Bath's efforts to reinvent themselves as a force in the game continued yesterday when the former Australia and Ireland fly-half Brian Smith was appointed first-team coach at the Recreation Ground on a two-year contract.
Smith, 35, will work under the team director Michael Foley, another ex-Wallaby, as Bath seek an antipodean remedy to last year's miserable season which saw them finish 11th in the Zurich Premiership. Smith, capped on six occasions by Australia and nine times by Ireland between 1989 and 1991, has recently been part of the successful ACT Brumbies coaching staff.
Over half the 12 Premiership clubs now employ southern hemisphere-reared coaches and Foley, who is also negotiating to bring the Queensland back-row forward Mark Connors to the Rec next month, will be delighted if Smith can bring a bit of Brumbie-style subtlety to the Bath three-quarters. "Brian is a very exciting appointment," said Foley. "He will be concentrating on strength and conditioning as well as filling a very important role in terms of developing backline skills."
Ireland and Munster will have to do without the flanker David Wallace until the new year while he recovers from a shoulder operation. The 26-year-old Wallace was troubled by the injury for most of last season and he will undergo surgery next week.
Pontypridd will confirm the return of Neil Jenkins to Sardis Road today, three years after Wales's record points-scorer left to join Cardiff. Jenkins, who was 31 earlier this month, joins a lengthy line of experienced Welsh internationals who have left the Arms Park this summer. Jonathan Humphreys has joined Bath, Craig Quinnell has switched to Saracens and Rob Howley signed for Wasps earlier this month.
South Africa's coach Rudolph Straeuli has delayed naming his team for Saturday's Tri-Nations match against New Zealand until after he has inspected the conditions in Wellington.
Romania have recalled the flanker Costica Mersoiu to their national squad just a month after his release from prison having served a manslaughter sentence.
The 25-year-old beat his mother's live-in lover to death last year but had his two-year sentence reduced on the grounds of good behaviour in jail.
