Dunn has 'monkey off back' with Bath cup win

Tom Dunn is Bath's longest-serving player of their current squad

Bath hooker Tom Dunn said he has got the "monkey off his back" as he won his first trophy after 13 seasons at the club with the Premiership Rugby Cup on Sunday.

Dunn has made nearly 250 appearances for Bath, and is the longest-serving player in the squad.

The 32-year-old scored two tries in the 48-14 win against Exeter Chiefs, as Bath ended a 17-year wait for silverware.

"When you see retired players come on the TV and underneath it says '200 caps or 170 caps' - I just didn't want to be that person where it said 'won nothing'," Dunn told BBC Radio Somerset.

"I didn't want to be that player or that pundit - if I ever am one - but for me, it's the monkey off my back.

"I can show my little boy the trophy, show my kids the medals, and I'm excited."

Dunn, who made his Bath debut in 2012, came into their Premiership Rugby Cup team for the knock-out stage of the competition, after a side largely made up of academy players won five out of six matches in the group stage to ensure Bath topped their pool.

He said the trophy was a "great reward" for those young players.

"Every week in the Premiership you don't see those boys playing, you don't see those boys on the team sheet but they're the ones pushing us, making us better," Dunn added.

"They're the ones prepping us, running plays that they don't need to learn to make us better.

"It's a selfless job and I remember when I was 20, 21 I wasn't playing, that was my role, and it's a tough role to have and this is their reward. They train so hard, they work so hard, and they've got their opportunity and they've taken it."

Bath return to Premiership action against Gloucester on Sunday six points clear at the top of the table, as they look to avenge last season's final defeat by Northampton Saints and claim their first league title since 1996.

They are also into the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup, and could win a treble this season if things all go to plan.

Dunn said the Premiership Cup win is hopefully just the "start".

"Rugby clubs are massive ships and it takes time to turn them around, and I can't speak highly enough of the people in charge at the moment," he added.

"That goes from the nutritionist Sarah [Jenner] all the way up to the head coach Johann [van Graan], to the kit man Middy [Steve Middleton]. It's such a group effort... and I'm very excited this is just hopefully the start and the beginning."