Perhaps it was Johann van Graan, the Bath head of rugby, who best summed up the difficulty of challenging in both the Investec Champions Cup and Gallagher Prem when he compared the two competitions to a sprint and a marathon respectively. Any runner will tell you that it is very hard to be good at each; a sacrifice has to be made somewhere.
It is a lesson that Van Graan and his side learned last year – losing semi-finalists both domestically and in Europe, a season that promised plenty for a club with dynastic aspirations ultimately delivered little.
