Stephen Donald has struggled to find his best form at Bath © PA Photos

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Players/Officials: Stephen Donald

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Teams: Bath Rugby | England | New Zealand

Bath have poured cold water on the rumour that Stephen Donald is set to return to New Zealand at the end of the current season.

The World Cup winning fly-half has endured a difficult first season at Bath and was absent from the squad to play Sale Sharks last Friday. With rumours suggesting Donald is keen to call time on his time in England, Bath have revealed that they have had a "frank conversation" with the 28-year-old about whether he is still committed to trying to re-find his best form.

Donald has been on the sidelines for much of the past two months with a medial knee ligament injury and struggled against Northampton Saints in Bath's 26-6 home defeat on March 31. But Bath CEO Nick Blofeld is adamant that Donald is still very much part of their plans.

"Stephen's not going back, there is no truth in that," Blofeld told the Bath Chronicle. "There has been a frank conversation with him after some poor performances, but he has come back strong and has asked to play on Monday night for United.

"He probably came back a bit too soon against Northampton, but we've had a season where players have had to do that. We want him to have a full pre-season with us and be fully fit and raring to go.

"We have seen some flashes of brilliance from Stephen but he has had a disjointed season."