Mike Ford eager for Bath belief

Bath head coach Mike Ford has urged his players to have more belief as the team heads into a crucial remaining few weeks of the season.

The West-Country outfit reached their first final in six years on Sunday by beating London Wasps 24-18 in the semi-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Meanwhile, third-placed Bath are also due to make it into the Aviva Premiership playoffs come the end of the campaign.

Ford now wants his squad to have more confidence when they go into the "big games".

"We've got to get belief with us so people say 'Bath are a big team, they can win the big games'," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"You look at what Leicester have done over the past 10 years and everyone talks about Leicester coming good now. I don't believe they've actually played that well, but it's perception."

Bath return to league action on Friday night when they welcome Northampton Saints to the Recreation Ground.