Tindall up for win-or-bust battle of the Cotswolds

By hook or by crook, the revamped Powergen Cup has just about managed to get away with it. There is a win-or-bust West Country derby between Bath and Gloucester to savour at the Recreation Ground this evening, preceded by an intriguing little Midlands rumble featuring Leicester and Northampton at Welford Road. Two semi-final places available, four teams in the hunt. Lovely.

It could have been horribly different, of course. Some English clubs - Bristol for starters - turned up their noses at the new competition from the outset, preferring to concentrate on Premiership affairs. Others, Saracens being an obvious example, have abandoned any semblance of interest for the very good reason that a match in a tournament offering little hope of progress is fairly low on the list of priorities, especially when a major Heineken Cup game with Ulster in Belfast is less than week distant.

Given the fact that three of the four Welsh regions, so desperate to grab themselves a piece of the Powergen action that they risked losing their bread-and-butter business in the Celtic League, have performed like amateurs during the pool stage, it is a matter of considerable relief to the tournament administrators that this final round of group games has not disappeared in a thick fog of anonymity.

Bristol, already eliminated, still have to play a dead fixture against the Ospreys, and unsurprisingly, they have made 14 changes to the side that beat Sale last weekend - the kind of selection policy the All Blacks recently embraced, albeit for entirely different reasons.

Saracens, meanwhile, travel to Wasps with enough nappy-wearing infants to fill a crèche. Andy Kyriacou, Steffon Armitage, Adam Powell, Tom Ryder... talented as they may be, it will be a minor miracle if they are recognised by their mothers at High Wycombe tomorrow, let alone by members of the paying public.

Wasps, on the other hand, are fully engaged, for two very good reasons. They have not played well of late, and with their European ambitions hanging by the most slender of threads, they need to find some form without further ado. In addition, they know that victory in this competition provides the softest of routes into next season's Heineken Cup - far easier than grinding out a top-four finish in the Premiership, certainly. Hence the presence of Josh Lewsey, Tom Voyce, Stuart Abbott, Alex King, Simon Shaw and dear old Lawrence Dallaglio this weekend.

The game at the Rec promises much. Neither Bath nor Gloucester can bank on finishing the regular season in the top third of the Premiership table - indeed, the former will be lucky to make it into the top half - so the Powergen Cup is something of a godsend. Bath have their forwards back from England duty, while Gloucester have included Mike Tindall, much criticised for his recent crash-bang efforts at Twickenham but a serious handful all the same, in their midfield, alongside the highly promising newcomer Anthony Allen.

Two clubs who rarely need an excuse to batter each other from one end of the Cotswolds to the other - friendly rivalry is an alien concept, thankfully - the great West Country rivals will be at full tilt today. And as it is not a Premiership match, Gloucester may just have a chance of winning. League victories at the Rec are entirely beyond them, but they have been known to win the odd cup tie at their least favourite venue. As Tindall, who spent eight years at Bath, admitted: "This is a game we have to win." He at least should know what it takes.

Powergen Cup team news

* BATH V GLOUCESTER (Today, 5.30pm)

Bath welcome back England's Olly Barkley, Matt Stevens, Steve Borthwick, Lee Mears and Danny Grewcock. Gloucester's Mike Tindall returns.

* LEICESTER V NORTHAMPTON (Today, 2.30pm)

Tigers' Darren Morris is out. Michael Holford replaces him. Brett Deacon replaces Will Johnson (punctured lung) at No 6. For Saints Matt Lord is out. David Gerrard steps in.

* NEWPORT-GWENT DRAGONS V WORCESTER (Today, 2.30pm)

Richard Bryan takes over the Dragons' captaincy from Jason Forster. Gavin Hickie makes his first start for Worcester.

* BRISTOL V OSPREYS (Tomorrow, 3.0pm)

Only Vaughan Going keeps his place in Bristol's starting line-up. Ospreys have named Wales centre Gavin Henson in their 22.

* LONDON IRISH V CARDIFF BLUES (Tomorrow, 3.0pm)

Kieron Dawson returns at openside flanker for London Irish. Cardiff welcome back Mike Phillips, Chris Czekaj, Nicky Robinson, Robin Sowden-Taylor, Andy Powell and John Yapp from Wales duty.

* WASPS V SARACENS (Tomorrow, 3.0pm)

Wasps have Joe Ward at hooker in place of Ben Gotting (fractured eye socket). Emmanuel Amapakabo makes his Saracens debut at flanker.