I’ve loved my time at Bath – Gallagher
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Matt Gallagher admits it will be a wrench to leave Bath at the end of the season and is doing so to pursue his dream of playing international rugby.
The 27-year old fullback/wing is eligible for three countries – England, where he was born, Ireland, through grandparents and Italy, where he is bound in the summer, through a grandfather who was born in Trentino.
Gallagher, whose father John won 18 caps for New Zealand at the end of the 1980s and was never on the losing side, came through the academy at Saracens before joining Munster and then following their head coach Johann van Graan to Bath in 2022.
He has signed a three-year contract with ambitious Treviso who have also recruited wing Louis Lynagh from Harlequins – he made a try-scoring debut against Scotland earlier this month.
“I have loved my time at Bath and it will be emotional to leave,” said Gallagher who was on the left wing when England won the U20 World Championship against an Ireland side that included Hugo Keenan, Andrew Porter and James Ryan. “It was a tough decision but it was an opportunity that does not come around too often and I took it. I would love to play for Italy in the future and will have the opportunity to see if they want me.
“It is an exciting time for the game there. Italy had a good Six Nations which was fantastic to see and Treviso have an ambition to push forward. They have made some big signings and the weather there should be better than it is in England!
“It will be difficult to leave a club like Bath but as Johann says you are on a train and sometimes it is your turn to jump off. It was amazing to come back to the Premiership and I have loved every minute.”
Gallagher has vied for the full-back position at Bath with Tom de Glanville, regularly playing on the wing when not at 15, but is set to be the last line of defence for the remainder of time at the club with de Glanville unlikely to play again this season because of injury.
“I played a bit more than Tom last season but he has pushed on a lot and been in top form,” said Gallagher. “It has been a tough battle but I have loved it and we get on really well.”
When Gallagher and van Graan arrived at Bath, the club had been wallowing in the nether reaches of the Premiership and had not long suffered the indignity of conceding 60 points to rivals Gloucester.
“Johann was clear from the start what his goal was and it involved improving every day,” said Gallagher. “We have world class players here and I have relished being in the environment and learning from the lads.
“The supporters have been incredible and you could see where the team was going at the end of last season when we put a run of wins together, including one against Harlequins at Twickenham which was a cool occasion.”
Bath returned from the eight-week break for the Six Nations by recording a bonus point victory over Sale at The Rec with Gallagher among their try scorers.
“I thought I would enjoy the break more than I actually did,” he said. “It was like pre-season and I was glad to see the end of it. Before I arrived, a number of young players were given game time and they have really pushed on while the likes of Sam Harris are now coming through.
“It is an incredible club and that is why it was such a hard decision to go. Whatever I have done in my life has tended to be around family, Saracens when I was growing up, then Munster and Bath. I had things in my head when I was growing up that I wanted to do and I have been lucky enough to make them happen.”
