Henry Thomas aiming to take the fight to Saracens

Bath Rugby prop Henry Thomas is eyeing up an iconic victory over visiting Saracens at the Rec this Friday, as the Blue, Black and White look to lock horns with the enemy who shattered their hearts in last season's final.

Following an impressive, highly disciplined performance in the West Country derby victory against Gloucester, Thomas recieved widespread praise for his impact on the tie.

Speaking to Total Sport this week, Thomas admitted the defensive approach was something the Somerset side were really looking to perfect heading into derby day.

"We have a target for under ten penalties a game and that's been a problem, it's been obvious to see and other sides have been getting on the front foot," Thomas began.

"It's been talked about a lot in training. It was nice for it to be actually shown on the weekend and it was important for our win," he added.

Prior to the Gloucester clash, the magnitude of the occassion went without saying, as Thomas acknowledged:

"We built it up, we know how important derby games are for the club. I grew up in Bath and watched a lot of them, so it has always been a big thing. Also we owed them one. To lose at the Rec against Gloucester isn't something to be proud of so we used that negative to make a positive."

Bath are now able to enjoy the benefits of their returning Six Nations personnel, including England's Grand Slam winning trio of George Ford, Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph.

"They bring a different vibe. They won the grand slam so they've got that positive outlook and that winning metality which definitely helps," said Thomas.

"I think a big thing is getting George (Ford) and Rhys (Priestland) back as well. Those guys control the game at 10 which makes a big difference, that 9 and 10 axis with JJ (Jonathan Joseph) working and adding that sprinkle of gold dust," he added.

Friday sees Bath welcome league leaders Saracens to the Rec, a team currently in commanding form. Regardless, Thomas remains confident.

"You take one game at a time, but as soon as the derby game was over the focus was straight to Saracens. We've got no game next week because of being knocked out of Europe so we can put everything into this game. Put them on the back foot, get at them and put them under pressure," he said.

"They have quite a structured game plan, they defend well, they kick well and do the fundamentals very well. For me, they'll scrum a long time and they'll try to maul. And how they go will be a big aspect as to how the game is going to go. We had a really good contest with them down at their place in the scrum and we'll have another one on Friday," he added.

Viewing the opposition man for man, Thomas admitted the quality within the Saracens ranks is high, but that each threat will be addressed.

"We put targets on guys, but they've got some good players across the board. You look at Brits (Schalk Brits) who is a fantastic ball player with great feet - Owen Farrell had a great Six Nations and obviously Billy (Vunipola) speaks for himself. They have quality, but it's a game, 50-50 on Friday night and the better team is going to win," Thomas said.

The role of the Rec faithful will again be pivotal on Friday, as Mike Ford's side look to feed off the crowd's enthusiasm in overcoming the champions.

"It lifts a player, when the crowd is loud," said Thomas.

"They've been great this year, even through the bad times. Being a fan is about sticking with the team through the good and bad and fair play to them, they have. We owe them a win on Friday night.

"These (Saracens) are the champions we lost to in the final, which we haven't spoken about yet, but we will do. The same guys who took our Premiership crown off us.

"You don't like to use revenge as a motivator because it can be quite thin but those are the  guys who stopped us and now we owe them one," he added.

Bath Rugby kick-off against Saracens at 7.45 on Friday, April 1. The game is also being broadcast live on BT Sport.