It's not 'fake news' – Todd Blackadder is walking a dangerous line at Bath
Bath’s multimillionaire owner Bruce Craig has not been shy in recent weeks in letting it be known Blackadder’s future as director of rugby is under threat
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Your support makes all the difference.Bath’s players bristled this week at rumours that a dressing room revolt has left director of rugby Todd Blackadder clinging to his job by the thinnest of threads.
“Fake news,” tweeted Anthony Watson in response to one rugby website running a story stating the affable New Zealander would have been sacked if Bath had lost to Gloucester last Saturday.
The unconvincing draw they did secure has only served to give Blackadder a three-game stay of execution, according to the story, and with a trip to Harlequins on Saturday followed by games against Northampton and Saracens, the fixture list has hardly been kind to the former All Black.
Sadly for Blackadder and his disgruntled players, the story is true.
Bath’s multimillionaire owner Bruce Craig – the same man who sacked Mike Ford two seasons ago for failing to live to expectations – has not been shy in recent weeks in letting it be known Blackadder’s future as director of rugby is under threat. Results are simply not stacking up and Craig is in the mood for change sooner rather than later.
How much of a factor the players have been in moving Blackadder towards the Recreation Ground exit door is open to debate but victory at the Stoop on Saturday is now a non-negotiable following an opening night defeat to local rivals Bristol, followed by last Saturday’s fitful draw with Gloucester.
Two rounds into the Gallagher Premiership season and one director of rugby – Leicester’s Matt O’Connor – has already lost his job while another’s is in the balance.
It is less than a year since Jim Mallinder was sacked by Northampton and in that time O’Connor, Nick Kennedy (London Irish) and John Kingston (Harlequins) have also been shown the exit door. Who’d be a director of rugby?
It is an all-consuming and all-encompassing job which demands everything from the man in charge. Often, everything is not enough.
Blackadder attended a dinner in London last week along with Craig and other members of Bath’s backroom team before travelling back to Bath by car alongside performance director Stuart Hooper. The pair held a planning meeting on the 110-mile journey back. Few jobs demand such absolute dedication.
Blackadder – who took over from Ford after the former England defence coach was shown the door by Craig in 2016 – has reacted to his team’s underwhelming start to the season by dropping British and Irish Lions No 8 Taulupe Faletau to the bench, shifting Zach Mercer to No 8 and installing Wales lock Luke Charteris as captain in place of Matt Garvey, who injured his ribs against Gloucester.
Elliot Stooke, whose late try against Gloucester looked to have earned Blackadder some much-needed breathing space before Matt Banahan of all people popped up to earn the visitors a draw in the dying seconds, starts in place of Dave Attwood alongside Charteris in Bath’s second row.
It remains to be seen if the changes can spark Bath into life.
In what is set to be the latest instalment of a fascinating opening to the Premiership season, on and off the field, Bath’s latest must-win encounter is set to throw up some enthralling match-ups.
Not least Sam Underhill’s battle with Chris Robshaw at openside, with the young Bath pretender going up against one of English club rugby’s most seasoned campaigners. The breakdown battle, as always, will be key.
Freddie Burns goes up against Marcus Smith at fly half while Nathan Earle against Joe Cokanasigna is also an engrossing prospect as two of English rugby’s brightest young wing prospects face off against each other.
Bath’s veteran centre Jamie Roberts returns to face his former employers in need of a big game after struggling against Gloucester, and Blackadder will be desperate his squad step up in his hour of need.
It is a harsh world, but the West Country outfit with lofty aspirations never seriously threatened the Premiership play-off spots last season, bombed out of the European Champions Cup in the pool stages and only last-gasp wins over Gloucester and London Irish saw them scrape a top-six finish.
With millions of pounds pumped into the playing squad and world-class training facilities provided for the players at Farleigh House, Craig has lofty expectations which have not been met for some time.
That’s not fake news. It’s reality. Either way, it’s in the players hands to fix it. Blackadder’s future depends on them.
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