By Glen Leat
September 7 2003

Mike Catt and Iain Balshaw will spend the World Cup with England rather than Bath this Autumn following Clive Woodward's confirmation of his squad. This is great news for the two Bath backs after they have both suffered a year of injuries and disappointments both at international and club level.

Catty has played 56 times for his country and must have thought any more international opportunities had passed him by, but following the recent withdrawal of Alex King from the squad Catty was the obvious replacement. The Bath fly-half has not always been a favourite with the media or non-Bath fans over the years but Clive Woodward knows his worth and it is not too surprising to see his name on the squad sheet.

Iain Balshaw will be hoping to add to his 16 caps and following a strong game against France, in which he scored his 6th test try, he must fancy his chances of being in the starting line-up if Jason Robinson is chosen to play at full back rather than on the wing.

Danny Grewcock must have been sweating on his position as Simon Shaw made a late charge for the third lock slot, but the Bath skipper got the nod, probably as a result of his greater experience and mental toughness at this level .

The most likely candidate for inclusion in the squad, Mike Tindall, grabbed his international career by the scruff of the neck last season after it started to drift away from him and Clive Woodward will be looking for the Bath centre to inject the sort of pride and passion needed if England are to stand any chance in what must be the most open World Cup since its inception: could this be the year when the Northern Hemisphere grab the William Webb Ellis trophy or will it be another false dawn (something we are used to in England in all our main sports)?

So what does all this mean for Bath? 

We have seen Jack Rowell buy in a host of new recruits this summer so the loss of our England Four will be covered by players of pedigree and experience. We are bound to miss these players but what we lose over the World Cup will be more than made up by the confidence rebuilding this experience will have on Balshaw and the excitement Catty will feel after many people thought his career was at an end. Danny Grewcock will do well to oust Ben Kay from the starting berth but what an incentive for the Bath skipper to discover the form of his life!

Normally I am all in favour of Bath before England but on this occasion I really think a successful sojourn down under will do wonders for these players and they will come back to Bath desperate to prove the club's critics wrong in the 2003/04 season.

England squad for World Cup:
Full-backs/wings: I Balshaw (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton), J Lewsey (Wasps), D Luger (Perpignan), J Robinson (Sale).
Centres: S Abbott (Wasps), W Greenwood (Harlequins), M Tindall (Bath).
Fly-halves: M Catt (Bath), P Grayson (Northampton), J Wilkinson (Newcastle).
Scrum-halves: K Bracken (Saracens), M Dawson (Northampton), A Gomarsall (Gloucester).
Props: J Leonard (Harlequins), P Vickery (Gloucester), J White (Leicester), T Woodman (Gloucester).
Hookers: M Regan (Leeds), S Thompson (Northampton), D West (Leicester).
Second rows: (D Grewcock (Bath), M Johnson (Leicester, capt), B Kay (Leicester)
Back rows: N Back (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps), R Hill (Saracens), L Moody (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).