Ben Spencer backs Bath to do 'something special' in Champions Cup as fresh campaign launches

Last year brought about a season of silverware for the Somerset club, as Bath ruled England's league and domestic cup campaigns by collecting the Premiership and Prem Rugby Cup trophies. After struggling to find momentum in the Champions Cup with pool stage defeats to La Rochelle, Benetton and Leinster, Bath dropped down to the EPCR Challenge Cup. However, Johann van Graan's men would go all the way to win the secondary title with a triumph in the final over Lyon.

Whilst the treble was an impressive feat, Spencer and his Bath side are not planning to retain their Challenge Cup title this year. Speaking at the Investec Champions Cup media launch event, the England international shared an insight to the blue, black and white's mentality, before they return to the pinnacle competition of world club rugby. Spencer revealed how in the last three seasons with Johann van Graan at the helm, Bath's attitude towards European Rugby has been turned on it's head.

"Johan, whenever Europe comes around, he always comes back to a quote from [Bath hooker] Tom Dunn. When Johan came in, he explained what Europe meant to him and Dunn just sat there and said, 'if we can win one game in Europe, I'll be a happy man.' Fast forward to where we are now, challenging for trophies it says a lot about how far we've come as a group and what Johann has brought to the club.

"At the start of every year, whether it's the Premiership or whether it's Europe, Johann is adamant that he wants to challenge on both fronts. He understands the history of the competition. We're under no illusions of how big of a test it will be to go all the way, but we'll take it one game at a time, and see what we get to."

"We learned [last season] that it's an unbelievably difficult competition to win and to go far in. It is the best teams, the best players in the world, and we know you can't afford to have a week off in the competition. We'll, take it one game at a time, but the belief I have in the squad, the belief that Johann has in the squad, I think we can do something special this year."

Bath open their Champions Cup campaign this Saturday, with a hotly anticipated clash with URC heavy-hitters Munster, set to ignite a brisk December evening at the Rec. Adding extra 'spice' to the match is the personal connection that van Graan has with the Irish province, as the South African was Munster head coach from 2017 to 2022, before he would swap Thomond Park for the English West Country.

"I've been fortunate enough to play Munster in the competition before. I know what the competition means to them, the history they have in the competition and how far Johann took them in the competition as well. That adds a little bit of extra spice to the game. I'm sure the marketing team would have been able to sell the Rec out a few times for that game. It'll be a massive occasion, 8pm Saturday night at the Rec, it doesn't really get much bigger."

The Bath trophy cabinet required some reinforcements at the end of last season, after the Somerset side won a trilogy of titles to close out an unforgettable campaign. The heralded treble was celebrated long into the night, as Bath painted the town blue, black and white, with Spencer sharing just what is required from a squad to go all the way across multiple competitions.

"If you want to compete in all three [competitions] it comes down to the squad. I think it was over 50 [Bath] players [that played] in the Premiership last year, that's what it'll come down to. It will come down to how many people can pull on the shirt at the weekend and perform.

"The great thing about the club at the minute is the young guys coming through. The likes of Charlie Griffin, Sam Winters, those guys have really put their best foot forward. I'm sure you'll see those, those names in the Premiership and in Europe very soon."

With the depth of the squad paramount in order for a side to succeed across multiple 'fronts', key players must also rise to the occassion in order to orchestrate each respective offensive. Bath's commanding general is Scotland talisman Finn Russell, with Spencer quick to praise his enigmatic halfback partner.

"He's brilliant. What people don't quite understand with Finn is, is the confidence that he gives to other people around him. That's absolutely huge, especially at the club where there's a lot of young guys coming through. For him to be able to translate his confidence into them has been unbelievable.

"The Finn that everyone sees on the pitch, probably people presume that he doesn't care too much. I can tell you for a fact that I see the complete opposite. I see a person who cares an unbelievable amount, not just about winning, but about his preparation, even though he trains with his boots untied, and frustrates the hell out of a lot of medical staff. His preparation, his attention to detail, his willingness to get better, a lot of people in that position would think they've completed the game, he is not that person."

Throughout November, Bath's squad depth was thoroughly put to the test as the side worked on through their PREM Rugby Cup campaign with a heavily reduced changing room. A plethora of the club's top stars where whisked away upon international duties, with Bath producing two break-out stars within Steve Borthwick's England camp. Back row battler Guy Pepper had a stellar campaign, with centre Max Ojomoh also on hand to contribute a try-scoring effort in the fourth week win over Argentina.

"He's [Max Ojomoh] been waiting for the opportunity for a long time. He got an opportunity in the Summer in America, but in terms of his Twickenham debut, he's been waiting for that, for a long time. It's something that definitely he's been building towards, and he's talked about for a long time. I briefly spoke to him after the game, and his words were exactly that. He's dreamt of that moment for a long time. He's wanted, wanted that moment, and he took his opportunity like I thought he would.

"He's a player that has a huge amount of confidence and belief in himself. I think where Max has come on is he's really matured, definitely in the last few years. In his early days, he probably thought he knew how to play the game before he played the game, but over the last few years, he's understood that there's loads of different ways that games can be won.

"He's tried to add things to his game that others don't have. His ability to move the ball, we saw with Sladey's [Henry Slade] try his offload ability is brilliant. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, I'm really pleased for him."

Closing off the discussion, Spencer added his thoughts about how well Guy Pepper performed in the Autumn Nations Series, both at the Pennyhill Park training camp and out on the Allianz Stadium pitch.

"He's one of those young guys coming through with a huge amount of confidence. I think from where he came in to the club, from Newcastle to where he is now, only speaks for itself in terms of the bloke that he is, and his dedication to to wanting to get better. The fact that he started all four games in the Autumn, to have that trust from Steve and the coaches around that environment, says a lot about who he is as a player and as a bloke. He's another one who I'm who I'm hugely excited for."