WILL Muir broke into the England squad this year and although he did not feature in the Six Nations, Bath’s coaches noted a difference when the wing returned to the club.
The 28-year old Muir, who spent the first half of his professional career on the Sevens circuit, did play for England A against Portugal but did not make a matchday 23 in the Six Nations and his target now is the summer visits to Japan and New Zealand.
“I enjoyed my time with England,” said Muir. “They have a different system to Bath, not least in defence, and it was about acclimatising to how they wanted to play and I got my head around it. The week with the A team for Portugal was also a great experience.
“It was good to get back to Bath. When I came through the office where the coaches were after training they remarked on how I was looking for things more and trying to get the ball in my hands as often as possible. It was nice to hear that they think I am improving.
“You never know when it comes to England selection in the future, but I like to think I took a step in the right direction. It was good to get positive feedback from the coaches and they told me what they wanted me to work on.
“It is now about playing well for Bath in the final stretch of the season and putting myself in the best possible position. There is a lot of rugby to be played in the next few months and we are still in contention for two trophies. I feel fresh and ready to play.”
Bath resume their Premiership campaign at home to Sale this afternoon. Their last match before the break was a bonkers 101-pointer at Bristol when they scored six tries and lost, but their only home defeat in the league and Champions Cup was against Leicester, and then by a point.
But the Sharks are the only team this season that have kept their line intact against Bath, restricting them to three penalties when the sides met at the AJ Bell Stadium in November.
“It was the game we had anticipated,” said Muir. “It was a kick battle and largely fought in the middle of the pitch. They do not deviate from what they want to do and it is about understanding how they play.
“A strength of the Premiership is that teams have different styles. Northampton run more than Sale, for example, and it is about winning the battles you have to.
“The table is very close with one win separating second from seventh. With the league shut down for two months it will be all about who can get back into it quickest. I would like to think that we will pick up where we left off and it will be good to play at the Rec again.”
Muir, who joined Bath in 2020, signed a contract extension with the club before joining up with England in January that will keep him at The Rec until 2027. He missed all but for the first few weeks of last sea
