Catt comeback to ease Bath's casualty list

Mike Catt, linked with clubs as far apart as Bristol and Bourgoin during a close season of rampant rumour and speculation, is confidently expected to feature in Bath's opening match of the Premiership campaign at London Irish on Sunday. That will come as a blessed relief to the former European champions' all-Australian coaching team, who must have been wondering whether they were unwitting extras in a West Country version of Holby City.

As Australians tend to play next to no rugby, even during their own rugby season, injuries are less of an issue there than they are here. It is therefore fair to assume that Michael Foley and his fellow Wallaby types, Brian Smith and Richard Graham, have been struggling to come to terms with a casualty list headed by a phalanx of Lions Test backs – Catt, Matt Perry and Iain Balshaw – and including young internationals of the calibre of Gareth Cooper and Steve Borthwick, the current England A captain.

Perry and Balshaw are long-term crocks; Bath do not expect to see hide nor hair of either for another eight weeks. Borthwick, an increasingly influential figure in the Recreation Ground pack, is further down the road to recovery, despite having delayed surgery on a worsening knee problem for much of last season in an effort to save his side the indignity of finishing bottom of the Premiership. He will not be involved at the Madejski Stadium this weekend, however.

But Catt has finally reported fit following an operation on his shoulder in February, and Cooper, one of the outstanding scrum-half prospects in European rugby, believes his persistent foot problems are now behind him. "It is exciting to have them available to come back into the team, because it adds to the level of competition for places," said Foley after his side's narrow defeat at Cardiff in their final pre-season friendly. "We do not want to bring them back a week too early and risk losing them for six months, but they have a good chance of playing at least some part against London Irish."

If Foley gives Catt the all-clear, he will have to decide where to play him. Centre, his Test position when he last played for England against the Springboks nine months ago, is not an obvious option, given the dependable presence of Kevin Maggs and Mike Tindall in midfield. With both Olly Barkley and Chris Malone, yet another Australian, capable of performing the outside-half role, it may be that he will be shunted to full-back, to fill the gap left by Perry and Balshaw.

Three American players with strong Bath links – Dan Lyle, the first-choice No 8 at the Rec, and two recently-departed members of last season's squad, Kevin Dalzell and Dan Dorsey – have suffered withering blows to their World Cup ambitions, having contrived to lose to Chile in a tournament qualifier in Santiago. The USA's 21-13 defeat leaves them in desperate need of victory against Uruguay in Montevideo this weekend. Another reverse will probably cost a place in England's pool and leave them contemplating their future in a tough repêchage competition, from which the final two qualifiers will be drawn.

To make matters worse, Uruguay are on something of a high, having beaten the strongest of the American nations, Canada, at the weekend. Their 25-23 victory puts them back in the mix for automatic qualification, having made the 1999 tournament via the repêchage. Chile, who have never appeared in the final stages of a World Cup, are also live contenders.