Pat Lam believes Joe Batley is a changed man as tough life lessons in his 20s have helped the powerful second rower mature and provided a fresh purpose and perspective in life, dramatically improving him as a rugby player.
Batley has signed a three-year contract with Bristol Bears having initially joined on a short-term deal in October following the collapse of former club Worcester Warriors. The 26-year-old has played nine times since his arrival and has impressed with each performance - most notably in the victory over South Africa A.
It’s Batley’s second stint at the club having signed in 2017 from Gloucester as a highly-rated former England Under-20 international but made just 20 appearances in three years, with Lam admitting that as a young pro Batley certainly enjoyed all “the luxuries” that came with that status.
His life in his 20s has also been unquestionably shaped by his shock diagnosis for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during the 2017/18 Championship as he successfully underwent chemotherapy, putting his career on hold.
After leaving Bristol for Worcester in 2020, he has since started a family, while the shock from the financial fallout at Sixways has provided him with a further wake-up call that nothing is certain, particularly in professional sport, as for the first time in his adult life he was technically unemployed.
“It’s a mutual thing in the sense you only have to look at what he’s done since he’s been here,” Lam said. “He’s come in here and you can see the impact he’s had and is having; he’s 26, he was here for three good years but he’s matured massively.
“He’s been through a lot and that’s motivating him to be the best vision of himself. The version we’ve got of Joe Batley is completely different from the one we got the first time and the time he’s been here was enough evidence. You can see on the field, but the impact he’s having around here and the work he’s putting into his game, it’s all for his young family and it was a no-brainer for us and we’re very pleased he’s extended.
“It’s certainly meaning a lot more to him now. He’s certainly not changed in terms of being the loveable character around the boys - he’s a good laugh - but it’s now matching with his professionalism as a rugby player and you have a good mix there.
“He went through the moment with cancer, with not having a job and then he had a young son - all of those things give you perspective and make you realise that, yeah, I love the game but if I want to go further, provide for my family, play at the highest level, I have to put some work in. When a player reaches that sort of realisation, that’s when the magic happens.
“It’s maturity as part of your character, it’s resilience, it’s real purpose. Whether you apply yourself to rugby, business, being a good father, a good husband, you can take it all to another level when you go through what you have.”
Lam and the coaching staff are clearly seeing a difference in Batley’s rediscovered attitude to his craft, and on the technical and physical side there are further very visual improvements. The 6ft 7ins lock has lost weight, improved his physique - with his skinfold results revealing a leaner and more athletic player - and is wanting to enhance several micro aspects of his game, with one particular focus on his work in the lineout.
“You only have to see the effort and time he’s put into his game; he’s patient about the lineout, he’s a real leader there with Steven Luatua and Joe Joyce and John Muldoon, working away on that,” Lam added.
“You only have to look at his size, we still have the numbers from when he was here before; his weight, his skin fold - completely different. That’s not a fluke, that’s because of his attitude and the work he’s putting in.
“He was a big boy and he enjoyed the luxuries. He’ll be the first to say, the first version of him was more reflective of where he was. The perspective changes; the life he’s had, having a young family - it gives a meaning and you put the work in. When you put the work in, your body changes for the better.
"That’s why I do look at skin folds. All I’m looking at in that sense is because I know, as a rugby player, how much work I had to put in for it to go down. When you see drops, you just know that’s you making sacrifices to ensure your body - which is ultimately all you have got, if you want to play this game - is in its best condition which highlights attitude, application and commitment.
“When you come out of school, there are a lot of players whereby it’s a buzz, they’re getting paid to do what they like and we’re all faced, myself included, with different temptations and obstacles on the way and choices that you have to make. As I continue to say, we’re free to make choices but we’re not free from the consequences.
"It’s honestly been a pleasure to work with him for three years, have a gap when he went away, and now work with him for another three years because the contrast is huge. And it’s only a contrast because of his heart, his mind and his drive.
"You can’t force a guy, you can guide someone, but they’ve got to do the work and he’s certainly doing that, that’s why it was a pretty unanimous decision we wanted to offer him a longer term because he’s in a great, great place.”
As for what’s next, Lam is genuine enthusiastic about the potential of Batley who has successfully married his undoubted natural talent and love for the game, with the daily grind of self-improvement and self-discipline; a combination that could take him to even greater heights.
“It’s up to him,” Lam said. “I remember when I first got here I got asked, how many players can play for England? And I said all those who are English. If you’re English and you’ve got some ability, that’s fine. If you’re English and you’ve some ability with attitude and application, it’s over to you. All you can control is performing.
“All the players have the ability, a lot of players have the desire and the ambition. It really comes down to daily attitude and application.”
