Saints unplug blustery Bath

Iain Balshaw begins the task of repairing his shattered confidence this Saturday ? in a Bath team even more shell- shocked than their England full back.

A second dispiriting defeat in two weeks has left many people?s tip for the title bottom of the Premiership.

Third last year and buoyed by the arrival of Lions lock Danny Grewcock, Bath enjoyed an impressive preseason, beating Munster and Wasps in Ireland and promising great things.

Now, after their dismal showing against new boys Leeds last weekend, they were blown away 26-7 at a blustery Northampton. One player summed it up: ?We can?t pass, we can?t catch and we can?t kick.?

In short, Bath are as confused and off- form as Balshaw when he returned from the Lions tour to Australia. There he went from Test certainty to the midweek side in no time, complaining that he was not allowed to play his normal, free-running game which lit up last season?s Six Nations.

The 22-year-old starts his first game since then this Saturday, but he would have been hoping for a more lowkey fixture than the mustwin crunch with Saracens at The Rec. Lose that and Bath could be on their way to five defeats out of five as they then face daunting trips to Leicester and Biarritz in the European Cup.

?Balsh is ready for his comeback, ? said Bath director of rugby Jon Callard. He had better be because, two days later, Clive Woodward names his England squad for the potential Grand Slam decider against Ireland on October 20.