We’re really excited to be back competing against the best teams in Europe and I know first-hand how hard the squad have worked to get to this point. There’s no better way to kick-off our campaign than at home and I have no doubt that the atmosphere will be electric once again for our game against Benetton Rugby.

It’s been a tough start to the season, but to have won four out of our first six fixtures in the Aviva Premiership, we would have taken that any day. We were delighted to come away with a bonus-point victory on Saturday and I was particularly pleased by the way we closed out the game in the last quarter. Worcester put us under a huge amount of pressure in the first half and everyone had to dig deep to get ourselves back into the game and in front of the scoreboard.

Benetton will be seen by many as the underdogs on Saturday, but we haven’t looked at them in that light whatsoever. We are preparing for this game just like any other and we are braced for another physical encounter. They have had an impressive start in the Pro14 and come into the game off the back of a resounding win against the Southern Kings last weekend, so they will be full of confidence. Kieran Crowley has put together a really strong side and you only have to look at the club’s representation in the Italy squad for the November tests to see the real quality in their ranks.

We know how important it will be to get off to a good start and this game is crucial in giving us the platform to build onto our next few fixtures in the competition. It's a challenging group, but one we're very excited to be competing in. The squad are working exceptionally hard to make sure that they are fully prepared to hit the ground running from the very start and deliver that strong performance in both defence and attack.

It’s important for me to extend a big thank you to everyone who has supported us so far this season - a team is nothing without its supporters and you have really made the difference. Whether that be the small, but loud pockets at Welford Road, or the sell-out crowd at Saracens and Worcester, it’s really special to see and hear what fantastic support we have behind us. We hope we can repay some of that passion on Saturday.

See you on Saturday,

Todd

Tickets for this weekend's game between Bath Rugby v Benetton Rugby are still available and can be purchased online here or by calling the Ticket Office on 0844 448 1865.

A message from Todd

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