Preview: Bath v Sale
Butch James is set to make his long awaited return from injury when Bath take on Sale in the LV= Cup clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Butch James is set to make his long awaited return from injury when Bath take on Sale in the LV= Cup clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Skills and Defence Coach Brad Davis believes that the fly-half will inject some extra confidence into the team and cannot wait to have him back.
“It's a boost for the team to have Butch back,” admitted Davis.
“It has been a long time coming. It will be great for him to get back out on the field and do what he does best – play rugby.”
Although Scott Hobson will miss this Saturday's clash due to a sprained ankle sustained against Leicester, Guy Mercer, Nathan Catt and Josh Ovens have another chance to showcase their talent on home soil.
“The young guns did a great job against Leicester last weekend,” said Davis.
“A few of them had put their hands up to say that they were ready to take the next step and they definitely took the chance to impress.
“This Saturday, those players have another opportunity to really stake their claim and enhance their reputations and I am sure that they will do well.”
Meanwhile, the Sharks have named their team to face Bath in the final Pool game of their LV= Cup campaign.
Outside centre Jordan Davies is set to make his debut, whilst fly half Mark Atkinson will make his first senior start.
On the bench, prop Dan Birchall and the Oxford University pair Ian Kench and Alex Cheeseman will make their Sharks' debuts if they enter the field of play.
“We go to Bath trying to return to winning ways. It's very important to the club that we start winning after some hard games recently,” said Director of Rugby Kingsley Jones.
“Bath's a great play to go and play, and a tough place to win. There are opportunities for some younger guys, and for players looking for contract renewals and the chance to play in the rest of the Guinness Premiership programme.
“Ultimately, we feel that freshening the team with some new faces, playing with experienced forwards, gives us the best chance to go to The Rec and get a win. Obviously, we have to look at other teams' results, but we still have a chance of making the semi final.”
Form: Bath Rugby have now slipped to three successive defeats. Bath's only victory in their last four LV= Cup matches was 21-11 at home to Ospreys on 14 November. Sale Sharks have also lost their last three encounters in all competitions since their 21-16 victory over Harlequins at Edgeley Park on New Year's Day. The Sharks' only win in their last seven matches in the LV= Cup was 27-3 at home to Leeds on 13 November. This is the third successive year that these two teams have met in the LV= Cup, with Sale winning 25-10 at Stockport in 2007 and Bath victorious 24-21 at the same venue twelve months later. Sale's only win in their last dozen visits to The Rec since 1998 was 21-9 in the Premiership on 2 January 2006. Bath have already been eliminated from the LV= Cup but Sale could still progress provided they win and Leicester and Saracens both lose without gaining a point.
The teams:
Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Jack Cuthbert, 13 Matt Carraro, 12 Ryan Davis, 11 Michael Stephenson, 10 Butch James, 9 Scott Bemand, 8 Ben Skirving, 7 Guy Mercer, 6 Daniel Browne, 5 Peter Short, 4 Stuart Hooper (capt), 3 Duncan Bell, 2 Pieter Dixon, 1 David Barnes.
Replacements: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Nathan Catt, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Jonny Faamatuainu, 20 Josh Ovens, 21 Mike Baxter, 22 Tom Cheeseman, 23 Joe Maddock.
Sale: 15 Marika Vakacegu, 14 Oriol Ripol, 13 Jordan Davies, 12 David Bishop, 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Mark Atkinson, 9 Chris Leck, 8 Kristian Ormsby, 7 David Seymour, 6 Carl Fearns, 5 Sean Cox, 4 Dean Schofield (capt), 3 Martin Halsall, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Gavin Kerr.
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 Rob O'Donnell, 18 Dan Birchall, 19 Chris Jones, 20 Ian Kench, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Alex Cheeseman, 23 David Doherty.
Date: Saturday, February 6
Venue: The Rec
Kick-off: 14.15
Referee: James Jones