BATH'S Iain Balshaw awaits the cup challenge of London Irish today admitting he is desperate to bring a silver glow to his rugby career.

At the age of 22, Balshaw already has 12 England caps and three British Lions Test appearances to his name and was part of the England team that won the Six Nations Championship this year.

But the one glaring gap in his CV is the lack of any sort of trophy won with his club something the full-back/wing would like to rectify with the capture of Powergen National Cup.

"It's very important to get a piece of silverware in the cabinet," said Balshaw, who was too young to be part of Bath's last cup-winning side, the 1998 Heineken Cup victors.

"This is my fifth season with the club and we have come second and third in the league and been in the top four on most occasions.

"Last year we got to the final of the play-offs where we were beaten by the Leicester Tigers.

"It's very disappointing to have got so close and ended up with no silverware. We're yearning to get something trophy-wise."

The Powergen competition also carries the added carrot of a Heineken Cup place for the victors but Balshaw is looking no further than the challenge of the Exiles, while conceding that a potential final appearance is always in the background.

"You have to take each game at a time but it's always at the back of you mind that it would be great to play at Twickenham," he said.

"It would be nice to go back there and get a good result the sort of the results the club used to get there. But first we have to keep plugging away."

Balshaw is edging slowly back to the form that illuminated the club and Test arena for the last two years after a difficult six months .

He is still tryless for Bath this season but did drop a goal during the league win over Gloucester last weekend something that helped boost his confidence further after the disappointments of the Lions tour and the England axe.

"There's still a long way to go before I get back to what I was a couple of seasons ago," he admitted.

"I don't think I have been having as many opportunities as before and perhaps that's to do with the way the team has been playing.

"The drop-goal was nice, it was my first-ever I think, but I'd like to add a try as soon as possible."

BATH have made two changes to the side which defeated Gloucester in last week's league derby.

Welsh youngster Andy Williams comes in for fellow countryman Gareth Cooper at scrum-half, with Simon Danielli also elevated from the bench to take Tom Voyce's berth on the left wing.

Team: Perry, Balshaw, Maggs, Tindall, Danielli, Catt, Williams, Barnes, Regan, Mallett, Borthwick, Grewcock, G Thomas, Scaysbrook, Gabey. Subs: Chrystie, Long, Emms, Barkley, Thirlby, N Thomas, Beattie.