The return of England’s Grand Slam stars put a definite spring in the step of a team who have languished in ninth place for most of the season.

• Eddie Jones tells Maro Itoje to 'keep his feet on the floor’

Bath can still break into the top six and snatch a Champions Cup spot if they finish the season strongly. They would need to win at least four, if not all, of their remaining five games with a few bonus points thrown in.

Saracens visit the Rec this Friday night and scrum-half Chris Cook, who also crossed for a try here, said: “We are not just hoping to get this season out the way as fast as possible because of how it has gone. We want to get as far up the table as possible and perhaps get a place in Europe.”

Gloucester’s top-six hopes have taken a knock with three successive losses and David Humphreys, their director of rugby, admitted: “On the back of some poor performances, we’ve got to make sure we finish the season far better than we have played recently.”