Orlando Bailey aiming to win the Premiership with Bath
ORLANDO Bailey is happy to do whatever it takes to fulfil his dream of becoming a Premiership winner with Bath.
Bailey has started 35 Premiership matches for his only senior club and despite all of them coming at fly-half, the 22-year-old would be equally happy having a 12 or 15 on his back if it means Bath are successful.
Last season Bailey was a stranger to the No.10 jersey until April when Bath’s principal playmaker, Finn Russell, was sidelined with a significant groin injury.
“I have always enjoyed playing across the backline,” Bailey said.
“There were a couple of games last season where I played 12 and Finn was 10. I do enjoy it.
“And if the opportunity comes especially when we go 6-2 on the bench and you have to be able to play across the back line and be comfortable there.
“Whenever I play, I am happy to get on and try and contribute.
“With Matt Gallagher no longer here, there might be more opportunities at full-back, I don’t know. That would be something I am ready for if that is the case.”
Replacing Russell
Many Bath fans feared last season would be derailed by Russell’s injury blow.
Bailey, however, stepped up and drove the team to a precious 26-14 victory against Exeter at Sandy Park.
It was his first Premiership start of the 2023/24 campaign.
“I have been learning a lot off Finn,” Bailey said.
“He has a really good attitude towards the game. He is always in the present and looking for the next opportunity.
“I think when he went down, I was like, ‘this is what you have been training for, you’ve got to be prepared for these sorts of eventualities’.
“And that was a really good opportunity.
“We hadn’t won down there in a number of years, six or seven or something. I had played there a couple of times, and they are a tough team to play against down there.
“But it was also at that point in the season when we needed to pick up a couple of wins to be in play-off contention.
“To get that win at Exeter was really awesome.
“We couldn’t quite get over the line here against Saracens. But it was fundamental to get five or six points from those two games and we did. And it put us in a good position in the back end of the season.”
Bailey added: “They were big games and I thoroughly enjoyed them, playing with Max Ojomoh as well, that combination, as we played most of our rugby together from 14, so that was cool.
“I was pleased with how I played in those games, I felt comfortable and excited to be out there.”
Playing for England
Bailey’s performance at Sandy Park proved he not only has the skills but also the mental fortitude to follow in the footsteps of another lithe, good-looking young 10 with the initials ‘OB’.
And like Olly Barkley, Bailey hopes producing the goods for Bath will one day translate into an England cap.
“Last season I played a little bit less than I had done in the previous few years. But I have been working really hard away from game day, training really hard and learning off Finn, and also competing with him, which has been really cool.
“I know that will make me a better player in the long run.
“So for me when the opportunity comes to play, whether at 10, 12 or 15, it’s just about being ready for that and contributing to the team.
“The dream remains to win the Premiership with Bath but also to play for England and to get into that set up.
“If you sort your things out at the club, you’re contributing to a team that is doing well, and you’re being put on to make a difference. That other stuff tends to take care of itself.
“You can’t control that sort of stuff.”
Another crack at the title
Born in Dorchester, Bailey has a deep-rooted affinity with Bath having come up through the club’s academy and been educated in the city, at Beechen Cliff.
Bailey believes the building blocks are firmly in place after last season’s runners-up finish to end the club’s wait for a first Premiership title.
But he insists no one at The Rec is taking anything for granted.
He said: “The first week or so after the final you are thinking about what could have been and stuff. But that is life at the end of the day.
“And I think by getting away from it, spending time with family and friends, you can just settle back down and feel recharged and ready to go again from zero.
“It is a very competitive league. You saw from third to eighth anyone could have made the playoffs in the last week.
“So you can’t switch off and you have to feel excited and refreshed and ready to go.
“We have got quite a lot of continuity from last season in terms of coaches and players. So this pre-season has felt good in terms of building on from last season.
“The combinations are getting better and, hopefully, as a group we are building towards another good season.
“But hopefully we can go one better.”
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