Iain Balshaw and Mike Tindall will play no further part in Bath's battle against relegation after becoming the latest international backs to fall victim to the west country side's injury jinx.
Balshaw damaged ankle ligaments in training this week and is expected to be sidelined for up to two months, which would also rule him out of England's game against the Barbarians and their subsequent short tour of Argentina, while Tindall has a knee problem. Bath's prospects of staying up have already been hit by long-term injuries to Matt Perry, Mike Catt and Kevin Maggs. "Someone up there clearly doesn't like us," said Tindall. "To lose five international backs is unbelievable."
The England lock Danny Grewcock will, however, strap up his broken hand and start today against Gloucester, who are looking to consolidate second place behind the champions Leicester, and are also set to confirm that Ian Jones will be returning to the club as their forwards coach.
Jones, capped 79 times by New Zealand, has turned down a renewed offer to stay at Wasps in favour of teaming up again with his former boss Nigel Melville, now Gloucester's director of rugby. Wasps, though, have concluded two-year deals with Joe Worsley, Josh Lewsey, Paul Sampson and Shane Roiser as they continue their late push for Heineken Cup qualification next season.
The London Irish winger Nmandi Ezulike, meanwhile, has become Worcester's third experienced signing in recent days following the recruitment of the Springbok scrum-half Werner Swanepoel and Bath's Mark Gabey. The club also announced yesterday that their finance director Chris Laidlaw is to succeed the former England manager Geoff Cooke as chief executive.
The new South African coach Rudolf Straeuli has told his players they will be preparing in a police college in Pretoria rather than staying in the luxury hotels they normally frequent in the build-up to next month's international against Wales.
Straeuli, appointed to succeed Harry Viljoen earlier this year, is advocating a back-to-basics policy for the Springboks. "The accommodation is certainly not that of a five-star hotel but I am of the belief that if it is good enough for those who fight crime in this country then it surely is good enough for the Springbok team," said Straeuli, who also plans to hold trials in Pretoria on May 19.
Plymouth Albion's Russell Thompson will have his appeal against a two-year drug ban heard at Twickenham next Wednesday. Thompson tested positive for a banned substance after ordering what he mistakenly thought was a legal muscle-building supplement advertised in a rugby magazine.
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