Bath Rugby's attempt to lure Van Graan may fail

Bath Rugby have already earmarked their ideal candidate to fill the coaching void left by the departures of Mike Ford and Neal Hatley, though their pursuit of highly rated Springbok coach Johann Van Graan may prove fruitless, according to recent reports.

#Bokke: Johann van Graan ál ‘oorlewende’ van Heyneke se bestuurspan. https://t.co/LWHOdHU3K5 @Netwerk24Sport pic.twitter.com/Pm4ZDDcm6s

— Netwerk24 (@Netwerk24) January 17, 2016

Van Graan is believed to be the main man the Blue, Black and White wish to guide them into a new era, but contract obligations may mean the talented coach is unable to leave his post with the Springboks.

Van Graan, a hugely-impressive member of Heyneke Meyer's coaching team at the World Cup, was originally targeted by Bath as a replacement for Neal Hatley, who has joined England as scrum coach, but following the dismissal of Mike Ford as director of rugby it is believed the club have sought to bring the South African in as interim head coach.

The Rec has already played host to Van Graan, who was on hand to spectate Bath's season ending win over Leicester Tigers in what turned out to be Mike Ford's final game at the helm.

Though he has not taken the sole responsibility of running a club before, the technical knowledge of Van Graan is highly respected.

So much so, it seems the South African national side are unwilling to let their prized asset depart.

Recently appointed South African coach Allister Coetzee has gone on record to state his intentions to retain Van Graan within the Springboks set up, backing the SARU's stance to keep the coach tied to his current contractual obligations.