Russell should overcome 'cramp' for final - Van Graan

Bath fly-half Finn Russell should beryllium fresh for nan Premiership last adjacent Saturday aft leaving nan section pinch cramp adjacent nan extremity of their semi-final triumph against Bristol.

The Scotland and British and Irish Lions number 10 went disconnected limping successful nan last 5 minutes astatine The Rec aft kicking 14 points successful their 34-20 victory.

Bath caput of rugby Johann van Graan said he had nary logic to judge Russell would beryllium incapable to play erstwhile they return connected either Leicester aliases Sale for nan title astatine Twickenham successful a week's time.

"He's successful a spot of pain, he's sewage aggregate parts of his assemblage cramping – it's only cramp astatine this stage," said Van Graan.

"He put successful immoderate effort. I thought his extremity kicking was phenomenal, nan chases that he put in. He'll beryllium fine, but he's still cramping successful nan changing room arsenic we speak.

"It was astonishing really galore guys connected some sides went down pinch cramp. It conscionable showed nan effort that some teams put in. We worked incredibly difficult to get into this position, to get backmost to Twickenham."

Despite being 13-6 down astatine half-time against their West Country neighbours, Bath scored 4 tries during nan 2nd half to agelong distant from Bristol and scope their 2nd successive Premiership final.

A twelvemonth agone they fell agonisingly short against Northampton, but they will return to London arsenic overwhelming favourites to declare their first convention title since 1996 and pinch a treble up for grabs aft besides winning nan Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup this season.

Van Graan said his broadside will "love" each infinitesimal of nan adjacent week arsenic they build-up to nan match.

"A last is once-off," he said. "[I was] speaking to nan coaches earlier coming [Friday], we had a quiet infinitesimal for illustration if you don't travel done coming that's it, nan season's done and you autumn short.

"If you spell to nan last you cognize adjacent Saturday day astatine immoderate time, you're either going to triumph nan Premiership aliases you're going to suffer successful nan final.

"That's nan reality of athletics but it's 1 much week and we'll perfectly emotion it because yet if you don't emotion days for illustration coming and weeks for illustration adjacent week past get thing other to do."

As good arsenic being a semi-final, Friday's lucifer had nan added herb of being a derby and nan other emotion of anticipation was palpable successful nan ambiance from some fans and nan players connected nan pitch.

Bristol came into nan lucifer pinch nan superior head-to-head grounds - having won 5 of their erstwhile six Premiership meetings pinch Bath - and Van Graan said nan commentary during nan days earlier had helped springiness his broadside "motivation".

Bristol head of rugby Pat Lam had spoken astir nan money Bath had spent, external compared to nan Bears connected players, and besides astir nan Recreation Ground ticket prices and deficiency of roof, external.

"I thought nan group of Bath were astonishing tonight," added Van Graan.

"I deliberation I reconfirmed a very valuable instruction successful my life this week, 2 ears and 1 rima - don't speak excessively overmuch and do your talking connected nan pitch, and our squad surely did our talking connected nan pitch. And they did it for nan city.

"We surely sewage a batch of information from Bristol and it's astonishing - nan much group springiness nan much we got."