Any rugby supporters who turn up to Winsley Cricket Club on a Friday evening may recognise a familiar face behind the barbeque.
Johann van Graan, the coach who has helped Bath move 15 points clear at the top of the Premiership table, often takes on the grill master duties.
A proud South African, he has thrown himself into the local culture and is fast becoming one of the most popular men in the area as he brings success back to the rugby club.
‘You have to immerse yourself in the community,’ says Van Graan. ‘At Munster, we stayed in a small little village called Castleconnell and we were part of the rugby club and the hurling club.
‘We’ve tried to do the same thing here. We are part of the local cricket clubs: one boy at Winsley and one boy at Hinton Charterhouse. Obviously we’re South Africans but we’re trying to be as “English” as we can for now!
‘I’ve done a few barbecues… a bit of boerewors. On Friday night at Winsley Cricket Club, I’m just a dad. Sometimes, it’s a bacon roll cooked on gas – which I’ve had to learn – and a bit of sausage.
Johann van Graan has had an impressive impact at Bath since becoming head coach in 2022
Bath are 15 points clear at the top of the Premiership and could win a treble this season
Van Graan, who hails from South Africa, has immersed himself into the community in Bath
‘That’s where I’ve found the English as a nation so fascinating. I used to think that London is England but in the community in Bath there are amazing people, from all over the world. We are loving it.’
Sitting in the Gothic surroundings of the club’s Farleigh House training base, he points out his house, 100 yards across the grounds, where he likes to host ‘full-on braais’. ‘I never have to sit in any traffic,’ he adds.
‘I never have to drive home. When I cross the road, I’m home. So, once I’m there, I’m home. And everyone at Bath respects that. We are absolutely loving it. When I stand on that porch and see this grass and my boys playing golf, football, hurling, rugby or cricket; it’s an amazing place.’
Life is all the sweeter given Bath’s success on the pitch. They have already won this season’s Premiership Cup and remain on course for a treble if their form continues in the Challenge Cup and the Premiership.
But Van Graan is under contract until 2030 and any short-term goals fade into a bigger picture. ‘I hear about three-year plans and five-year plans. There’s no timeline on this. We started this journey on July 11, 2022. The most important thing we said is everybody must be themselves. It doesn’t matter where you’re from.
‘Whether you’re from England, South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland. Whether you’re from the north or from the south. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everybody is welcome here. Most important of all is to treat others the way you want to be treated.’
That much is evident by the way Van Graan shakes hands with every guest he sees arriving at Farleigh House, irrespective of their roles or positions. He has instilled a family-first philosophy at the club, underpinning his recruitment strategy and a highly-detailed approach to preparation.
He has installed a meeting auditorium, meaning it no longer doubles up as the physio room. He has knocked down a wall in the cramped changing room at the Rec to ensure there is room for two analysis screens; one for the backs and one for the forwards. He appointed a nutritionist to tailor menus towards training and partnered up with yoga programs.
Van Graan has transformed the fortunes of Bath and insists there is no timeline on the project
They have already won this season’s Premiership Cup, beating Exeter in the final last month
He has instilled a family-first philosophy and a highly-detailed approach to preparation
‘When I started here, I looked at all the different elements of what you need,’ he explains. ‘The first year, we said we wanted to get our defensive game, our set piece and our kicking game in place. It was evident to me, even watching Bath from the outside the previous year, that you couldn’t play a fast game because of the pitch.
‘Even if you want to play this positive game, it’s very difficult to play it in the mud. Where the stadium is situated, next to the river, it was virtually impossible.
‘We lost to Leicester in the last minute to a scrum penalty. If Tom de Glanville was running at full speed and wanted to step, he wouldn’t be able to get his feet into the ground. I went to the board and said, “We need to change it”.
‘Every 2cm by 2cm, 90mm down they put in a stitch with these big machines. We stitched it because we want our set piece to work and we want to play positively. If you look at the pitch now, in my view it’s one of the best surfaces in the Premiership.
‘We said we were going to spend our money on the tight-five so we retained Beno and Will Stuart and we brought in Thomas du Toit. You want to scrum and maul but you also want to play at pace.
‘It’s very difficult to play with pace if the surface isn’t good enough. It’s so tight now so you can scrum, maul and you can hit speed as well. We’ve found a good balance. I’d like to think we’ve become a better rugby team.’
Spearheaded by world-class No 10 Finn Russell, Bath’s squad has become the envy of their Premiership rivals. Winger Henry Arundell and playmaker Santi Carreras have been recruited for next season but Van Graan confidently fields questions about how his squad remain within the salary cap.
Van Graan highlighted the quality of Bath’s pitch as something that needed to improve
Bath’s squad is full of talent but it is spearheaded by their world-class No 10, Finn Russell
‘That’s a fair question and a very easy question to answer from my side,’ he says. ‘We’ve got an owner who has said from the very first day that we will spend up to the cap. We are spending up to the cap. Some other teams have made the decision not to spend up to the cap.
‘There’s context to everything if you take a step back. The current Premiership champions, Northampton, had five backs that started for England in the Six Nations. We had three players that started in the whole Six Nations; Finn Russell, Will Stuart and Ollie Lawrence.
‘We are a team that dreams big dreams. When I speak to a player, I tell them to speak to the other players and look at how we are treating them in terms of rest, welcoming their families, our brand of rugby, our coaching team. In rugby, you want to go through positive experiences and it’s a brilliant story to tell from where we started on 11 July 2022 to where we are now.
‘You’ve got to look at some of the facts. Jacques du Plessis left earlier in the season and we haven’t replaced him. We’re one of the only squads in the Premiership to only have three senior locks. Regan Grace left mid-season, Hame Faiva hasn’t played a minute of the season. You can add all these things up.
‘There’s a salary cap manager, we are very comfortable, we have a good relationship with him, and it’s very important that we all stick within the parameters set. We are like every single other club, we get audited each year and there’s not much more to say.’
Assistant coach Lee Blackett has signed up for three more years, with Van Graan’s blessing to continue his additional roles with England’s A team. He is hoping to build a group that, in time, will be able to compete with the Top 14 heavyweights in the Champions Cup. ‘We are only in year three. Hopefully we can get to year four, five, six, seven, eight and who knows where we might end up?’
In the shorter term, there are trophies to win. The likes of Russell and Will Stuart are also pitching to be called up by Andy Farrell next month for this summer’s Lions tour of Australia. Even as a South African, the significance of selection is not lost on Van Graan.
‘When I was in South Africa, growing up, you saw the Lions. Even before I was born, my dad always spoke about the ’74 Lions who visited South Africa. I was still at school, in 1997, and I remember the first Test at Newlands. Jeremy Guscott’s winning drop-goal in the second Test in Durban. The third Test at Ellis Park, the Springboks won, and I was there.
Several stars like prop Will Stuart are hoping to be called up by the British & Irish Lions this year
Van Graan said Lions selection is not discussed at Bath, but hopes his players will be picked
‘Jumping to 2009, coaching at the Bulls, a lot of our players were selected for the Lions series. Some of the best players I’ve coached and some of my best friends. Seeing the flipside of that, in 2017, the Lions that went to New Zealand: CJ Stander, Connor Murray and Peter O’Mahony captaining, and seeing what that meant for the Irish.
‘Then, in Covid, in 2021, I was at Leopard Creek on holiday in South Africa and I got a phone call from Tadhg Beirne. My phone started ringing. He always speaks very seriously and said: “Look, Johann, I need to speak to you.” I said: “Sure, Tadhg, what’s up, how can I help?” He mentioned the captaincy and I remembered what happened in 2017 and I asked if I was on speaker phone. Then, I heard everyone laughing in the background!
‘From a Bath perspective, it’s not something we have spoken about but obviously it would be great if some of our players could play for the Lions.
‘Whether we get one, two or however many, we have to make it special for that player. Our game has so many amazing things which we have to look after and the Lions is one of them.’
Selection is less than a fortnight away and Bath’s players have been putting their best foot forward on their tightly-woven pitch by the river.
Perhaps one of Van Graan’s BBQs could be a good way to kick off any call-up celebrations, although you can be sure Bath’s wholesome leader will not be looking too far ahead.
