferocious one-two punch with Thomas du Toit that has helped propel the west country club towards the top of the Premier League. Stuart is one of a number of England players but there is every indication that he will remain at the Rec despite interest from French clubs.
“We’re going through the contract stuff right now,” Stuart said. “But, for me, it would mean the world, pushing on to try and get some silverware especially when they finished bottom of the league after losing to Worcester two years ago. That would be even sweeter.
“The overwhelming feeling I had coming out of the World Cup was frustrating and I just wanted to start and be involved. I was excited about where we could be as a club and I just wanted to get stuck in as quickly as possible. The Johann way [van Graan] it is different to how it was at the club before; he is very good at rotating. A few years ago I was in the trenches playing 80 minutes, week after week, which was taking its toll. Then I had a few years after that when I struggled with injury. Now, with rotation, everyone gets better and the overall level of the squad is raised.”
