Buzzing Bath will keep Saints guessing

Mike Ford’s men head to Franklin’s Gardens full of belief after last Saturday’s 45-0 blitzing of Leicester Tigers.

It was a game which displayed their all-round ability with the pack providing the platform and the backs running riot.

Saints managed two wins and a draw against Bath last season, with the most recent victory coming in the Amlin Challenge Cup final at Cardiff Arms Park in May.

But Dickens is expecting a more expansive side to rock up at the Gardens this weekend and knows his men will have to be on their toes to limit the plethora of threats Bath will pose.

“They’ve worked on areas of their game and they have big forwards running in the outside channels so they’ve got that width to their game,” said Dickens.

“The strength of them is their 10, 12, 13 axis with players who have the ability to run, pass and kick so we’re not quite sure what will come.

“They’ve got massive momentum coming here.

“They were very clinical and they also scored a couple of tries from deep inside their own 22 last weekend, which was something we need to be aware of.”