Dawson: keep Claassens as captain
England rugby legend, Matt Dawson, says he thinks Bath may have made a mistake by not keeping Michael Claassens as captain for the coming season.
The club have opted to give the captaincy role to Luke Watson who has only just joined the club. However, Dawson argues that Claassens has spent a lot of time at Bath and has handled a variety of difficult situations very well.
Watson arrived at the club with heavy publicity and he now has a huge weight of expectation on his back. There was a clear debate over whether Claaseens should have been kept on as the captain but it seems he has been released from the role to focus on his playing career.
It's important to look at the argument that Dawson is putting forward because there are a number of positive qualities that Claassens possesses. However, Bath are looking to push on after a disappointing season last year and the move could allow the experienced centre to do the same.
Qualities
The main point of why Claassens should have been kept as captain is the fact that he has so much experience of having done it before. He has been captain through some easy and very difficult games, knows how to organise his players and knows how to command their respect.
Claassens has also been involved in many off the field stories relating to Bath that have not always been the most positive of issues. This means he has the ability to represent the club off of the field very well.
He doesn't have an ego either and this is something that is very important for the captain of every side. He is well liked and if Watson gets carried away in any way with the role then players will develop detest as opposed to respect.
Dawson said: "He is very well respected and he is someone Bath need. I think he quite enjoyed the responsibility on and off the field last season. I can't believe he won't be captain again. Michael has been at the club for a few years and perhaps has more of a Bath vibe about him than Luke Watson who has just been there for a season."
Pushing On
Claassens is not getting any younger in terms of his playing days. He has been to h**l and back during his time as captain and the recent news that he will not keep the role could simply be the club taking the pressure off of him.
This could be very beneficial for him because all he will now have to do is focus on himself instead of the rest of the team and developing his own game even further. This means he can take care of himself a little bit more and ensure that he can maybe give one or two more years of service to the club.
Dawson added: "For a head coach it's good to be in a position where you have a number of people able to do the job. To be successful you need to have a handful of people that can captain. Bath were definitely one of the form horses towards the end of the season. They were playing the type of rugby that could beat anybody."
Betting Advice
Claassens is not the type of player who will score tries and a huge amount of points so avoid placing bets on him. Look to Bath as more of a team unit because they could have a shot at winning the Premiership this season if every part of the team works well together.
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