‘We’ll be mentally and physically ready’ - Piutau

A crowd of more than 60,000 is expected for ‘The Clash’ at HQ, but experienced centre, Piutau, insists Bristol are relishing the occasion.

“It’s a big game for us and we, as players, understand that as we try and achieve our goal,” he said.

“We’re just trying to put everything into our preparation and make sure we are ready mentally, physically and can go out there and celebrate this Saturday.

“It’s all going to come down to what we do on the field, so we’ll be preparing well and hopefully we can transfer that over to the pitch and put in a good performance.

“We’ve had some awesome support this season at Ashton Gate and it’s going to be no different this week. We’re really grateful that we’ve got such a good backing and a good support base.”

The Tonga captain believes last weekend’s quarter-final defeat at La Rochelle will stand his side in good stead in the future, with the team gaining vital ‘big game’ experience.

“For a lot of the players here, La Rochelle was a great experience. That is the level we want to be at and the games we want to be playing in, and games like that will add a string to our bow.

“So, we can take a lot from Sunday’s game as we build towards becoming the team we want to be.

"There is plenty for us to improve on from the game and we’ll be working hard this week to make sure we are ready to face Bath on Saturday.”