Catt caught in centre trap

rugby union

It would seem the best laid schemes of Catt also "gang aft a-gley", writes David Llewellyn. Bath's Mike Catt had just won his place in the first team after a brief, self-imposed exile in the United side in order to brush up his full-back play. The move appeared to have paid off earlier this week when he was named in what is the No 16 shirt at Bath, displacing Jon Callard, whose England place he also took.

But 24 hours is a long time in rugby. Yesterday Catt was switched to centre for the leaders' Courage League confrontation at home to Wasps today, because his England colleague, Jerry Guscott, has a shoulder injury, which had threatened this very change last weekend. Guscott came through the Pilkington Cup tie but Wasps are a different proposition.

A relieved Callard steps straight back into the side.

Last night Catt, who has stated his intention of concentrating solely on full-back, insisted: "It isn't a setback. It's first team rugby and, yes, I was looking forward to playing at 16 for Bath. It is a little disappointing, but it's for the team anyway, so as long as we go out and win it doesn't matter."

Bristol have an EGM planned, for 29 February, in which they will ask their members to embrace a proposal to become a private limited company. A document has revealed that Bristol need about pounds 900,000 to survive in the professional era. The registration as a business would mean that instead of a 20-strong committee there would be just five directors keeping the club shipshape.