Barkley has a point to prove on Rec return

Olly Barkley believes he has a point to prove to the Bath fans – and admits he faces a tough task in wresting the number 12 shirt back off Shontayne Hape.

After a year away from the club that launched his career, Barkley was yesterday relaxed and clearly thrilled to be back at The Rec.

But the 27-year-old is under no illusions about the amount of blood and sweat he needs to expend to secure a starting berth with Bath, not least because of Hape's successful conversion from league to union last season.

"I've definitely got something to prove to the coaches, to the boys and to the fans. That's very important for me," he said.

"The boys have welcomed me back with open arms and the coaches have been great, and I hope the supporters will be too – I owe something to them.

"I set myself one goal for pre-season which is to work as hard as I possibly can and put myself in a position to hopefully be in contention to start the first Guinness Premiership game of the season.

"I understand Shontayne has played incredibly well over the past year and he has got hold of that jersey so it's not going to be an easy thing to get back in there.

"I've certainly got my work cut out and the early signs from training are that Shontayne lives up his billing. He has been outstanding in training.

"I just need to get my head down and from then on it's up to the coaches to decide where they want to fit me in."

Barkley was told earlier this summer by England attack coach Brian Smith that he wouldn't feature in either the Elite England or Saxon squads for the forthcoming season because he had ruled himself out of the recent tours to the Americas.

And while disappointed not to be in either England squad, Berkeley knows that cementing his place in the Bath XV is his first priority.

"One of the reasons I didn't tour this year (with either England or the Saxons) was to concentrate a bit more on my club," he said.

"The stepping stone to international rugby is your club and with Shontayne playing well here, I felt I needed to concentrate on getting back into the Bath squad and working as hard as I possibly can here and adjusting to the style of play.

"It's not nice to be omitted but it gives me a chance to focus on myself and the club, and that's something I'm looking forward to very much."

The inside back says there was tension in the dressing room during his ill-fated year away at Gloucester but believes he is a better man for his experiences at Kingsholm.

"I learnt a lot about myself, not necessarily as a player but as a person. I think I've grown up an awful lot," he said.

"It was a tough year. The adjustment to the style of play was tough. The whole culture change was incredibly tough, not only among the city but among the squad as well.

"I never took this club or city for granted, but being away you do realise how close something is to your heart. Having come here as a schoolboy and grown up into a young man – or an old child, my mum would say – it has a strong hold on you.

"But I didn't want to go through my career thinking 'What if?'. I left and tried very, very hard for a long time, but it didn't work for me.

"You live and learn and go through life's ups and downs and I'm a firm believer that you're a better person because of the downs and you need to ride the ups when they come.

"I'm very grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to come back. I'm happy now and I owe a lot of that to Steve Meehan (head coach), Andrew Brownsword (owner) and Bob Calleja (chief executive).

"I've had not one iota of regret (about coming back to Bath). Not one. I feel very much at home now.

"I've been back two-and-a-half weeks and I haven't stopped smiling."

Barkley says he has been "productively flogged" in pre-season and has managed to clock a few personal bests during strength and conditioning sessions.

"It bodes well," he said. "I want this season to be big for me and big for Bath."