Skirving calls for better clarity

Skirving has been named in every Bath match-day squad this season

Back-rower Ben Skirving believes with better decision making at vital moments Bath will be pushing for the play-offs and sending Steve Meehan out on a high.

Head coach Meehan will leave the Rec at the end of the season after five years.

Skirving told BBC Somerset: “We’ve got to tweak the decisions we make to get the most out of the possession we have.

“If we get some good wins, starting at Saracens, we can be up in that top four and it puts us in a position to take that next step and get into a final.”

Bath have struggled to take that last step to silverware under Meehan, reaching the Premiership play-offs in each of the last three years but never the final.

And heavy recent defeats by Gloucester and Leicester have dented their hopes of making the top four this season, and they are currently seventh in the table.

Although they have games in hand on most of their rivals in the chase for the play-offs, if they lose at second-placed Saracens they could end the weekend 13 points off fourth spot.

But Skirving insists Meehan’s decision to leave has not hindered their preparations and the focus is fully on the trip to his former club, where they won last season.

He added: “We want to go down there and get the win. It will push us forward and a win is everything.

“We took it Meehan’s decision on board. We’ve got to move on. Steve’s made his decision, we support him and the focus is Sunday.”

Lock Stuart Hooper added: “It’s a disappointment that Steve’s leaving, he’s been fantastic for the club.

“He won the club’s first silverware in the last 10 years and he’s got us to three semi-finals in a row and hopefully now we’ll push for the fourth.

“Steve’s been at the club a long time and he certainly won’t want to go out on anything but a high so he’ll be putting in the same effort he always does in leading the boys, and we’ll be putting in the same effort for him.”