TWO weeks ago, Wigan trounced rugby union glamour club Bath 82-6 at rugby league in a code-breaking game at Manchester City's Maine Road ground. On Saturday it's the turn of rugby union to stage the 15-a-side game when the two sides meet at RU headquarters Twickenham. The BEN's RL correspondent DAVID MAGILTON previews the encounter. BATH beware! Wigan are looking for the double.

The rugby union champions are straining at the leash as they look forward to Saturday when they can avenge that crushing defeat at Maine Road.

But the rugby league side are going into the second of the challenge matches at Twickenham looking for the unthinkable - a victory.

Wigan accept that Bath must be red-hot favourites to save face by winning the return 'clash of the codes', but are confident they can give them a good run for their money. And why not? After all the Riversiders thrashed Bath out of sight in the rugby league encounter and their speed and power saw them lift the Middlesex Sevens at the first attempt. All the pressure has got to be on Bath

A crucial figure in Wigan's game plan will be giant loose-forward Andy Farrell who is looking forward to returning to Twickers for the second time in a fortnight.

Farrell, a member of the successful Wigan sevens squad and this week appointed England's youngest-ever captain, said: "We were very happy with our reception at Twickenham. I'm sure the rugby union crowd would have liked us to lose but when they were watching entertaining rugby they were very pleased to see it and reacted to it. We knew we had a lot of pace and strength and were confident we could win the competition. "They came up to us with a lot of praise at the end. When other teams were playing, the crowd was in the car park having a drink but when we were in action the stand was packed."

Farrell accepts that Saturday's clash will be far more difficult then the first encounter between the two sides but, given their totally professional attitude, Wigan have spent time brushing up on technique.

"We have been fitting rugby union training in and out of rugby league sessions," he said.

"We have had a couple of weeks at it and hopefully we can buckle down. We will make mistakes but as long as we don't give them too much ball we have a chance."

As to the vital question of getting possession Farrell added: "They have to kick off to us and hopefully we will win a bit of ball as well. If we can keep possession we will do all right. "Obviously we are not going to get stuck in with rucking and mauling but we will have to see what happens and learn as the match goes on.

"The Bath lads adjusted a little bit better against us in the second-half in the first game and if we can pick up their game a bit quicker then we are capable of putting them under serious pressure."

Wigan's preparations have seen them play matches against RU neighbours Orrell and Farrell and the rest of the side are aware of what to expect.

"The first time against them wasn't that good but we scored just as many tries as them because our backs walked all over them.

"In the second game our forwards knew more of what they were doing more and we won but in fairness they spent time helping us and stopped the game everytime we did something wrong." Wigan also won a third encounter scoring two tries to Orrell's one but as Farrell says: "We still have a lot to learn."

Yet they will spend until kick-off Saturday making sure their technique and game plan is right and Bath and their followers should be under no illusions that this g ame is the one that Wigan really do want to win.

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