Sport
Johann van Graan: Bath boss says ‘only pressure is internal’
Bath are not letting pressure to win a trophy affect them as they go into the new Premiership campaign, says head of rugby Johann van Graan.
Bath finished runners-up to Northampton in last season’s final at Twickenham in a rollercoaster match that saw them come from behind with 14 men to almost clinch victory in the final play of the game.
The club have not won a league trophy since 1996 and begin the new season with a reunion against Saints at the Recreation Ground on Friday.
“Obviously we want to win a trophy. We’ve never said that we don’t want to. But we are not in the [business of] predicting when this will happen,” Van Graan told BBC Radio Somerset.
“Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later and us as a group have tasted it – we were literally one play away from winning it and there’s no guarantee you’ll get back there again.”
The 2024-25 campaign is Van Graan’s third at the helm with the club progressing rapidly since he took over.
Most of the squad from last season has been retained and the South African hopes the continuity across the staff and playing squad continues the upward trajectory this season.
Lock Ross Molony and back row Guy Pepper are among just four new arrivals.
“In terms of pressure, Bath haven’t won a trophy for a very long time. The only pressure we have is the pressure that we have internally – we want to be part of something special,” Van Graan said.
“But what sport teaches you is if you win a game it doesn’t mean that you’re successful, and if you lose a game it doesn’t mean you’re unsuccessful.”
As you might expect from a squad packed with internationals, Surrey were without the services of numerous players at one point or another throughout the season.
They have used 23 players in this campaign, with only captain Rory Burns, fellow opener Dom Sibley and all-rounder Jordan Clark playing all 13 matches.
Burns has led the way with the bat, scoring three centuries and 1,057 runs – helped largely by his career-best 227 in a thumping win against Lancashire at The Oval in August.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith catapulted his way into England’s Test side with some dazzling batting displays to average north of 56 in his nine matches, while Dan Lawrence has averaged just under 50 following his high-profile switch from Essex.
More than a dozen bowlers picked up wickets across the season – paceman Dan Worrall leading the way with 52 at an average of 16.15.
Clark showed why he is one of the most valuable assets in county cricket, taking 38 wickets along with scoring 467 runs down the order.
Cameron Steel set an incredible pace back in the spring, leading all bowlers in the first three rounds of the Championship with 20 wickets – though the leg-spinner has only picked up three since.
Next season will see a huge change in south London as director of cricket and Surrey legend Alec Stewart is leaving the role at the end of this campaign.
How big an effect that has on such a talented squad remains to be seen.
A naive and bewildered Daniel Dubois turned to his father for support when asked to share his dreams and aspirations.
The teenager was giving his first interview to Queensberry Promotions after joining Frank Warren’s stable.
Dubois’ timid demeanour conflicted with his imposing 6ft 4in muscular figure.
He was the home-schooled introvert who could complete five hours of push-ups a day from the age of five – and there was little time for friendship or socialising.
So when Dubois hurtled into the limelight of pro boxing aged 19, it was very much a case of boy meets world.
Seven years later, though, Dubois has transformed from a sheepish, sometimes voiceless, character to a fighter demanding respect.
“You don’t intimidate me. Who do you think you are?” he barked at Anthony Joshua during a behind-doors face-off.
On Saturday, in front of a post-war British boxing record crowd of 96,000, Dubois continues his boxing journey in a world-title defence against compatriot Joshua at Wembley Stadium.
“I always thought he’d be a future champion, but I’ve really seen him change from that shrinking violet who first stepped into my office,” Warren reflects.
BBC Sport speaks to members of the boxing fraternity with first-hand accounts of Dubois’ ascent from a shy prospect to the peak of the heavyweight division.
Are a lack of identity and a misfiring Lawrence Shankland the reasons behind Hearts poor start to the season?
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We are getting close to the end of another County Championship cricket season, but who have been your top performers?
Surrey may be closing in on a third successive Division One title but in 2023, only one of their players featured in a team picked by you.
This year will you choose Haseeb Hameed or Alex Davies? David Bedingham or Jordan Cox? Ben Coad or Kyle Abbott?
Pick your own XI from below and we will collate all the votes before publishing an overall team of 2024 during the final round of County Championship matches, which begin on Thursday.
Just to get you started, here are the sides selected for the last two seasons:
2023: Alex Lees (Durham), Jake Libby (Worcestershire), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Tom Westley (Essex), James Rew (Somerset), Leus du Plooy (Derbyshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Simon Harmer (Essex), Jordan Clark (Surrey), Brett Hutton (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Porter (Essex).
2022: Ben Compton (Kent), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Tom Abell (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Ed Barnard (Worcestershire), Simon Harmer (Essex), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Kyle Abbott (Hampshire), Matthew Potts (Durham).
Your team needs to include two openers, three middle-order batters, one wicketkeeper, one all-rounder, one spinner and three seam bowlers.
Players needed to have featured in at least six games this season to make our shortlist and all statistics are correct up to and including 12 September 2024.
Voting will close at 13:00 BST on Thursday, 26 September – during the first day of the final round of matches this summer.
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