Derby match excites Hill & Meehan

Steve Meehan's Bath side won both Premiership meetings last season

Bristol head coach Richard Hill and his counterpart at Bath, Steve Meehan are looking forward to the opening day of the Premiership season.

The West Country rivals will meet at the Memorial Stadium on the first weekend of September.

Hill told BBC Radio Bristol: "It's a stiff one, Bath were in top form at the end of last season."

Meehan commented: "To start the season with this will enable the players to focus the mind."

....these are games everyone wants to play in.... Bath head coach Steve Meehan

Hill added: "It's very special, we know the atmosphere will be superb.

"We will have 12,00 rammed in the Memorial Stadium. It's so exciting to have a local derby as an opener."

Bath won both league games last season and Meehan said: "It also means these are games everyone wants to play in.

"Bristol will experience the same thing that we will here in that the guys will work hard to make sure they are selected for the very first game of the year."