Bath Rugby lock Charlie Ewels has described last season as the “most disjointed” of his career, as he prepares for the upcoming Premiership Rugby opener against Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop on Friday night.
Speaking ahead of the match, Ewels expressed enthusiasm to test the team’s preparations. “I’m excited; I just want to get out there and test the work we’ve done. It’s that time of the year when all the teams will feel good,” he said. “You’ve tested some things and some combinations in pre-season, but you find out where you’re really at when you hit the competitions.”
Reflecting on Bath’s convincing 47-31 win at the Stoop last season, despite an early 10-point deficit, Ewels recalled, “It’s a rugby hotspot. It’s a passionate ground, passionate fanbase, but we took the lessons from last year. We started slowly, we didn’t know where we were at, but can we start quickly from minute one?” He also acknowledged the strength of their opponents: “They’re a top side. That’s the thing with this league, sometimes the league position lies. I’ve never thought otherwise about them-they have top players.”
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The off-season saw a few changes for Bath, notably the signing of Springbok Number Eight Dan Du Preez. Ewels praised his addition, saying, “Dan will start for us at the weekend. He’s been brilliant, and he’s an experienced player. He’s not a particularly loud, chatty individual; he likes to keep himself to himself, but I think he plays loud and plays big.”
With Bath captain Ben Spencer sidelined after shoulder surgery during the summer, Ewels has been entrusted with the captaincy for the start of the season. “It’s an honour to be asked. We’ll miss Ben. Ben’s a quality player and a brilliant captain, but I’m more than happy to fill in if I need to.”
He highlighted the collective leadership within the squad: “The beauty of the team is the leadership around the group: Finn Russell at fly-half, internationals at centre and at full-back. It’s not like I need to say much or do much; it’s just about pulling everyone together and pointing us in the right direction.”
Ewels, 31, featured in only 10 league games last season due to injuries and an infection. “It was probably the most disjointed season of my career last year, with injuries and then the infection that put me out for a little while. I was in and out. I feel I play my best rugby when I’m playing, so I want to make sure I’m physically available.”
Discussing his evolving focus, he added, “When I was younger I’d have said things like ‘I want to go to the World Cup’, but as I’ve got older, I’ve grown to understand that actually focusing on Friday night against Quins, putting in my best performance there, then Monday, training as hard as I can, gives me the best chance.”
On his strengths, Ewels said, “I think leadership, especially around the set-piece. I think my work rate around breakdowns, and then my defensive work rate and tackling. When you’re young, you are pushing to try and do everything, which is right because you don’t want to limit yourself as a player. Then as you start to find your way into a team, you realise what the team needs, and you find your strengths.
“As you get older, I think you should never stop working on your weaknesses, but you should absolutely double down on your strengths. Why am I in the team, what does the team need from me, and actually, how good can I be at those things? That’s the journey I’ve been on as a player.”
Additionally, Archie Griffin is named among the replacements for Friday’s game despite having undergone foot surgery during the off-season. Ewels noted, “Sometimes when guys are pre-surgery, you’ll see it more than post-surgery because the issue was there before. If I saw anything, I saw it before the surgery towards the back end of last year.
“From what I’ve seen in pre-season and scrummaging, it’s that he’s fixed the problem that needed fixing and he’s back, he’s strong, and he’s ready to go.”