E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Contact Us

News

Banahan`s tale of the unexpected

Thursday 22nd May 2008

Fine season: Banahan has enjoyed his first full season with Bath

Matt Banahan openly admits he has provided a tale of the unexpected this season.

Banahan will arrive in Sunday's European Challenge Cup Final against Worcester after finishing the Guinness Premiership campaign as second top try-scorer behind Leicester speedster Tom Varndell.

He scored more Premiership tries this term than England wings Paul Sackey, Lesley Vainikolo and Tom Voyce - not bad for a former Channel Islands hockey player who began his rugby career as a forward.

Ex-England Head Coach Brian Ashton identified 21-year-old Banahan's wing potential while at the Rugby Football Union National Academy, where his peers included Danny Cipriani, Danny Care and Dominic Waldouck.

And as career moves go, things could hardly have worked out better for Banahan, who has made an explosive entry on to the Premiership scene.

"I was a number six or number eight at the London Irish academy," he said.

"Because they didn't have enough locks though, I used to play second-row as well.

"But I didn't enjoy it in London - it was too hectic after coming from Jersey.

"I had played schoolboy rugby in Jersey, but I was a hockey player at that time and played for West of England U18s.

"I didn't manage to make the England squad for age group hockey, and my mates at college then asked me to play rugby with them."

And Ashton, one of the most prolific talent-spotters around, did not take long to identify Banahan's raw ability.

"Brian saw me in the national academy and said I had some good core skills as a wing," he added.

"Then he offered me a contract when he was Bath coach in 2006.

"Last season, I was a bit wayward - I didn't concentrate too much on the rugby - so I had to knuckle down before pre-season last summer when I went home to Jersey.

"I carried on training, then came back to the club as fit as a fiddle before hitting it hard ready for the new campaign."

Banahan, 10 Premiership tries in the bank and a further six collected during Bath's march to the Challenge Cup Final, knows his next major challenge will be to build on this season's performances.

He will be on England Saxons duty in the Churchill Cup next month, and knows what he needs to do.

"It is now about consistency and transferring it on to next season," he admitted.

"This season, I suppose there was a bit of the unexpected and unknown about me. Now, it is about coming back and doing it again.

"If you are not ambitious, then you don't really achieve anything. You've got to aim high, and hopefully you will get high.

"What I wanted this season was to play consistently, which I've done, and thankfully got the rewards for that.

"A realistic goal was to maybe get some first team action with Bath, and a top goal was to gain regular first team appearances. Luckily, I hit the top one, and I've got a few extras with it."

Whether or not Banahan stays on the wing remains to be seen, but for the moment it is all about learning, practising and developing.

"Tana Umaga (former New Zealand captain) started on the wing and moved into the centre," he said.

"You can't close off all your options, you don't know what is going to happen in the future.

"You never know, I might get so slow I might have to go back in the forwards! But it would definitely be at number eight, so I could stay out of the contact and just play as another centre!

"When I played rugby at school, I always looked up to Matt Perry, and when I joined Bath he was still at the club and I was lucky enough to play with him for one season before he had to retire.

"That was a gem of an experience for me.

"Matt just did the simple things so well, and my dad always taught me in hockey that if you could do the simple things well at the highest level then no-one will ever knock you and you will go a long way."