TOBY Booth says Bath Rugby’s 45-0 mauling of Leicester Tigers earlier in the season counts for nothing as they look to claim a place in the Aviva Premiership final for the first time in 11 years this weekend.

Bath emphatically dismantled Leicester in their third game of the season at The Rec back in September and will have home advantage again on Saturday when the two fierce rivals resume battle in a mouth-watering play-off semi-final.

Mike Ford’s Bath just want to tame the Tigers by any scoreline this weekend as they look to emulate John Connolly’s troops of 2004 and win a place in the Twickenham showpiece on May 30.

First-team coach Booth said: “It’s barely been spoken about. We had a very good result against them in the past but it is irrelevant, it was something like 20 rounds ago.

“A lot has happened since then and it’s not going to have a bearing on the game.

“It would be very foolish to look beyond this weekend. The next game is all we are focussing our attention on, it’s been that way for us all season and this weekend is no different.”

Bath have a clean bill of health ahead of the game and are expected to welcome back club captain Stuart Hooper into the fold this weekend having sat out the last two matches.

“We are all good, there are no injuries to worry about,” said Booth.

“To get someone like Stuart back in fit is huge. He could have played last week but we were in a position where we didn’t need to rush him.

“He’s the captain so he is very important for us. Everyone looks to him to interpret what we want out on the field.”

Bath warmed up for their semi-final showdown with a 50-30 triumph over local rivals Gloucester on Saturday in the final match of the regular season.

The bonus-point win means Bath finished second in the table, just a point behind Northampton Saints.

Booth added: “It was great to finish on a high for our supporters, especially as we know how much that fixture means to them.

“We knew we were a good team and there was plenty to build on from the year before. Where we are in the table is a reflection of how we have done this year.

“We are always striving to improve and I think we’ve won the last four games with bonus points so that gives us a lot of confidence.”