Referee Jerome Garces, from France, blows his whistle, Bath fly-half George Ford lofts the ball long, Ben Foden gathers and the fourth all-English Amlin Challenge Cup final - and the third involving the West Country side - is under way.

BBC Sport's Chris Osborne: "It's a Friday night in Cardiff. It would be rude not to dress up for the occasion."

BBC Radio Bristol's Tom Bradshaw at Cardiff Arms Park: "Northampton flanker Tom Wood was inspirational for the Saints in last Friday's Premiership semi-final win against Leicester. And the man who's tasked with foiling him tonight is Bath's Springbok openside Francois Louw, who returns from an eight-week ankle injury. Coming in cold against Wood is no mean task, but the Bath camp are confident Louw - despite having his leg heavily strapped-up - is the man to disrupt Northampton's ball and chop Wood down."

But playing in finals brings its own pressure and it's fair to say both clubs have forgotten what it's like to win them.

Bath did win their last final - but that was six years ago when they beat Worcester 24-16 at the home of their arch-West Country rivals Gloucester to win this very competition.

Saints, though, have lost four finals in a row since lifting the LV= Cup in 2010 by beating the Cherry and Whites.

Their most recent final defeat came to Exeter in the LV=Cup in March, but arguably the most painful came in this city three years ago when they threw away a 22-6 half-time lead to lose the Heineken Cup final to Leinster.

Image source, Getty Images

Northampton go into the game as favourites after edging the two Premiership meetings this season.

Saints eased to a 43-25 win at Franklin's Gardens over Christmas before the sides drew 19-19 in a thriller under The Rec floodlights only three weeks ago.

And recent history is with Jim Mallinder's men too, having won six of the last 10 meetings, with Bath coming out on top in three.

Northampton are without prop Salesi Ma'afu, who is suspended after being sent off for punching Tom Youngs in last Friday's thrilling Premiership semi-final win over Leicester.

Tom Mercey comes in for him, and there's a first start since October after injury for England and British & Irish Lions prop Alex Corbisiero.

Lee Dickson, who starred off the bench in Saints' comeback against the Tigers, has been chosen ahead of Kahn Fotuali'i at scrum-half and wing Ken Pisi is back from injury.

Northampton: Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi, Burrell, North; Myler, Dickson; Corbisiero, Haywood, Mercey, Manoa, Lawes, Clark, Wood (capt), Dickinson.

Replacements: McMillan, Waller, Denman, Day, Dowson, Fotuali'i, Wilson, Stephenson.

Bath full-back Nick Abendanon will play his last game for the club before leaving for Clermont Auvergne, but there is no place in the squad for winger Tom Biggs, who will join Worcester in the summer.

Flanker Francois Louw returns to the starting line-up, while fly-half George Ford starts before undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury which expected to rule him out of England's tour to New Zealand.

Bath: Abendanon; Rokoduguni, Joseph, Devoto, Watson; Ford, Young; James, Dunn, Wilson, Hooper (capt), Attwood, Fearns, Louw, Houston.

Replacements: Guinazu, Catt, Perenise, Day, Mercer, Stringer, Henson, Agulla.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Bristol's Tom Bradshaw at Cardiff Arms Park: "As ever for Bath, George Ford was first out on the pitch, and the England fly-half is showing no signs of being troubled by the shoulder injury that will reportedly require him to go under the knife over the summer. Matt Banahan, who won the Challenge Cup with Bath back in 2008, isn't selected tonight but that hasn't stopped the former England winger from coming out and helping Ford go through his kicking drills."

Bath's reward for winning their pool was a home tie with French side Brive in the quarter-finals, an obstacle they overcame 39-7 at The Rec. Next up was a trip to Wasps, who led 13-10 at half-time. But Bath hit back with a brace of tries from Rob Webber and then held on to win 24-18 after Kyle Eastmond was sin-binned.

Northampton faced a tricky-looking trip to Sale in the last eight but ran out 28-14 winners. And tries from Tom Collins and Kahn Fotuali'i meant they three-times winners Harlequins were also beaten, this time 18-10 at Franklin's Gardens.

These sides started their European campaigns in different competitions as Saints were pitched in Pool 1 of the Heineken Cup with Leinster, Castres and Ospreys, while Bath were up against Bordeaux-Begles, Newport-Gwent Dragons and Mogliano in Pool 2 of the Challenge Cup.

Bath breezed through their group, winning all six of their games, conceding only 50 points in the process - the fewest in the competition.

But Northampton could only finish second to Leinster, just missing out on one of the two best runners-up spots that would have guaranteed their progress alongside Europe's elite and instead dropped into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

We've love to hear what you've got to say as this evening's action unfolds. Get in touch at #bbcrugby, via the BBC Sport Facebook page,, external or, if you're in the UK, by text to 81111.

BBC Sport's Chris Osborne at Cardiff Arms Park: "Grey clouds are breaking to sunshine above Cardiff Arms Park on what has been a soggy day in the Welsh capital. The artificial surface will hold up - but it could make for a bit of zip across the synthetic turf."

Image source, Getty Images

In only 24 hours' time, the final whistle will have just blown to crown the new champions of European club rugby as Toulon face Saracens in the final of the Heineken Cup.

But, tonight, we have quite an aperitif for you to get those juices flowing ahead of that showdown at the Millennium Stadium when England fly-halves past and present - Jonny Wilkinson and Owen Farrell - go head to head.

Next door is the Arms Park, the home of Cardiff Blues. At stake, the Amlin Challenge Cup.

And Bath and Northampton both want to bring it back across the River Severn to end their trophy droughts.