Sanderson hoping home advantage overwhelms Bath

ALEX Sanderson is a man who wears two hats. One wants "all our best players back", and the other wants his players to play internationally, "striving to be the best in the country, if not the world".

- TOM JEFFRIES

It's a good demonstration of his ability to wear the second that Sale are the most affected team in the league by the absence of Steve Borthwick's England internationals.

The Sharks are missing eight key players as they welcome league leaders Bath, who are missing just five, to the Salford Community Stadium.

As such, Alex Sanderson is hoping that a much-changed squad can tap into the home advantage that, upon beating Toulon 33-7 last week, has seen them go unbeaten in Salford for a full calendar year.

"We are evidently a different outfit at home", said Sanderson this week. "It's two degree weather, it's wet in the air, Salford is not a nice place for any team to come.

"We want to make sure that's the case again."