Preview: Bath v Northampton

Bath welcome back Matt Banahan, David Wilson and Lewis Moody for the sold-out Aviva Premiership match against Northampton.

Bath welcome back Matt Banahan, David Wilson and Lewis Moody to the matchday 23 for the sold-out Aviva Premiership match against Northampton Saints at the Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Having been released by England, Banahan comes into the starting line-up, with Wilson lining up on the bench. Moody also takes a place on the bench for his first game since being injured in the Heineken Cup victory over Aironi in January.
Nick Abendanon, fresh from his try scoring appearance on the wing last Friday against Sale Sharks, returns to full-back, with Tom Biggs joining Banahan on the wing. Matt Carraro and Olly Barkley once again link up in the centres, and Butch James and Michael Claassens continue their half-back partnership.
Up front, David Flatman, Lee Mears and Duncan Bell provide power in the front row, with Stuart Hooper and Danny Grewcock supporting from the second row. Ben Skirving, Luke Watson and Simon Taylor complete the scrum.
Head coach Steve Meehan reflects on last weekend's victory away to Sale Sharks, Bath's third on the bounce in the Premiership, and ahead to the challenge posed by Northampton.
“We were delighted with the result. We have won the last two of our three Premiership games on the road, which is very pleasing, and we are starting to play with the ability and confidence we know we have, so if we can continue that it will be good,” he said.
“We put in a very professional performance and put a lot of pressure on the opposition, taking our opportunities and penalties when they came.

“This game against Saints is a very big game for us.

“We were disappointed with the performance earlier in the season at Franklin's Gardens, so we have been looking forward to this fixture. They have been playing well for the last couple of seasons, so can't be underestimated. It's not going to be easy but it's certainly a challenge we're looking forward to.”

Meanwhile, Northampton boss Jim Mallinder called on his Saints team to meet the challenges that will come from Bath head on this Saturday.

Although the Saints are heading to the Recreation Ground on the back of a loss against a top-four rival, Mallinder says that the players are in a good frame of mind and are determined to bring home a positive result from the west country.

“There were positives to take away from last week, but there were plenty of things to work on as well,” Mallinder said.

“Last Saturday's game showed that we still have development to make as a team and we have to learn the lessons from the defeat.

“There is no better time to do that than in a tough game like we will have on Saturday. The Rec is a difficult place to play, and Bath are in good form at the moment. They have an experienced front five who showed how well they can play in last week's win at Sale. Bath also have a strong axis at nine, 10 and 12 and good finishers out wide, so we will have to be at our best to get a positive result.

“We are certainly going into the game in a positive frame of mind. The attitude in training this week has been good with every player determined to get a good result on Saturday.”

The teams:

Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Matt Carraro, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 Tom Biggs, 10 Butch James, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Luke Watson (c), 6 Ben Skirving, 5 Danny Grewcock, 4 Stuart Hooper, 3 Duncan Bell, 2 Lee Mears, 1 David Flatman.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Dixon, 17 David Barnes, 18 David Wilson, 19 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 20 Lewis Moody 21 Mark McMillan, 22 Sam Vesty, 23 Jack Cuthbert.

Northampton: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Bruce Reihana, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Jon Clarke, 11 Paul Diggin, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Stuart Commins, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Phil Dowson (c), 6 Calum Clark, 5 Christian Day, 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Brett Sharman, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Andy Long, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Tom Mercey, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Ryan Powell, 22 Shane Geraghty, 23 Scott Armstrong.

Date: Saturday, February 19
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Recreation Ground