Bath Rugby’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, described the 2025/26 season as “a season of missed opportunities” after the reigning champions ended the campaign without any trophies despite reaching three semi-finals.
On Saturday, Bath fell short of securing a spot in their third consecutive Gallagher Premiership final, surrendering a 26-10 half-time lead to Exeter Chiefs. The second half saw Bath unable to add any points, including crucial missed chances in the closing stages of the match.
In the dying moments, Bath managed to break into Exeter’s 22-meter area, appearing poised to snatch the play-off victory. However, they failed to execute either a drop goal or a match-winning try as Exeter’s defense withstood 41 intense phases on their goal line. The final whistle came after Billy Sela was held up over the line.
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“We had chances to move the ball around. We were set up for the drop goal. But I back my players, and they chose to keep it tight,” van Graan said after the game. “Santi was in position, yet for some reason, the ball didn’t reach him. As coaches, it’s easy to say what should have been done, but I stand by my players — we win and lose together.”
With star fly-half Finn Russell sidelined due to injury, new recruit Santi Carreras took on fly-half duties. Carreras has struggled to replicate the consistent form he showed at Gloucester and was central to the final play. Van Graan acknowledged the planned drop kick but noted it ultimately didn’t come off.
Although Carreras received criticism, it might be replacement scrum-half Bernard van der Linde who reflects most on missed chances; he failed to deliver the ball to Carreras, who was signaling desperately with an overlap in support from Joe Cokanasiga and others that could have led to a decisive try.
“There were definitely opportunities to spread the ball wide, but the ball got held up and the game ended. We win and lose together,” van Graan added.
Reflecting on the season, van Graan recalled previous wins against Exeter and Northampton relying on phase play and forward dominance, emphasizing that more scoring opportunities were left unrealized, particularly a few close try attempts just before halftime.
Following a historic treble in 2024/25, Bath faced a tougher campaign, losing all three semi-finals they contested this season.
“To sum it up, this has been a season of lost opportunities. Against Bordeaux, as today, we had chances late in the game that we couldn’t convert,” van Graan said. “I’m immensely proud of our group. The effort and intent were there. Credit to Exeter, but we must focus on improving.”
With the departures of key players like Thomas du Toit and Alfie Barbeary, Bath face a summer of rebuilding and tactical adjustments if they hope to return to silverware-winning ways.
A change in attack coach is anticipated as Martin Gleeson is expected to leave after less than a season, potentially replaced by Munster’s Mike Prendergast. Bath hopes Prendergast will help establish a reliable backline attacking framework to succeed under pressure in future campaigns.