JON Callard watched Bath lift themselves off the Premiership basement and then rewarded his side with a two-day break.

The win over Newcastle lifted Bath to fourth from bottom in the table with a match against struggling Wasps coming up this weekend.

And Callard said: "The lads will get two days off now because for the last three or four months, they have had a really hard slog.

"I'm hoping they will have a good break.''

Bath will be boosted by the return off all of their international stars, following the autumn tests, although skipper Dan Lyle will miss the Wasps' clash due to the USA's game against South Africa in Houston on Saturday.

The coach added: "I am looking forward to having all our players back, but what really is evident as a squad and as a club is that there are no excuses now.

"We will have everybody available and it's about us trying to play the type of rugby we are famed for. That's the objective for us now.''