ALEX CROCKETT is delighted to see Kevin Maggs playing rugby again after his nightmare year – even if he is not looking forward to receiving a full-force tackle from his former team-mate.

Bristol centre Maggs oversaw much of Crockett's initial development at Bath during the early part of the decade – and the pair remain good friends.

Maggs made only one first-team appearance for Bristol during the 2007-08 campaign due to injuries, while off the field his daughter Jessica was fighting a brave battle against leukaemia.

So the Bath club captain is naturally pleased to see Maggs back on the rugby field after the worst year of his life – even if it does mean he is likely to be on the receiving end of a big hit from the Bristol No 12 this weekend.

"Maggsy is a good friend and I played a lot of games with him at Bath," said Crockett.

"After the year he had last year, it is just good to see him back on a rugby field, even if that does mean we have to stop him.

"He is a good, honest player and you cannot underestimate or undervalue a good, honest player in a squad. He will make his tackles – and he will make them well.

"When Maggsy tackles you, you know you have been tackled – and I can't say I am looking forward to that on Sunday!

"Most of us have played with him, so we know what he is all about. And he is just one of many dangermen they have got.

"He will make ground for his team and produce fast ball for some of their big runners. He is ideal for the way Bristol want to play."

For a dyed-in-the-wool Bathonian, brought up on the club's successes of the 1980s and 1990s, Crockett is perhaps surprisingly respectful when it comes to all matters Bristol.

And, after admitting he bought into the "Bristol for the drop" hype of two summers ago, he has no plans to make a similar mistake any time soon – even if most pundits are tipping Richard Hill's men for relegation this season.

"The year I thought Bristol might struggle, the year I believed what I read in the papers, was the year they ended up finishing third!" said Crockett.

"They are dangerous when people write them off and we definitely haven't done that.

"We know all about them – we know all about Richard Hill's mentality and their players' psyche, so we certainly won't be falling into that trap.

"Bristol-Bath derbies are not hard to get up for. Bristol are going to be immensely physical, so we need to be right up there and get our intensity and tempo spot on."

Bristol: L Arscott; T Arscott, J Fatialofa, K Maggs, D Lemi; A Jarvis, H Thomas; M Irish, S Linklater, J Hobson, N Budgett, R Sidoli, A Blowers, J El Abd (capt), D Ward-Smith. Reps: D Blaney, P Bracken, M Sambucetti, R Pennycook, G Beveridge, E Barnes, G Barden.

Bath: N Abendanon; J Maddock, A Crockett, E Fuimaono, M Banahan; B James, M Claassens; D Barnes, L Mears, M Stevens, J Harrison, P Short, S Hooper, M Lipman (capt), J Fa'amatuainu. Reps: P Dixon, D Bell, D Flatman, J Scaysbrook, S Bemand, S Berne, A Higgins.