Bath on brink of last eight

Bath will try to put a Headingley horror show behind them tomorrow night by clinching a place in this season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

The English club’s enigmatic campaign means they are battling Guinness Premiership relegation, while also boasting an unbeaten European record.

Victory over Pool Five hosts Bourgoin would send the 1998 European champions through, give head coach Brian Ashton his first win since returning to the Recreation Ground and erase memories of last weekend’s 25-14 defeat to fellow league strugglers Leeds.

The Leeds defeat left Bath just two points off the Premiership basement, and Ashton knows a vast improvement will be required at Stade Pierre Rajon.

“There were a number of areas from that game that needed addressing,” he said.

“We struggled to retain and control any sort of possession in the first-half, and our kicking game put us under a massive amount of pressure. We made 25 extra tackles through missing touch than we needed to in the first 40 minutes.

“We have addressed those problems off the field. The key now is to address them where it really counts on Friday night.”

Ashton has made several changes for the Bourgoin clash, but none more noticeable than switching England’s Olly Barkley from centre to the pivotal fly-half position instead of Chris Malone.

Elsewhere, prop David Flatman makes his first start of the season, and there are also call-ups for the likes of centre Tom Cheeseman, hooker Pieter Dixon and flanker Peter Short.

Bourgoin are still in mathematical contention for the quarter-finals, but Bath will be buoyed by three successive Heineken Cup victories over them – 22-12, 23-17 and 39-12 – during the past 15 months.

“We will go to Bourgoin expecting a full-on battle, and I am pretty sure that is what we will get.

"It was evident when Bourgoin played Leinster at home last month that they are taking the competition seriously,” added Ashton, reflecting on Bourgoin’s European campaign last term when they lost all six group games, including a 92-17 drubbing by Leinster.

“They have a pretty proud home record and are situated in a proud rugby area, and I suspect that they will not want a repeat of what happened last season. We are expecting a full-on game and I am sure they will pick their strongest team.”

Munster’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals for an eighth successive season could disappear if they fail to beat Castres at Stade Pierre Antoine tomorrow night.

A defeat would leave them only able to progress as one of two best runners-up should Pool One leaders Sale Sharks beat Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday, but they might still not have enough points to scrape in.

Munster have beaten Castres on six of their nine previous Heineken Cup meetings, including a 42-16 victory in Limerick last October, yet only one success came away from home.

“When the pools were announced and before a game was played, we knew we would need a big performance in Castres, so there is nothing new there,” said Munster rugby director Declan Kidney.

“They have an impressive squad and we have huge respect for them. We certainly know enough about them because we’ve played them so often, and it never gets any easier.

“But we travel knowing that if we give it our best shot we will be in with a chance, and it’s great to be in that position. There are a load of clubs who would love to be still in contention.”

Ulster, meanwhile, must beat Pool Four leaders Biarritz in Belfast tomorrow night to keep alive any chance of progressing.

The group seems destined for a winner-takes-all clash between Biarritz and Saracens in France on Saturday week.