Bath are ready to join an English procession into this season's European Challenge Cup quarter-finals by carrying out a ruthless Italian job tomorrow.

Sale Sharks, Worcester, Leeds Carnegie and Newcastle are all heading towards the last-eight, while Bath can make sure of a place by defeating Italian hosts Overmach Parma.

Head coach Steve Meehan, who agreed a new contract with the club earlier this week, has retained nine of the side that beat Guinness Premiership leaders Gloucester in a Recreation Ground mudbath last Friday.

Changes include starts for wing Michael Stephenson, centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu and hooker Pieter Dixon, while England prop Matt Stevens switches from tighthead to loosehead, with Romanian Paulica Ion wearing the number three shirt.

Celebrating his new deal, Meehan said: ``As a group, we are far from finished, but we are starting to see some great rugby from the players and I am really enjoying that.''

Meehan's coaching assistants Mark Bakewell and Brad Davis have also signed new contracts, with Bakewell helping to mould the Bath pack into arguably English rugby's most efficient club unit.

With Bath seemingly home and dry, French rivals Auch and Albi meet at Stade Patrice Brocas tomorrow, chasing one of three best runners-up spots.

And it is the same story in Pool Four, when second-placed Montpellier head to Bayonne needing victory to stay on course for the last-eight.

Castres, meanwhile, look the most likely team to disrupt English domination of the quarter-finals.

If Castres beat Italian hosts Calvisano tomorrow, then they could clinch top spot in Pool Six by defeating Leeds at home next Thursday.

Lone Irish challengers Connacht are still just about in contention from Pool Three - they visit Spanish strugglers Cetransa El Salvador on Sunday - but their last game is a tough encounter at home to group favourites Brive.

Connacht coach Michael Bradley has made three changes for the trip to Spain, with centre Daniel Riordan, lock Michael Swift and flanker Ray Ofisa all returning.