After a five-week break, international stars Thomas du Toit and Santi Carreras have rejoined Bath Rugby at Farleigh House, offering a significant boost to the team as they prepare for the upcoming Gallagher Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final. Both players arrived at the start of the season fresh from intense international commitments with South Africa and Argentina, respectively. Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, decided to give them an extended rest during the Premiership Rugby Cup pool stages to ensure they return fit and ready for crucial matches ahead.
Currently back in full training, du Toit and Carreras face a potential delay before making their mark on the pitch this weekend. Competition rules stipulate that players must have participated in the pool stage games to be eligible for knockout rounds. Since neither featured in those initial matches, Bath Rugby would need special dispensation to field them against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Sunday. However, van Graan has plenty of depth to call upon, having rotated 51 players over eight pool games.
Van Graan has indicated his intention to give Carreras a run at fly-half, particularly as regular starter Finn Russell may require rest following his demanding Six Nations campaign. Bath recently secured a 38-26 victory over Gloucester at the Recreation Ground, setting up their semi-final clash against the clear winners of Pool B.
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Reflecting on the competition, van Graan expressed satisfaction with Bath’s approach, saying, “This competition has been very good for us and the way we do things. I am very satisfied that, doing things the way that we do it, we have reached the semi-finals for the last two years.”
Throughout the pool stages, Bath primarily fielded their ‘purples,’ or second-string players, staying true to the ethos of development and squad rotation. However, the recent victory against Gloucester showcased a strong lineup packed with first-team internationals, including Charlie Ewels, Ted Hill, Max Ojomoh, Joe Cokanasiga, and Will Muir.
Speaking on the Bath Rugby Plug podcast, van Graan acknowledged the challenge—but also the privilege—of managing a demanding fixture list. Bath, last season’s treble winners, remain competitive on multiple fronts this year with a home European knockout game scheduled for the first time in 22 years. Despite a tightly packed Premiership table, van Graan is optimistic about their prospects.
“It is a good problem to have. We are in a very good place,” he said. “We have qualified for the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final, we are well positioned in the Premiership, and we have more players involved in the Six Nations than any other Premiership side. Added to that, our younger players are representing England, Wales, and Italy at U20 level. So I say well done to the group for getting us to where we are.”