New roles for Hooper and Rock at Bath
The club also confirmed that Andy Rock will take up the role of Academy Manager at Bath. Hooper will work closely with Director of Rugby Todd Blackadder in running the Performance functions of the Rugby department, including oversight of the Academy, and in developing the club's leadership programme. Hooper will also support head coach Tabai Matson with elements of coaching focused on player skills development.
"This is an incredibly exciting role for me," said Hooper. "Whilst it's very different from the weekly role of a professional rugby player, I am absolutely relishing it. This role will enable me to help shape the culture and performance of the club over the long term which is great."
Rock arrives at Bath with an excellent reputation for spotting and bringing on young players. He was appointed to Academy Director at Yorkshire Carnegie in 2014, having previously run the AASE scheme at Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley, Yorkshire. Under his leadership, the School reached the AASE League Final in the same year. Rock will run the Bath Rugby Academy including the development of its long term plan, and will work closely with Hooper to enhance the integration of the Academy programme with the senior team.
Rock will be supported by current assistant Academy Managers Barry Maddocks and George Tavner who will continue their responsibility for the senior Academy training programme and EDPG training programme respectively.
Commenting on the move, Rock said: "I'm really looking forward to getting started at Bath, and continuing to build on the fantastic work that Danny Grewcock, Barry and George have already done.
"The Academy is full of promising young players. I'm excited about helping to build the pipeline of home grown talent for the long term development of our senior team, as well as helping youngsters across all age groups to unlock their talent."
