Ashton will surely get Bath flowing again

John O'Sullivan on the immediate and long-term prospects of Bath under new head coach Brian Ashton.

The latest incarnation of a career in which he has long been hailed as a visionary is to offer a panacea for a sterile Bath backline.

Today at the Recreation Ground he will seek to imbue the Bath backs with a freedom of expression, to discard the inhibition that stifled them under his more conservative Australian predecessor John Connolly.

That's the theory anyway.

It'll be interesting to note if the changes are cosmetic or underpinned by a stronger foundation. Given the short time span at the helm it's more likely to be the former. He's a coach, not a magician.

Bath have already qualified for the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup ahead of today's game with Leinster and the common thread throughout their five victories and 100 per cent record to date has been a rampaging pack - especially the front five.

Ashton took over as head coach - Michael Foley still retains a hands-on role - on January 1st for a club at which he won 10 trophies from 1989-1996, perceived as the antidote to the muscularity, the drudgery and the fear of failure that has sent Bath tumbling to three points from bottom in the English Premiership.

The West Country club's season has been one of contradiction, excelling in Europe but struggling on English soil. Their vaunted pack has been such a destructive instrument and something of a playground bully in the European Cup, but can't guarantee victories domestically when faced with forward units of similar stature and physique.

Ashton has been employed to allow Bath the flexibility of picking the lock as well as breaking down the door.

He will once again be faced with the conundrum of trying to marry the practicality of winning with his unswerving loyalty to intuitive back play; his teams freed from having to conform, encouraged to take risks unencumbered by field position.

He's unapologetic about his attitude as he recently observed in a newspaper interview.

"Each coach has got the licence to operate how he wants. It's just the way I am. I will not change. I think everyone knows that. Certainly everyone at Bath knows that.

"I've been involved with a lot of the players at Bath in various England teams, so they know that. I just don't think coaches change their ways. You coach in a certain way and that's it."

This is not to say that he hasn't learned from his tenure with Ireland, a 12-month period in which he was trumpeted as the man to raise an ailing Irish rugby from its sickbed.

He didn't realise that he would have to swim against the current, that he would require far more than a tracksuit and a pair of boots. He wasn't a political animal, was unaware of the machinations that prevailed on the other side of the whitewash, and gradually saw his confidence erode to the point where a bout of shingles preceded his decision to resign, 12 months into a six-year contract.

Initially given an Ireland contract until the end of the 1997 season having resigned from Bath, a press conference was called at Dublin airport prior to his first match in charge against Scotland at Murrayfield and the then chairman of the IRFU's Election Sub Committee Eddie Coleman announced that: "I am delighted to confirm that Brian Ashton has been appointed national coach.

"The appointment will come into effect from April 1st (an appropriate date in hindsight). This, without doubt, is the most significant appointment in Irish rugby for many decades, if not ever. We believe that Brian Ashton is one of the outstanding rugby coaches in the Northern Hemisphere and his involvement with Irish rugby will be a major boost for the game in this country.

"It is no secret that other countries were very anxious to tie up Brian's enormous experience and talents, and equally I make no secret of our satisfaction at having been able to move swiftly and decisively to secure Brian for Irish rugby.

"I can anticipate people asking why should we embark on a six-year contract at this point quite simply we have tremendous faith in Brian's ability and commitment.

"The IRFU recognises that we are at a critical juncture in our efforts to keep Ireland in the top level of international rugby. It is of paramount importance to rugby in this country that our national coach is on a par with the best available in the world."

Ireland lost 38-10 to Scotland that weekend and during his 12-month tenure he presided over a Development tour during which Ireland were whipped from one end of New Zealand to the other.

Ireland won just two internationals during his reign that eventually culminated with a 17-16 defeat by Scotland at Lansdowne Road that caused the Englishman to observe: "I don't know whose game plan it was, but it wasn't mine."

His relationship with Pat Whelan the Irish manager at the time - it was an honorary position - could be gleaned from the observation. "I'm professional, Pat's an amateur. I'm English, Pat's Irish."

They didn't get on.

It was the only blip in Ashton's coaching career, as he went on to become assistant coach to the English national side and then England National Academy Manager. He missed the training ground and decided to rectify that when the Bath position came up.

"I'm a coach. That's what I enjoy doing, and I want to do it on a more regular basis than I have been. It's coincidental that at the time I made that decision the position of head coach was still available at Bath, my spiritual home."

A catalyst for change throughout his career, expect his fingerprints on Bath's performance tomorrow, however small. In that recent newspaper interview he enthuses: "There is a lot of sameness to the rugby these days. When you see sides like New Zealand or Stade Toulouse play everybody goes 'wow, look at that, fantastic'. My view is why can't we all play like that, why can't we play better than that, or different to that, take the game even further?"

Indeed, but for Leinster's sake they'll be hoping it takes a little while longer for Ashton to leave his imprimatur at Bath second time round.

Brian Ashton

Born - September 3rd, 1946 in Leigh, Lancashire.

Playing history - 1965-1980: Tyldesley, Fylde, Orrell, AS Montferrand, Roma, Milano, Lancashire, North of England, Barbarians, England Tourists (1975, Australia).

Coaching history - England Colts, Bath (1989-96), Ireland (1997-98), England Assistant coach (1998-2002), England National Academy Manager (2002-2005).