ONE of the greatest aspects of my job is being able to work with class acts and we will see one in action on Saturday.

Thinus Delport will start his first Worcester match when he plays against Bath at Sixways and I, for one, can't wait to see him out there.

He's had a desperate time with injury but to see him looking so strong in the past few weeks has been tremendous and we are confident that he's back.

Thinus has been brought back in 20-minute bursts so far but we feel that he's now ready to start a Premiership match. Watching on at Vicarage Road, it was clear to everyone that he was back after he took a big hit and simply got on with the game without giving it a second thought. That's the acid test and, to my delight, he came through it.

A lot is made about the opposition when we face Premiership teams. People, quite rightly, highlight all the stars on the opposition. On week one, we had the Jonny Wilkinson factor and, on Sunday, it was all about Thomas Castaignede and Saracens' superb pack.

However, I don't think it will be too long before people are talking about our team. There is no panic here at Worcester. We've lost our opening two games and that is, of course, disappointing. We are all aware, though, that this is a process of evolution for the squad. We've always said it would take a little time for things to come together but I believe that we've improved every week since our season began and that is the aim here at Sixways.

Certainly, we haven't had the easiest time with injuries. It's not that we have a queue for the treatment table but the injuries have hit us in one particular position. We go into Saturday's game without any of our three tight-head props. Chris Horsman still has a wire in his broken hand, Neil Lyman has a sternum problem while Colin Noon injured his back playing against Saracens on Sunday!

You cannot moan about it because that's what sport is all about. However, it does affect your preparation and Colin hasn't been able to train at all this week. Those who watched our game at Saracens will know that the set piece is certainly an area that we want to improve upon and we'll be delighted if we can do that against Bath.

The former European champions have a wonderful second row partnership and they enjoyed a stunning season last year with such a solid platform. Needless to say, Saturday will be a great challenge for Tim Collier and Craig Gillies and it's something I know they are relishing. It's an area where we know we have to compete and compete well but it is interesting to note that Bath dominated the lineout against Northampton in their recent game and still lost heavily.

It makes me chuckle when I read criticism of what Bath achieved last season. You cannot underestimate the job they did in transforming a team which finished 11th a season earlier and then took them to the top of the table. I think they were a lot of rugby supporters' champions last season and, rather than criticising their game plan, people should give them some credit.

Much will be made of their league position -- Bath are bottom with us above them with our bonus point -- but Saturday's game will not be a relegation battle. The Press maybe believe that we will be down there at the end of the season. I'm not one who subscribes to that viewpoint and the players won't be happy until they start winning matches. On Sunday's evidence at Vicarage Road, we're getting closer by the minute.

Saturday promises to be a cracking game with another big crowd and a wonderful Sixways atmosphere. The supporters were magnificent in our first home game but let's pump up the volume and let everyone know this is fortress Sixways.

When Bath come to town, you want to take that scalp because they are one of the biggest names in European rugby. Make no mistake -- we cannot wait to get stuck into them.