By Leipziger
November 23 2006

The last league match for four weeks sees the Falcons travel to Bath on Saturday, looking to build on an excellent win at Sale last week with only their third victory at the picturesque Recreation Ground. This will be our eleventh league trip to Bath, with only two wins in that time in August 1997 and more recently in September 2004, when tries from Mike McCarthy, Michael Stephenson and a double by Tom May earned the away side a bonus point 18-33 success. Last season however saw Bath triumph 20-18 with a late converted try from Lee Best after it looked like Ollie Phillips and Anthony Elliott had secured an away win to complete a league double over our Boys.

3 times-capped Stephenson left Kingston Park for the Rec the following summer of course, is now in his second season there and could make his 30th appearance for Bath on Saturday. Stevo missed his first Premiership match of the season last Saturday evening as bitter rivals Bristol scored a 12-19 win at the Rec, their fourth defeat in a row in the league. The run began with a 55-23 trouncing at Saracens in October, and has also taken in losses against London Irish and Wasps. Both Leicester and Worcester have lost in Bath in 2006-07, but Bath still lie just one place off the bottom of the table going into Saturday’s game.

Stevo is not the only man with a foot in both camps, Falcons hooker Andy Long won both of his England caps whilst playing in Bath and current Rec prop David Barnes was once on the books of the Falcons and has played almost 150 Premiership games since then.

New South African signing Russell Winter is named on the bench by John Fletcher, whilst Andy Long for Matt Thompson is the only change from the starting XV which defeated Sale at Edgeley Park last Friday.

15 Matthew Burke (captain)
14 Tom May
13 James Hoyle
12 Mark Mayerhofler
11 John Rudd
10 Loki Crichton
9 Lee Dickson
1 Joe McDonnell
2 Andy Long
3 David Wilson
4 Andy Perry
5 Jason Oakes
6 Geoff Parling
7 Ben Woods
8 Mike McCarthy
Replacements:
Robbie Morris
Matt Thompson
Brent Wilson
Russell Winter
Joe Shaw
James Grindal
Tom Dillon

Bath team tbc.