Former Bath Rugby captain Danny Grewcock is calling on senior players within the side to step up and help ease the load on current skipper Michael Claassens.

Since he was handed the captain's armband over the summer, South African international Claassens has failed to hit the heights he enjoyed in the number 9 shirt last season, when he was arguably the most potent and quick-thinking scrum-half in the Guinness Premiership.

Grewcock, 37, has reaffirmed his support for Claassens and vowed that he and other experienced players will step up their efforts to support their 27-year-old captain.

Former England lock Grewcock said: "We've got quite a few leaders in the group that will try and carry some of that weight. Michael's an exceptional player – he's probably the best player at the club. The guys are really happy to have him as captain.

"For any guy when you're in a team that's not doing well and you're losing, it's not a pleasant place to be. It's up to us to make sure we put it right."

Despite being 15 points behind fourth-placed Leicester Tigers, Grewcock has faith that Bath can steady the ship and begin to navigate their way out of the Premiership basement.

"The guys are still focused on the other end of the league," he said. "The format is simple: finish in the top four to get to the play-offs.

"There's been a lot of debate about whether that's the right format but certainly everyone here is happy with that. There are five points up for grabs each game and you can turn things around very quickly. We've seen Wasps do it numerous years.

"There are no teams we look at and think 'We can't beat them'."