Mike Ford leaves Bath amid coaching restructure with Stuart Hooper and Stuart Lancaster in the frame
Ford has left Bath after four years with the club, having followed up last season's Premiership final appearance with a disappointing ninth-placed finish
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Your support makes all the difference.Mike Ford has left Bath after their disappointing season, with the club set to undergo a complete coaching review before appointing either his successor or a team of coaches responsible for taking the club forward.
Despite reaching the Premiership final last season, Bath were well out of play-off contention in 2015/16 and ended the campaign down in ninth, 32 points behind table-toppers Saracens and over 20 points off qualification for the European Champions Cup.
The club announced on Monday that former England defence coach Ford will leave the club at the end of the current season, having been with the club since 2012 after he left the national team set-up.
A Bath Rugby statement read: “Bath Rugby can announce today that head coach Mike Ford will be leaving the club following the end of the current season.
"Ford joined Bath Rugby in 2012, initially as first team coach and has subsequently been head coach for the last three seasons.”
Bath’s managing director, Tarquin McDonald, thanked Ford for his time with the club and wished him well with his future plans, which at this point are not clear.
“Over the four years Mike has been with the club, both he and the team under his guidance have achieved a huge amount,” said McDonald. “He has developed an exciting, attacking style of rugby, helped to develop exciting talent and in 2014/15 he brought the team to the final against Saracens at Twickenham.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike for all his hard work, passion and commitment to the club and wish him all the best for the future”.
It’s believed that former Bath head coach Stuart Hooper, who was forced to retire from the game with injury earlier this season, is in the running to become the club’s director of rugby in a new role, although the job could yet appeal to former England head coach Stuart Lancaster should he be ready to step back into a role having not worked in rugby since the dismal World Cup showing last autumn.
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