Bath are looking to end their 19-year wait for a top-flight title as they face Saracens in the Premiership final.
The Blue, Black and Whites have selected the same team that thumped Leicester in the semi-finals last week.
Saracens, winners in 2011 and beaten finalists last season, have reached the final for the fourth time in six years.
Like Bath, Sarries have also named an unchanged side, meaning 18 of England’s World Cup training squad will be in action at Twickenham on Saturday.
Their only change from the squad that won at Northampton Saints – the team that beat them in last year’s final – comes among the replacements, with hooker Schalk Brits returning after illness.
Were they to beat Bath at Twickenham, Saracens would become the first side to win the Premiership title having finished outside the top two in the table.
“This is our fourth Premiership final in our last six seasons, which is a good achievement in itself,” director of rugby Mark McCall told BBC London.
“Twelve months ago, when we sat in the dressing room at the end of the game against Northampton, it seemed a long way off and a difficult journey.
“Last year we went into the final having lost the European Cup final to Toulon the week before, which was a draining experience physically and mentally. We go into this game in a different mindset.
“Bath are a really good team and have a great all-round game. We will have to be really good to beat them, but if we show the best of ourselves we will be hard to beat.
“We need to make sure we use our energy in the right way.”
Bath, who finished second in the Premiership table, beat Leicester at The Rec in the last four to reach their first Premiership final since 2004.
“People look at us and say we’ve won nothing yet, and they’re right,” Bath head coach Mike Ford told BBC Points West.
“For all the good rugby we’ve played, I think there’ll be one or two sceptical people out there who’ll say ‘is it winning rugby?’ And we’ve got to go out on Saturday and prove that it is.
“We’d be stupid to change anything, to freeze and tighten up and think that we can’t play our way because it’s a final.”
Wayne Barnes takes charge of the match for what will be his sixth time refereeing the Premiership final.
Bath: Watson; Rokoduguni, Joseph, Eastmond, Banahan; Ford, Stringer; James, Batty, Wilson, Hooper (capt), Attwood, Burgess, Louw, Houston.
Replacements: Webber, Auterac, Thomas, Day, Garvey, Fearns, Cook, Devoto.
Saracens: Goode; Strettle, Taylor, Barritt, Wyles; Farrell, Wigglesworth; M. Vunipola, George, Du Plessis, Kruis, Hargreaves (capt), Itoje, Burger, B. Vunipola.
Replacements: Brits, Barrington, Figallo, Hamilton, Wray, de Kock, Hodgson, Ashton.
Referee: Wayne Barnes.
bbc
I think morne steyn is playing himself in the world cup team.
Morné Steyn kicked 28 points as Stade Français beat Racing Métro 38-15 on Friday to advance to the Top 14 semi-finals.
1 @ MacroPolo:
You must put his performances into context……even Jono Ross looks good over there
Also, they conceded two tries due to him failing to find touch, remember the Aussie test anyone?
@ MacroPolo:
“Morné Steyn kicked 28 points as Stade Français thumped city rivals Racing-Métro 38-15 to set up a Top 14 semi-final against Toulon.
At Jean Bouin, and on their return to the play-offs, Stade used their dominant scrum and and incisive backs to overwhelm a Racing team that looked short of ideas.”
The big factor in this excerp is that his team dominated the scrum, do you think our current Sharks/Bok front row will give him the same platform to kick so many penalties?
Maybe he must return to SA and come play for the Stormers
@ MacroPolo:
Hi Macro, shhhhh don’t say that too loud think that idea about Morne got some pelters when I suggested it here a few weeks ago
GO SARACENS! Won’t get to see this final, hope Saracens manage to win it going to be tough as Bath been playing well. Would be interested to hear if any of you watch it what you make of Baths code hopper Sam Burgess is he really as good in Union as the hype suggests?
Bath 0/15 Saracens after 25min. Two tries and a penalty to Sarries. Farrell scored and converted the first try and has got the penalty.
Bath 3/15 Saracens about 29min gone. Sounds like Burgess has put in some big tackles. Don’t dispute that they happened but suspect he is getting preferential treatment from the online updater…
3RD TRY FOR SARRIES. CHRIS WYLES!
Try converted. Bath 3/22 Saracens – 32 min
Farrell slots a penalty.
Bath 3/25 Saracens almost half time
Half time: Bath 3/25 Saracens. This is the highest half time lead there has been in any of the finals in this competition.
Bath 13/25 Saracens 52min. Sounds like Bath making a come back. Come on Saracens!
Saracens won! Bath 16/28 Saracens. Good stuff.
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