Bath Rugby supporter Glyn Edwards gives his take on events at The Rec...
No matter how disappointed many may feel, no Bath Rugby supporter ought to have been taken aback by confirmation that Michael Claassens is to leave the club at the end of the season, given the level of speculation recently.
Claassens has been a mainstay of the Bath XV since his arrival from Free State Cheetahs in 2007 and one of the most consistent performers over the last six seasons – not just for Bath but across the Premiership as a whole.
His destination this summer had not been revealed at the time of writing but, again, nobody should be surprised if he is playing for the French powerhouse of Toulon in next season's Top 14.
Enjoy the south of France, Michael, you have earned your time in the sun – not least because you took on the captaincy of Bath in the aftermath of the truly awful off-the-field events of the summer of 2009, and restored some much- needed integrity at The Rec.
News of Claassy's impending departure follows on from that of Brad Davis leaving the club to pursue his coaching career in a new environment, and the relative shock of the announcement by Lee Mears that he has had to retire with immediate effect for medical reasons.
That three major figures from Bath's recent past will be missing next season should not come as too much of a surprise, however, as movement of players and coaches – although not uncommon in the past – is one feature which clearly distinguishes today's professional sport from the previous amateur era.
The increasing number of overseas stars now playing for English clubs – and for most other British, Irish, and French sides – will ensure regular changes in playing personnel, as very few will stay away from home in one location for more than the length of a couple of contracts at best.
Even home-grown players will probably move between clubs at least two or three times during a full-length career, as the one-club man becomes even more of a rarity than chickens' dentures.
So, as we wait to hear which other members of the current first-team squad have extended their contractual loyalties, the welcome mat is now to be laid out for two powerful and well-regarded forwards from the southern hemisphere.
Australia A number eight, Leroy Houston joins from Colomiers in the French Pro 2 Division having previously played for Bordeaux in the Top 14 and Queensland Reds in the Super 15 and Argentina international tighthead, Juan Pablo Orlandi, will swap Racing Metro in Paris for The Rec.
'Bienvenue' to Bath, guys!
