Bath excited by Toulon clash

Editor

Bath head coach Mike Ford is excited by the prospect of playing against French giants Toulon in the Champions Cup on Sunday.

Bath currently occupy third position in the Pool 5 standings, six points behind leaders Wasps. Critically, they are tied with Toulon on eight points which means the magnitude of the fixture cannot be overstated.

"It's a game that I would want at this time," Ford told the Bath Chronicle this week.

"It naturally gets your juices flowing and we've got to have a bit of fear about us of what we're playing against. Toulon are a quality side and I think we respond better to that. You can see an edge in training," explained Ford.

Toulon, who have proven a tough nut to crack in European competition, have already been beaten this season. However, Ford refuses to underestimate them, especially under these circumstances.

"There will be no complacency like there was last Saturday at Newcastle," added Ford.

"Toulon are at home and they've won the competition – or the Heineken Cup – three times on the bounce.

"They've got a team full of mentally-tough players who like to win and they don't want to be a team that doesn't qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup," he said.