The 2014-15 Aviva Premiership season will come to an end this weekend when Bath Rugby and Saracens face off in the playoff final at Twickenham.
The sides finished second and fourth respectively in the final league standings, but could clinch the biggest prize in English rugby with a victory on Saturday.
Bath
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For a club with the history and standing of Bath, the fact that they have never won the Premiership since the playoffs were introduced is an issue that they will be desperate to address this weekend.
The golden era of the 1980s and '90s saw Bath win the top division title six times in the space of eight seasons, in addition to 10 Anglo-Welsh Cups and one Heineken Cup.
The advent of the professional era did not fall kindly for the club, however, and they have failed to win the league title since 1996, only reaching the Premiership final once. Wasps were their conquerors on that occasion in 2004, despite Bath finishing the regular season top of the table.
A setting this grand is uncharted territory for many of their players then, at least at club level, but Bath are unbeaten in their last two visits to Twickenham, both of which have come against Wasps in the regular season.
It is their attacking flair that has got them to their first appearance in the playoffs for five years, with only two teams scoring more tries over the entire campaign as Bath finished second in the table, just one point behind Northampton Saints.
They arguably saved their most impressive display for the semi-finals, however, as 10-time Premiership champions Leicester Tigers were swept aside at the Recreation Ground, with Matt Banahan scoring a hat-trick on the way to a 47-10 victory.
The scoreline may have flattered Mike Ford's side a little, but they were clinical in the opposition 22 and Saracens would find it very hard to deal with a similar display this weekend.
That victory made it seven on the bounce in domestic action, with their last defeat coming all the way back at the tail end of a disastrous February that saw them lose four in a row.
Bath also boast the Premiership Player of the Season in the shape of George Ford, while Jonathan Joseph helped himself to both the RPA Players' Player of the Year and the England Player of the Year gongs this season.
Should those two hit their stride again this weekend then Bath could finally end their 19-year wait for a league title.
Recent form in Premiership: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWWW
Saracens
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Saracens have also failed to get their name on this trophy as often as they would have liked in recent years, with Mark McCall's men being one of the dominant forces in the Premiership over the past five seasons.
Their first appearance in the Premiership final came in 2010 when they were beaten by Leicester, but victory over the same opposition one year later means that, unlike Saturday's opponents, they do know what it's like to triumph on this stage.
Saracens finished top of the regular season table for the last two seasons prior to this one, but they rather crept into the playoffs this time around.
They finished the campaign in fourth place, eight points behind pace-setters Northampton Saints and with their lowest points tally since the 2008-09 campaign.
However, it should also be noted that only Wasps scored more points and only the top two conceded fewer, giving Sarries the best points difference in the division.
A final-day hammering of relegated London Welsh helped in that regard as Saracens squeezed into the playoffs ahead of Exeter Chiefs, but they proved their mettle when it came to the semi-final.
McCall's side edged an absorbing clash with Northampton at Franklin's Gardens, eventually coming out 29-24 victors over the leaders of the final table.
That win would have gone some way to easing the heartache felt by Sarries at this stage last season, when the Saints won 24-20 after extra time to clinch the title, but it would take another win this weekend to truly banish those demons.
Recent form in Premiership: WWLLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLLLWW
Team News
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Saracens have suffered with injuries throughout the season and had to battle through a spate of illnesses in the semi-final against Northampton.
Chris Ashton was one of those to miss out at Franklin's Gardens, but the 13-try winger is expected to be fit to return this weekend.
Schalk Brits is also pushing for a recall, but McCall could be tempted to keep changes to a minimum following a rousing display last time out.
Jacques Burger, man of the match against the Saints, will continue on the flank, while key players such as Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt will once again feature in the backs.
Bath, meanwhile, have no new injury concerns ahead of the match and could name an unchanged side.
Captain Stuart Hooper is back from injury having missed the final two games of the regular season, and he will likely join England World Cup squad member Sam Burgess in the pack.
Peter Stringer is expected to play his final game for the club at scrum-half, linking up with in-form duo Ford and Joseph outside him.
Bath possible starting lineup:
Anthony Watson, Semesa Rokoduguni, Jonathan Joseph, Kyle Eastmond, Matt Banahan, George Ford, Peter Stringer; Leroy Houston, Francois Louw, Sam Burgess, Dave Attwood, Stuart Hooper, David Wilson, Ross Batty, Paul James
Saracens possible starting lineup:
Alex Goode, Chris Ashton, Duncan Taylor, Brad Barritt, David Strettle, Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth; Billy Vunipola, Jacques Burger, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Al Hargreaves, Petrus du Plessis, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola
Head To Head
Bath's recent record against Sarries will not inspire great confidence amongst the club's fans, with their only victory in the last 10 meetings between the sides coming at the Rec back in October.
That 21-11 defeat was the first of the season for Saracens, but they got their revenge during Bath's February losing streak with a 34-24 triumph.
We say: Bath 24-21 Saracens
This should be a close and intriguing contest at Twickenham, with a clash of styles thrown into the mix of a Premiership final. Bath have vowed not to change their free-flowing style against the defensive work of Sarries, and the result is likely to hinge on which team executes their gameplan better. It should be another entertaining affair, but we're going for a Bath victory and an end to their Premiership hoodoo.
Barney Corkhill
