Argentina flyer Horacio Agulla admits he owes Bath Rugby a debt of gratitude for signing him when plenty of others wouldn't – vowing to start repaying them immediately.
Agulla, 28, has played just 22 minutes for Bath this season, coming off the bench against London Welsh in November in between his international commitments at the Rugby Championship and the autumn internationals.
Argentina managed just one draw – with South Africa – during the Rugby Championship but their progress was plain to see when Agulla and co downed Wales at the Millennium Stadium earlier this month.
But Argentina's gain has been Bath's loss and Agulla revealed that finding a new club after leaving Leicester Tigers was no mean feat, with clubs wary of signing a player they would effectively be without until December.
And as a result, Agulla is determined to vindicate Bath's decision, starting against his former club Leicester and in front of the ESPN cameras on Saturday.
"It was difficult to find a club but Bath were the best club that were willing to sign me, knowing that I wouldn't be there for a while," said Agulla.
"Bath is a great club with a great history and I was very pleased to come here and I want to perform straight away because it feels like I'm just getting going.
"The Rugby Championship and the autumn internationals were great, especially against Wales, but now I want to focus on playing for Bath and doing well for them.
"It would be great to get my first start against Leicester and at Welford Road. I had fantastic time there and left on very good terms so I'm looking forward to going back and seeing some of my old teammates."
Agulla's record is impressive – in his second season with the Tigers last term he helped them Aviva Premiership final with six tries along the way, including one against Bath on the final day of the regular season.
He's unlikely to walk straight into the Bath starting XV however with Tom Biggs recently rewarded for his early season form with a call-up to the England squad while rugby league convert Kyle Eastmond and youngster Olly Woodburn have also impressed.
But Agulla, who watched Bath defeat Quins at the Rec on Friday, missing Argentina's clash with Ireland due to concussion, is relishing the competition for places.
"I watched the game against Harlequins and the defence really impressed me," he added. "It was a very strong performance and shows what Bath are capable of.
"The backs have also impressed me a lot. There are some fantastic backs at the club but that's the way that you want it.
"You want enough players playing well that makes it difficult for the coaches to make the selection decisions."
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