An exciting young talent, Josh joined the Bath Rugby Academy in the summer. As well as running out for Bath United, he has been getting extra game time at Clifton Rugby Club and attended the recent England U20s training camp.

Academy Manager, Andy Rock, said: “Josh has had a really positive month of development. This first year out of school always involves a variety of challenges across different settings, and Josh has shown his ability to perform well in a number of environments, including training our first team squad at Bath. His desire to work hard and commitment to his own development is great, so he's well deserving of this award for the month of October.”

Josh says his strong performances are down the regular game time and training he’s had since the summer.

“Playing every weekend and training everyday at Farleigh has really helped me in terms of getting some consistency in performance.

“My development on and off the pitch have been hugely helped by the coaches and the other players. They have so much experience that it’s really just about taking as much information on board as possible.”

Josh attended Millfield School and he gives a lot of credit to the coaches there - John Mallet and John Brimacombe – as well as the school for creating an environment where individual development is prioritised.

Josh’s aims for this season are simple: “I just want to improve and develop at Bath and make sure I am in the best shape possible to make the most of the opportunity I’ve got here.”

His idol is Richie McCaw. “What made him stand out was his consistency and unbelievable decision making ability, especially around the breakdown.

“The biggest rugby influence in my life has been my whole family, from my mum who used to take me to all my training and matches, my dad who first got me into rugby, to my sister and rest of the family who are always at matches supporting.”

BMT Academy Player of the Month award goes to Bayliss

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