Bath Rugby's Dan du Preez Out Long-Term, Arthur Green Shines

Dan du Preez, Bath's number eight, will be sidelined for a significant period due to a torn hamstring. The South African, who joined the club from Sale this summer, sustained the injury before their recent Champions Cup loss to Montpellier.

"He unfortunately tore his hamstring on the Thursday before the game, which will rule him out for a considerable amount of time," stated head of rugby Johann van Graan.

Bath faces consecutive away league matches at Gloucester and Sale before a four-week hiatus for the autumn internationals. In addition to Du Preez's absence, back-row forward Miles Reid was also unavailable. Van Graan anticipates Reid's return for the Gloucester fixture.

"Miles was in training a bit earlier; he's got to go through his return-to-contact protocols," Van Graan explained. "We'll see by Thursday if we're going to select him."

Despite Du Preez and Reid being out, academy product Arthur Green has started the last two games at number eight, delivering exceptional performances and scoring three tries. The 22-year-old had previously made only six league starts for the club since his 2024 debut. Van Graan expressed his satisfaction with Green's contributions.

"How good has he been?" Van Graan asked. "Ball in hand, he's had some magic moments. There's a run he made, just before Ollie Lawrence's try, where he was moving sideways and backwards. He saw Finn Russell, changed direction, and kept his feet perfectly.

"He hits the line with tremendous footwork and has an ability to be in the right place at the right time. We saw that against Northampton, and again with the try he scored that wasn't pre-planned—that was just a player ready to seize the opportunity.

"I've been very impressed with him. His biggest asset is his natural aptitude for the game."

Bath enters their match against Gloucester following two defeats but has been bolstered by the return of captain Ben Spencer, who made his first start of the season against Montpellier. Spencer underwent surgery for a long-standing shoulder issue over the summer. Van Graan noted Spencer's presence has provided a lift, particularly his developing partnership with fly-half Russell.

"I loved his voice in training last week, and I think things have settled down," Van Graan said.

"His relationship with Finn is still forming, as they haven't had much training time together. It will take time for us to click, but physically, Ben is in a good place. He's just short on game time, so we'll continue to build that over the next few weeks."

Spencer has 21 caps for England and played as a replacement in their summer win against Argentina. However, Van Graan is uncertain if the scrum-half will be available for England selection when the squad for next month's Nations Championship is announced soon.

"Whether he'll be selected for England or not, I don't know, but he certainly came through that game well," he added.