BATH have complete faith in their players to continue the club’s winning momentum, whoever steps on to the pitch against Mogliano at Stadio Comunale Maurizio Quaggia tomorrow (1pm), says coach Toby Booth.
Booth’s men resume their Amlin Challenge Cup campaign on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions, seeking the back-to-back wins that would leave them well in command of Pool Two.
Booth indicated that multiple changes to the side that beat Exeter 21-16 in the Aviva Premiership last Saturday would be made, the likes of centre Kyle Eastmond and fly-half Tom Heathcote coming back into the starting equation.
“There’s an element of trust with the squad and giving people opportunities, which is important,’’ he said.
“There will be a few changes, no doubt, which will give other people opportunities.
“You don’t want to disrupt it too much, but we probably see it as if we do change the team, the people who have the shirt on have the responsibility to continue the momentum.
“Rather than it’s a disruption, it’s an opportunity for them to say ‘you can trust me and rely on me to do what needs to be done’.
“We’ve worked hard to be a bigger and more competitive squad and it’s all part and parcel of that really.’’
Many supporters’ eyes will be on perceived bigger tests to come in the Premiership against Harlequins, Leicester and Northampton over Christmas and the New Year, but Booth said: “We’re away from home, which poses its own challenges.
"There will be different travel plans, different food and you need to be resilient to all challenges on and off the field.
“It’s part of this young team’s growth to come up with the answers.
“We know a bit (about Mogliano) because we’ve got footage from the previous rounds.
“Irrespective of that, it’s about what we do. We’ve got our own direction of improvements which we need.
“It’s about what we do when we’ve got the ball, and when we haven’t, and making sure we can force our game on to the opposition, rather than the other way around.’’
WIN GOLD TICKETS TO SEE BATH'S RETURN LEG WITH MOGLIANO NEXT WEEKEND. FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER SEE THIS WEEK'S WILTSHIRE TIMES
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