Twickenham, 8 June 2024. The final whistle cut through the hum of expectation. Bath had collapsed in heartbreaking fashion, beaten 25-21 by Northampton. Playmaker Finn Russell crumpled to the turf. Johann van Graan, the South African head coach, wrapped an arm around the devastated No 10.
'We will just have to come back here next year and win it,' Van Graan whispered, voice low but words resonating with steel. It was more than comfort - it was a vow.
Fast-forward 12 months and the same stage, the same embrace. But this time, Fortress Twickenham was buoyed by Bath's revival. They edged Leicester 23-21, lifting the English Premiership trophy for the first time in 29 years. The tears that fell were not from heartbreak - but from triumph.
Van Graan arrived…
