Coach can play some new tricks with full pack

Mark Bakewell has been feeling like a kid with a new toy thissummer - because he can look forward to a winter with a full pack toplay with.

That's a luxury which will be new to the Bath forwards coach inhis second season at The Rec after a 2006/07 campaign which almosthad him tearing his hair out in frustration.

"This season, we can look forward to actually being able to dosome serious scrummaging practice in training," he said.

"That just wasn't possible last season because we were so underpressure for front-row players, we just couldn't risk it.

"We had to wrap all of our props up in cotton wool from game togame just to get them out in one piece on Saturday afternoons."

If Bakewell had had his way at the end of last season, he insistsDavid Barnes would have collected every player-of-the-year awardgoing along with a knighthood.

"It would have been a fitting end to a brilliant season-longeffort if his interception try at Sale had won us our first awaygame," said Bakewell.

"Without Barnesy, who was prepared to put his body on the lineabove and beyond the call of duty week in, week out, we would havebeen in real trouble."

From a situation last summer where front-rowers were thin on theground with Taufa'oa Filise decamping to Cardiff and veteran ChrisLoader forced into retirement, Bakewell admits he will be spoilt forchoice in a crucial area of the team this winter.

"Look at it this way - we can actually work on scrummaging and,more importantly, rotate the front-row guys to give them rest duringthe season."

With his front row problems behind him and two new signings in No8 Daniel Browne and lock Martin Purdy to bolster a powerful group offorwards, Bakewell is highly optimistic about this season.

"Even without Matt Stevens, Lee Mears, Steve Borthwick and DannyGrewcock for the early part of the season, we're in good shape," hesaid.

"Youngsters like Chris Goodman, Mike Myerscough and JonnyFaamatuainu are ready to push their claims for places.

"And we have had the benefit of building into this season with astructured plan instead of having to wing it the way we did lastsummer and for most of the season.

"This, I reckon, looks like being a season where we will underlinethis club's proud reputation for producing top-class packs."