Former Bath, England & Lions centre

The weekend's big game for me sees Bath welcome Gloucester to the Recreation Ground in the Premiership.

Jeremy Guscott remembers fondly his derby days as a Bath player

When I was playing I thoroughly enjoyed those games because you got to have some small revenge for being verbally battered by the Shed.

While it was sometimes funny it stayed with you. It was certainly an education, so it was always good to get the Gloucester boys back to the Rec.

The atmosphere in a local derby is so different to that in any other match. It is really important you win to earn bragging rights and the fans love it.

I see Saturday as a massive match for Gloucester. They started the season as favourites but their performance against Leicester on Sunday was woeful and Dean Ryan has said as much.

It was pretty inept and I think Bath could capitalise, but Saturday's game will be hard because Gloucester need a win or else the whole world and not just the Shed is going to be on their case.

For the last few seasons, Gloucester have been unable to win the important matches and I feel this season they must win a trophy.

If they don't, serious questions have got to be asked about the staff and management right to the top, because they have all the tools and resources to win.

Elsewhere, I see Sale beating Saracens at Edgeley Park. They've got a terrific backline, a good, mobile pack and Charlie Hodgson looked in terrific form at the weekend.

606: DEBATE Put your questions to Jeremy

I see Harlequins continuing on from the weekend, when they beat Sarries at Twickenham, at home to Bristol.

Charlie Hodgson has made a fine start to the new season

Knowing Bristol boss Richard Hill he is going to target his home games and if he wins any away from home he will see that as a bonus.

Quins may be a home banker but I would not go so far as to say that about Leicester's match against London Irish.

There's too much talent in that London Irish side and they will run Leicester very close and maybe even pip them, although the loss of Mike Catt and Shane Geraghty is obviously a big blow.

I just like everything about Northampton and I expect they will win away to Newcastle.

I particularly like Dylan Hartley, who I spoke about last week � he must have tripped over a blade of grass and been off-balance when Aleki Lutui bounced him off to score Worcester's try.

Last week's Guscott column

Over the years Northampton haven't lived up to their billing and resources and their first away game on their return to the Premiership couldn't be any easier for them.

Newcastle have Jonny Wilkinson back but you can't give them much hope if they lose on Sunday.

Finally, I believe Wasps have too much class to be troubled by Worcester, but they are a bogey team for them, although admittedly more away from home.

I think Worcester will give everyone a good game home and way this year, but I see Wasps coming back from a poor opening game by their standards, although Worcester will push them hard.

Jeremy takes time out each week to answer questions from users on 606, and here are a selection:

Gibsonyerman

Jeremy - what do you think of Martin Johnson as team manager and how well do you think he will do with England, given the fantastic resources he has at his disposal?

�Martin Johnson has had a couple of training sessions with the guys. He's put forward what he expects from the players in terms of a code of conduct but nobody knows what he's going be like as team manager.

If his playing career and captaincy are anything to go by you have to say he is going to be superb.

He has got resources but I don't believe he's got great playing resources yet � how many players from the last England team that took the field would make a world XV?

You'd be very hard pushed to put one in there. In terms of playing resources he's not got masses to work with but I would expect improvement in both their skills and their attitude.

Johnson's attitude was never take a step backwards, never give in, never stop running, be committed, and that's what I expect his team to play like.

longmisspass

Is it my imagination, or is it becoming more and more common for attackers to fail to draw or commit the man before passing - witness Luke Narraway's outrageous oversight in the Gloucester v Leicester match?

I totally agree. I go back to my comments in my two previous columns. How often do you see the ball go down the backline passed in front of the player running onto the ball, and the same done all the way down the backline?

It is a very rare occurrence and it just shows the lack of skill in the Premiership and what the coaches must be coaching.

I'm afraid the emphasis these days is more on structure and defence and technical skills in the scrum and the line-out, and less about attack.

Recwatcher

1. Did you ever get to out-drink the Funbus (Jason Leonard) on tour?

2. What do Bath have to do to get the go ahead for developing the ground - it is desperately needed if we are to keep up with Tigers/Glaws?

In answer to part one - on many occasions, and parts of my anatomy are still suffering because of it, and there's a few more to come yet.

More seriously, when it comes to the future of the Rec there have been campaigns and I hope there's a realisation by the powers involved that this is a project that the huge majority of residents in Bath want.

It's not just a rugby cause, it's for the betterment of the city. A suitable development of the Recreation Ground would only enhance what is there at the moment.

Bath is a world heritage city but it has also been put on the map by the rugby club and that should be rewarded by giving a club of that standing the resources it deserves.

Jeremy Guscott was talking to BBC Sport's James Standley.