Michael Claassens calls on Bath to kick-start campaign

Venue: Recreation Ground Date: Sunday, 21 November Kick-off: 1615 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Bristol & scores on the BBC Sport website

Claassens appeared in all nine games before the LV= Cup pool matches

Michael Claassens says Bath are rested and raring to go as they resume their Premiership campaign against Saracens.

Bath won one and lost one of their LV= Cup pool matches giving their first-team regulars a break from the action.

"Time off is vital. It's a long season so it's good to get a mental break," the scrum-half told BBC Radio Bristol.

"A lot of the guys that came back look fresh at training. We haven't played as well as we know we're capable of yet, so I'm sure this is the turn for us."

Bath sit sixth in the table but failed to win any of their league games in October, losing to Gloucester and Leicester and drawing at Harlequins.

All three matches were played in wet and wild conditions which hindered the free-running, open style they play, but Claassens insists that cannot be used as an excuse as they aim for a win that would see them leapfrog fourth-placed Sarries.

The South African added: "As a player you need to adapt and in the northern hemisphere you get used to these conditions.

"In the first game against Gloucester we didn't play really well in the conditions, but after that we played the conditions quite well, but it doesn't matter what the conditions are going to be, we just need to adapt."

Prop Duncan Bell feels the squad has been freshened up by the policy of resting senior players and can sense that adaptation Claassens has called for coming together, particularly after the LV= Cup win against Cardiff Blues in the rain.

"We've had to work really hard in training to evolve with our game because we are an expansive side and it's difficult to do that in the wet," said Bell.

"We're working very hard and the weather's been thumping down so we're evolving and hopefully we can get a run together.

"The ball's slower and there's more impacts in and around the breakdown so it's much more forward orientated... and for me there's less running, which is always good.

"But it's part and parcel of rugby at this time of year. It rains. We have to change our game in certain areas, get better at it and there have been signs.

"We did pretty well at Leicester a few weeks ago in pretty treacherous conditions and the Harlequins result, OK, we didn't win, but we played some good stuff, we're getting better as a side and hopefully we can prove that this weekend.

"They're a heavy abrasive pack. They're going to be a big bunch of guys and it'll be very difficult to break down, but I'm sure we'll come out on top."