Saracens v Bath - Teams

Director of rugby Eddie Jones has made a number of changes to his Saracens side for the visit of high-flying Bath this weekend.

Sarries went down 21-15 to Harlequins last weekend and Jones has reacted by attempting to beef up his pack.

Second rows Kris Chesney and Tom Ryder are both included with All Black Chris Jack moving to the back-row where he teams up with captain Wikus van Heerden and number eight Ben Skirving.

There are futher changes in the back division with Rodd Penney replacing the injured Noah Cato on the wing and Brad Barritt given the nod at inside centre.

Justin Melck is named amongst the replacements and will make his first-team debut for the Londoners if he gets on, while David Seymour will make his 100th appearance if called upon.

"Bath have been one of the form teams in the competition and they play a good brand of rugby," Jones warned ahead of Sunday's encounter and went on to highlight the danger of Butch James.

"They play a very structured game and in Butch James they have a player who has been one of the stand out fly-halves in the league. They like to attack and get out in front so we will need to get out of the blocks quickly.

"We've picked a big pack this week and we need to go into the game very focused to ensure we keep up our good record at home."

Bath on a high

Bath head into the match on the back of a thrilling bonus-point victory against derby rivals Bristol.

However, skills and defence coach Brad Davis is very aware of the challenges ahead and has urged his team to focus on maintaining their form as the season draws to a climax.

"We only got two points from London Irish and Gloucester so it was crucial that we got that win against Bristol," Davis stated.

"The Guinness Premiership is so tight at the moment, that one or two losses and you risk being out of the frame.

"It was a great example of the team's attitude last weekend, as they refused to deviate from the game plan and they continued to apply pressure throughout the match."

Davis is wary of the threat posed by Sarries and warned their off-field problems could serve to galvanise the players.

"I know that they have had a bit of turmoil off the field, but that will inevitably make them more dangerous because, in many ways, they may feel they have nothing to lose and they can play with freedom and abandon," he added.

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Richard Haughton, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Rodd Penney, 10 Glen Jackson, 9 Justin Marshall, 8 Ben Skirving, 7 Wikus van Heerden (c), 6 Chris Jack, 5 Kris Chesney, 4 Tom Ryder, 3 Tom Mercey, 2 Matt Cairns, 1 Matias Aguero
Replacements: 16 Alex Walker, 17 Cobus Visagie, 18 Justin Melck, 19 David Seymour, 20 Mickey Wilson, 21 Gordon Ross, 22 Adam Powell.

Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Joe Maddock, 13 Alex Crockett (c), 12 Shaun Berne, 11 Matt Banahan 10 Butch James, 9 Scott Bemand, 8 Daniel Browne, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Stuart Hooper, 5 Peter Short, 4 Justin Harrison, 3 Duncan Bell, 2 Rob Hawkins, 1 David Flatman
Replacements: 16 Mark Lilley, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Andy Beattie, 19 Jonny Faamatuainu, 20 Mike Baxter, 21 Tom Cheeseman, 22 Andrew Higgins.