Bath winger Tom Biggs has still got that blond ambition
The 27-year-old finished last season as the club’s top try scorer touching down seven times during an otherwise underwhelming campaign that saw Bath finish ninth.
But a new management has brought a breath of fresh air to the Rec, and the England Saxons star is convinced a run at the top four in the new season would improve his international hopes.
“I was happy with my game in defence last year but not so much in attack, with limited opportunities to go forward,” said the former Leeds and Newcastle speedster.
“Going into next season – and I know a few of the guys feel the same – if we are higher up and challenging then there is more chance of representational honours.
“All I want to do is try to start every single game for Bath. I always want to be playing the best I can and be starting every week, because rugby can be a tough place when you’re not playing.”
Biggs’ raw pace, finishing ability and distinctive blond locks have won plenty of fans at club level. But that admiration has not transferred to the international scene, where – despite being in the Saxons squad – Biggs is still waiting for his first full cap.
“My main ambition is still to play for England,” he confirms. “I spoke to Stuart Lancaster when the summer squads were announced and I was very close to going out there. It’s got to be the aim of every player, if you’re not aiming to be the best I don’t know why you play the game.”
Gary Gold and a cohort of big-name coaches – including Toby Booth and Mike Ford – have replaced departed director of rugby Sir Ian McGeechan, and the signing of Rob Webber and Paul James have led some to conclude Bath will play a forwards-dominated game this season.
But despite not talking to Gold about his role yet, Biggs remains confident the side will look to use their strike runners whenever possible – including new Argentinian winger Horacio Agulla, who has joined from Leicester.
“It’s still early on, I think this is the second or third week that we’re back, so it’s all still relatively fresh,” said Biggs. “We’ll sit down one-on-one soon with Gary and I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m not so sure that we’ll be more forward-orientated is necessarily the case. If you look at the players we’ve got like Nick Abendanon and Matt Banahan we want to expose those talents, so I’m not sure we’ll be really forward dominated.
“And if you look at the guys who’ve come in, we have beefed the pack up a little bit with some guys having gone off to retirement.
“I’ve met Horacio a few times when we’ve played Leicester and he’s a really nice guy. I speak a little bit of Spanish so I’m looking forward to trying that out.
“He’s a great addition to the squad and was the Leicester fans’ player of the season so I’m looking forward to him getting on the pitch.”
RIC SUMNER
