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Stuart Hooper thinks Bath's midfield combination see the game differently to other players

Image: George Ford has played a huge part in Bath's success this season

Bath skipper Stuart Hooper thinks the superb play of their midfield trio has been a key factor in the club’s fantastic season.

Hooper’s men have reached the Premiership final for the first time in 11 years and will take on Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday.

They booked their place in the showpiece occasion with a 47-10 win over Leicester on Saturday, fly-half George Ford and centres Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph all playing key roles.

And Hooper thinks the entertaining trio play the game in the finest traditions of the club.

"Those guys see the game quite differently to anyone else I have played with," said the second row forward.

"The likes of Kyle, George and JJ (Joseph), they see it very differently, and I think that gives them a pretty fresh approach.

"They see space well, and when they get into that space they are dangerous.

"The identity of Bath is important. You speak to people who have been coming to the Rec for 30 to 40 years, and they enjoy seeing Bath attack.

"And, when players come to training, they like to have the opportunity to attack.

"They like having the opportunity to go out there and say 'you know what, I am not just going to do my job, I am going to prove to anyone that I am the best in the world', and we have got people who can put their hand up and become the best in the world, which is pretty motivating for them.

"We don't feel pressure from the outside, but we put massive pressure on each other during the week.

“Monday to Friday in training, we go flat out, and when we come to the weekend we say 'this is our stage, let's let it out, let's let it happen'."

Ford and Joseph are fairly well established in the England side and Hooper thinks it would not be a bad idea to install Eastmond alongside them for the World Cup this autumn.

"In my opinion, they (Ford, Eastmond and Joseph) are very difficult to play against," he added.

"It depends on how you want to play the game, the structures that England want to play.

"I am a long, long way from selecting an England team, but, if they want to play the way we play the game, then those guys are pretty good at it.”

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