Boussuge links up with Bath
Bath has signed exciting winger Jacques Boussuge after the Frenchman completed a successful three-week loan spell at the club.
Boussuge had been without a club at the start of the summer and Bath quickly moved to make sure he would be on trial at the club by the time pre-season training started.
He has signed a one-year deal with the side and will give Bath a much better chance of scoring some emphatic wins over the course of the season. Bath has been a very active club during pre-season and Boussuge represents the quality the club is now trying to put together.
The winger has a number of skills and assets that will make him a very important player at Bath. The club is going to need to protect him constantly throughout the season because he's a player that is likely to be targeted by opposition sides.
Skills and assets
Boussuge's main asset is his blistering pace. He plays out on the wing and this is commonly the position for the fastest player at any club. The pace will allow him to get down the line to score a try and to burst through gaps.
He's also a very agile player and this is something that works well for individuals that have tremendous speed. One way to stop a fast player is to barge them out of the game but agility allows the fast player to dodge and dive out of the path of tackles.
Boussuge is also quite versatile and this will make him popular among the playing squad over the season. Every club picks up injuries and players need to adapt to cover. Boussuge can play inside from the wing or on either side of the pitch.
Chief executive Nick Blofeld said: "Jacques has accepted a contract and will be back in Bath in the next few days. The coaching team believe they can make him into an even better player and build on his existing talents. He's certainly got plenty of pace."
Protection of the player
The club has a big role to play in the protection of the player. Bath is being touted as one of the club's that can do very well this season and a lot of players become the subject of opposition focus as a result.
What this means is that key players like Boussuge will be zoned out as a direct threat. Quite often another rugby club will do whatever it takes to make sure that a specific player cannot have any effect on a game. This means challenges, tackles, barges and generally anything that will stop the player.
Bath has to protect the player because if the club doesn't then he could end up injured as quickly as when he signed his contract. This will place greater strain on other areas of the club and will be damaging to the team.
Blofeld added: "Attitude goes a long way. He is massively enthusiastic about playing for Bath."
Betting advice
Bath has a lot of good players but very few have the potential to completely run away with a game and create an epic scoreboard. Boussuge can do this because of his pace and skill. Don't be afraid to have a punt on the winger being the highest try scoring player at the club by the end of the season.
Bath is a much fancied rugby club for this season. Boussuge will only add to the club's chances so don't hold off from backing the side to lift the Premiership title if you were thinking of backing them.
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