Bath Rugby flanker Thompson Cowan said there must be something in the water at Chippenham RFC with the exciting players they have produced.
Cowan is an up-and-comer at The Recreation Ground, having broken into the senior side, and scored a try against Exeter Chiefs in the 23-14 defeat.
The 23-year-old is part of a growing group of former Chippenham RFC players to be playing for the Premiership champions, alongside the likes of Max Ojomoh, Tom Dunn, Max Pearce, and George Worboys.
Cowan said he could not quite put his finger on exactly why so many players were coming from Chippenham, but was full of praise for the club.
He said: “I remember when I was young and watching these derbies as a fan, so to go and win both of them [against Bristol Bears and Gloucester] is a good boost for the team.
“You see how much it means to the fans, and that makes it such a good feeling as a player.
“There are quite a few of the Chippenham boys; we have got quite the list of homegrown players like us in the team.
“I think it helps having that passion for the club, but even the players that come in from outside, they are so bought into the culture.
“You can see how much it means to them, so as much as it is a big thing to be a local lad, everyone that comes in and pulls on that jersey knows what it means.
“But there must be something in the water [at Chippenham]. Chippenham RFC is a fantastic club, and I know that George Worboys was in the year above me, and that team was unbelievable from under-13s to under-16s.
“There is always a big pool of different players coming into the Bath academy, and the set-up there is fantastic.
“It is a really good club to have come from, but I couldn’t tell you what the secret was.”
After winning the Premiership last season, Bath are second in the table at present, just two points behind Northampton Saints.
Cowan said that he has felt the attitude in the camp step up even from last season with the hunger to win it all again.
He said: “The motivation levels are just as high, and with adding some new players in, I am just excited to see how far we can go.
"The depth in the squad massively helped us last year, even in the Premiership Cup, we had 50 players playing across that competition, and we could also rest players in the league.
“To have that kind of depth has been amazing, and it has meant training is excellent as we can build on that and be as competitive as we can be.
“When training becomes more player-led and the players are the ones pushing each other to be better, that is such a good place for a team to be in.
“All the players are so hungry for it, and you can tell that everyone is pushing each other to improve every week.”
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