‘Every team has weaknesses’ – Bath up to Bordeaux challenge, says Van Graan

There are few arenas in world rugby as high pressure as a trip to Bordeaux Begles.

The reigning Champions Cup holders have a galaxy of France international stars at their disposal and brushed aside another juggernaut team in Toulouse to get to Sunday’s European semi-final, which also will played right down the road from their home stadium, in their home city.

But during the past three seasons under head of rugby Johann van Graan, Bath have become a team that are used to handling pressure and, even more than that, thriving in it.

“Before Johann came I remember someone showed us a clip of Saracens and it was Mako [Vunipola] talking after the European final about how calm they were, and I feel like this group feels that way,” prop Beno Obano said.

“Shout out to Johann, he’s done that with this group.

“In these big games we’re just so calm – everything we need is in the team, everything we need is in the circle. It’s empowering.

“We’ve played in those games and whatever happens, wherever the chips may fall, we’ll be calm and composed and we’ll land on what we have to do quite nicely.”

Bordeaux boast world-class players such as Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud, Maxime Lucu and Yoram Moefana.

A French team has also won the Champions Cup in each of the past five years.

But Bordeaux have not had everything their way this season, especially in the league where they have stuttered and lost 10 of 22 Top 14 games, leaving them sixth – 17 points behind leaders Toulouse.

Bath also have world-class talent of their own – including Scotland fly-half Finn Russell, England centre Ollie Lawrence, Argentina back Santiago Carreras and South Africa prop Thomas du Toit.

And the experience of winning three finals last season – the Premiership, European Challenge Cup and Prem Rugby Cup – has got the monkey off the back in terms of bringing silverware back to a city consumed by its love of rugby.

“Every team has weaknesses – we have weaknesses – but the team that we’re coming up against has more strengths than most,” Obano said.

“They’re a great team but we think we’re a good team. It’s just about going out there and trying to be the best version of ourselves.”

Yet the Champions Cup is an elusive prize for Bath.

It has been almost 30 years since they last won the trophy, back in 1998 – when it was then the Heineken Cup – and another 20 years since they last reached this stage, the 2006 semi-final which they lost to Biarritz.

Memories of the all-conquering Bath side that dominated English rugby in the 1990s loom but, as Lawrence said, this is a side that wants to create its own legacy.

“The biggest thing that Johann talks to us [about] as a team, as a club, is we’re trying to create our own history, but it all starts with one game at a time,” Lawrence said.

“We go back to zero each week, we never think about what’s going to be happening months down the line and at the start of the season we wanted to do well in this competition – but that started with that very first pre-season game against Munster.

“Of course we’d like to create our own legacy, do well in this competition, but the main thing is making sure each and every one of us go out there at the weekend and give the best version of ourselves.”

The players and coaches at Bath might be keeping their focus firmly on the 80 minutes in front of them on Sunday, but that does not mean fans cannot dream of what reaching the final of the pinnacle of European rugby again might be like.

Obano joked he cannot even sit in the sauna in one of the city’s spas without fans wanting to talk to him about the team.

“They harass me and talk to me about Bath rugby and don’t let me sit in the sauna quietly,” Obano said.

“The travelling support and how much they love the club and love the city – we’ll try and do the best we can for the group and try and represent those guys in the city as best we can.”

Additional reporting by Damian Derrick and Dan Albutt.