"I would play on Mars" – Bath hooker Niall Annett eyes up an 'Out of this World' season in blue, black and white

09/02/2024 07:02 AM

To say that Bath hooker Niall Annett is excited for the season ahead would be an understatement. The front rower got his first taste of the 2024/25 action this past Saturday, and is eager for more game time in the famous blue, black and white. Bath recorded an impressive 24-21 win over Munster at the Rec, with the pre-season now in full swing ahead of the upcoming Premiership campaign.

It’s ‘all stations go’ this week in Somerset, with Bath head coach Johann van Graan organising a double header weekender for his entire squad of players. Bath are set for a trip across to Wales this Saturday for an exhibition friendly with Cardiff, before the blue, black and whites then host leading Championship outfit Ealing Trailfinders at the Rec the next day.

Van Graan devised this plan in order to get match minutes under the belt for every player in the squad, with the Bath Rugby cohort split between the fixtures in the Welsh capital and back on home soil. Whilst some players may prefer the home comforts of a Sunday afternoon hit out at the Rec, when compared to the hostility faced across the Severn Bridge, Niall Annett will put his hand up to play wherever Bath are heading… even if the fixture took place on a distant planet in our solar system.

“I’ll play every and any minute given to me by the boss, and I just want to play rugby. So I have no preference. I would play on Mars if he asked me to. And I think, to be honest, the sentiment is the same throughout the squad. We’ve got a well connected group who are very hungry and want to impress, and we would play anywhere, anytime.”

“It’s an unbelievably good opportunity for everybody to play. And I know from once upon a time, a long distant time ago, being a young guy, and now that I’m a decrepit and older person, I think what you want is opportunity, and you want to play games, and you want to play minutes, and you want to impress coaches.

“So we have an unbelievable opportunity to get lots of guys minutes, lots of guys with the best foot forward. And whilst I’m sure logistically, it’ll be an interesting dynamic for the coaches, it’s going to be a brilliant weekend for a bath to put out two really, really competitive teams.”

Annett was involved in Bath’s second half comeback last weekend, as the boys in blue, black and white scored two unanswered tries in the second 40 minutes to win. The former Ulster and Worcester man was delighted to get the ‘W’ over the United Rugby Championship heavy-hitters, with Munster sent back to the Emerald Isle without a share of the spoils.

Annett packed down in the new-look Bath front row, as he hooked alongside the propping duo of Mikey Summerfield and debutant Francois van Vyk. Whilst Summerfield has been on the Bath books since signing in 2023, the tight-head has been away on loan with Hartpury in the Championship. Van Vyk arrived at the Rec this Summer, after the South African agreed a move from Leicester Tigers, with the loose-head also packing down with his new front row partner.

“We’re in a very fortunate position with the amount of test match tight-heads that we’ve got at senior and at under 20 level. But what I think you see from Kieran Vernon and Mikey Summerfield today, is two guys who are really determined to put their heart and soul into getting better this preseason, and they both did a brilliant job.

“Then obviously, we’ve welcomed Francois, he’s got a nickname, but for Francois, I’ll save that for another time. So we’ve welcomed Francois, and then there is Arthur (Cordwell), who’s a guy who’s been around for what feels like forever and has a lot of ability too. So it’s brilliant to be able to get those minutes into those guys who have lots and lots to give”.

The win against Munster was Bath’s first fixture since their defeat at Twickenham in the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership Final. Annett expressed how Van Graan’s squad have reflected and moved on from the loss to Northampton Saints, with the focus totally on the game ahead and starting the upcoming Premiership season as strong as they possibly can.

“It takes a little time to shake off the cobwebs, but that’s long, long gone. Now we’ve had six to seven weeks of a brilliant preseason, really well put together pre-season by a fantastic support staff, and now we’re into the games. We’ve got to look forward and get better every week. That’s a real strength of this group. We’ve got fantastic squad depth, really competitive environment, and we’re going to look to get better every day.”

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