Leicester Tigers and England speedster Anthony Watson has revealed all about his 'brutal' departure from Bath following almost a decade at the club.
The black, blue and whites withdrew a contract extension days before the 51-cap international was set to sign.
“For it to be assumed you will be an international when it’s not a given - you might not even be picked [by England] for the autumn or the summer or a Six Nations - and then have to deal with potentially taking a reduced wage because of it, it seems like you are being punished for being good, in a sense, which is tough for a player to deal with,” revealed Watson in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph.
“I understand from a business perspective but it doesn’t make it any easier from a players perspective.
“They (Bath) said they were not going to be able to offer anything to keep me,
“There seemed to be a lot of mixed messages as to why the decision was made, who made it etc. I ended up with a lot of resentment, if I’m honest, towards a lot of the leadership in the organisation.
"I just felt that after all my time at the club, things should have been handled better.”
He went onto send a direct message to Bath fans, saying: "“The last thing I want is for this to come across as sour grapes. It’s important for me to make clear, especially to the Bath fans, that this wasn't a case of me jumping ship, that’s not how I roll at all.
"I will miss the club and many of the people connected to it, but it’s not going to be burning me up. When July 1 comes, I’m a Leicester player.” And Bath's loss will undoubtedly be Leicester's gain."
Bath confirms EIGHT departures with stars leaving the club
Bath have now confirmed that eight senior players will be departing the club at the end of the 2021/22 season.
#1. Anthony Watson to Leicester Tigers
Discussing the move to Tigers next season, Watson said: “The first word that comes to mind with Leicester Tigers is ‘tough’. It is a tough club, a tough group of people and to be a part of that kind of environment is the best thing for me.
“I want to be successful, of course, but I also want to improve as a player and Tigers is an environment where I believe I will be able to become the best player I can possibly be while, most importantly, being a part and contributing to the team being the best it can be."
#2. Max Clark to Dragons
The Bridgend-born centre joined the Academy aged 13 and will return to Wales to join United Rugby Championship side Dragons ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
#3. Taulupe Faletau to Cardiff
The 86-times capped No 8 will head to the Welsh capital next summer following a five year stint at The Rec.
Commenting on the move, he said: “I’m really looking forward to joining Cardiff next season. I’m excited about having a new challenge, working with Dai Young and playing alongside some familiar faces.
“Playing international rugby is still something I have a lot of passion for and I hope that by playing well for Cardiff I’ll be able to continue to do that."
#4. Valery Morozov to Worcester Warriors
Morozov was signed by Diamond when he was Director of Rugby at Sale Sharks in 2019 and he has made the mobile, ball-handling forward his sixth new signing ahead of succeeding Alan Solomons as Warriors Director of Rugby.
#5. Danny Cipriani
Dallas Jackals are leading the hunt to sign the former England fly-half, who is leaving Bath when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
#6. Tian Schoeman to Newcastle Falcons
The 30-year-old South African is already on Tyneside preparing for his official start date in the summer, with the former Cheetahs, Bulls and Bordeaux man recovering from a knee injury.
#7. Semesa Rokoduguni
His next club is yet to be confirmed with reports suggesting he is heading to France.
#8. Jacques du Toit to Zebre
He will leave Bath Rugby this summer for Zebre Rugby. The 28-year-old made a try-scoring debut for the Blue, Black and White against Zebre, and has made a further 31 appearances for the club to date.
