Rugby Union: Springbok No10 Heads for Bath

Bath yesterday signed the South Africa fly-half Butch James two months after the club's captain Steve Borthwick demanded that the ambition of the players must be matched by making quality the key component of its recruitment policy.

The dominant club in England at the start of the professional era, Bath have finished closer to the bottom of the Premiership than the top in recent seasons and that led Borthwick to question the goal of those in charge after the European Challenge Cup final defeat to Clermont Auvergne in May. James will arrive at the Recreation Ground after the Springboks' involvement in the World Cup.

The Wasps and England flanker Joe Worsley has been punished by the Rugby Football Union for "ticket misuse". He has lost his entitlement to England's Six Nations away games for two years from January 1, 2008.

The sanction follows what the RFU terms "ticket misuse" at this year's Ireland v England Six Nations fixture and is part of an effort to reduce the number of tickets being sold on the black market. The RFU Council member David Martin has lost the right to receive two of his ticket allocation for home matches from next January.

The Australia stand-off Stephen Larkham's move to Edinburgh is in doubt after the decision of the side's owner, Bob Carruthers, to withdraw from membership of the Scottish Rugby Union after a number of public disputes.

Under International Board regulations, Edinburgh are not allowed to play any official fixtures as they are not affiliated to a union and will be withdrawn from the Heineken Cup and the Magners League. Scotland's captain Chris Paterson is reported to be ready to sever his contract with Edinburgh and join Perpignan.

Wales also have pre-World Cup problems. Their national squad players have rejected a four-year pay deal offered by the Welsh Rugby Union, arguing that the maximum length of any contract should be two years.