MATT PERRY has hailed the giant strides made by Nick Abendanon – and believes his protégé is well on his way to becoming the complete full-back.

Bath legend Perry, the club's first-choice full-back for the best part of a decade, oversaw Abendanon's early days at the Recreation Ground – and keeps a close eye on his progress.

And Perry, who was forced to retire from the professional game last year and is now forging a successful career in business coaching, says the work 22-year-old Abendanon has done on the weaker areas of his game is now paying dividends.

"Nick's game has come on so much," said the 31-year-old. "I think he has got the balance right now.

"He is such a naturally gifted runner and the way Bath play, keeping the ball off the ground and changing their angles of running, is right up his street.

"But he has also found the balance between getting the ball in his hands and the kicking game, the positional play and his defensive game.

"I know he has been working hard on those things – and he is really beginning to tie those up now.

"He is an intelligent lad and the way he has worked on his perceived weaknesses is a real credit to him.

"You can just tell he is letting the game pan out in front of him, but when he is having to make that crucial tackle, or having to be in the right position, he is there – and that shows he is a highly intelligent rugby player for someone who is still quite young."

Abendanon's head coach, Steve Meehan, agrees with Perry's assessment of the full-back, who is likely to line up against Wasps at Adams Park tomorrow evening.

"I think his performances so far this season has been far better than we saw last season," said Meehan.

"Last season was his second full season in the competition, and he was a young man who hadn't had much of a break throughout the course of a two-year period.

"But he is also working very hard on the areas of his game he needs to – and he is taking all of that on board. He is a better pro now than he was – he is preparing better for training, he is preparing better for matches and he is delivering on the field as a result."