Rugby Union: Gloucester at the root of virtue

THE second round of Courage Championship games today will begin to show whether the highest echelon of English club rugby is finally to become completely rootless. It is a terrible prospect; Gloucester and Orrell are clubs for whom the nurturing of local players is a matter of both preference and necessity, and if it no longer works for them it will work for no one, writes Steve Bale.

The transfer merry-go-round means that, more than ever, National League One needs their homespun virtue. Orrell begin their league season at home to London Scottish, while Gloucester, beaten by Scottish last Saturday, could wish for something more obviously recuperative than a visit to Leicester. Or could they? 'That's the Gloucester psyche: we play better against better opposition. We've never been very good at finishing off weaker teams,' their coach, Keith Richardson, said.

The close-season exodus may have been largely of fringe players but Gloucester's numbers are so depleted that a September injury crisis has been impossible to overcome. Today the flanker Paul Ashmead is fit again but outside-half Neil Matthews is still absent. 'Once a few things go wrong, you can bet your balls to a bag of nuts that everything else will, too,' Richardson added succinctly.

The experiment with Tim Smith, a full-back, having pointedly failed a week ago, it is the turn of Damian Cummins, a centre, to attempt to fill in for Matthews. Leicester's wing rota favours Steve Hackney at Tony Underwood's expense.

Orrell welcome Gerry Ainscough from Leicester by preferring him to Martin Strett at stand-off: a reversal of the selection which caused Ainscough to make his temporary departure last season. Ainscough did not want to play at centre; Strett, relegated to the bench, does not have the option.

Bath, the champions, are better able to let Jeremy Guscott rest an ankle injury today, when they play London Irish, than last week, when they beat Harlequins; Iestyn Lewis takes the England centre's place. The return of Peter Winterbottom and Neil Edwards for Quins is offset by the withdrawal from today's derby against Wasps of Brian Moore (hamstring) and Richard Langhorn (calf).

In Wales, Stradey Park will be bulging for British club rugby's first pounds 100,000 fixture outside cup finals - between Llanelli, this season's Heineken First Division pace-setters, and Swansea, the champions. Swansea have been averaging 41 points and six tries in league matches, splendid figures that pale into insignificance against Llanelli's 58 and nine. The auguries could not be more propitious.