I’d like to think I could run an England game from stand-off

“I’d like to think I could run an England game from stand-off. And I am employed as a No 10 by Bath; it’s a job description these days.”Catt certainly looked comfortable in the role and his electrifying breaks – especially in a generally dull first half reminiscent of the pre-professional era, with both sides at times playing like a bunch of amateurs – lifted spirits briefly. This time there were no complaints or shoving of officials by either side They took it like the professionals they are. In any case, there was far more to occupy the conversation; primarily the performance of Mike Catt at stand-off for Bath – his preferred position. It is the one he wants to be selected at for England, and, if the British Lions manager, Fran Cotton, has his way, it is the position for which Catt will be selected to play on next year’s tour of his native land, South Africa.
Cotton was on his first scouting mission in his lofty role and what he saw of the talented Catt in what was an otherwise disappointing Courage First Division match on Saturday prompted him to say: “England should be looking to play Catt at fly-half, there’s no doubt about that He is wasted at full-back. He has a bigger contribution to make at stand-off.”Catt has had just one game in the No 10 shirt for England, and that was against the world champions, South Africa, at Twickenham last November.”Getting just 80 minutes as first choice fly-half at international level is quite hard,” he admitted.

Harlequins: Tries Challinor (2), Luger (2), Mensah, Walshe; Conversions Carling (4); Penalty Carling.West Hartlepool: M Silva; M Wood, J Connolly (J Stabler, 23), M Ring, S John; C John, M Roderick (D Patterson 75); W de Jonge, A Peacock, P Whitelock, C Murphy, K Moseley (capt), D Mitchell, J Ions, I Morgan.Harlequins: J Staples; D O’Leary, W Carling, P Mensah, D Luger; P Challinor, N Walshe; J Leonard (capt), K Wood, A Mullins, A Snow, G Llewellyn, L Cabannes, R Jenkins, M Watson (B Davison, 63).Referee: S Piercy (Goole).. Left to itself, life – and by extension its microcosm, sport – is perfectly capable of providing its own straightener. Natural justice prevailed in one of those fascinating twists whereby Leicester achieved victory over their great rivals by the same means that Bath had lifted the Pilkington Cup in the dying seconds from under the noses of the Tigers last May – courtesy of a penalty try for persistent infringement. But it was Carling who caught everyone’s eye.Carling’s new role as Quins’ goal-kicker is little more than a distraction. In tighter games than this the pressure kicks will be taken by someone else. It is at centre where Carling’s value to Harlequins, and to England, is beyond price.Harlequins had easily contained West’s limited attempts to expose any supposed weaknesses in their midfield and had scored two soft tries thanks to Paul Challinor’s alertness, and some sloppy West defensive work.Carling then cut loose with an incisive run, linked expertly with the Frenchman Laurent Cabannes, whose overhead pass fell invitingly for Mensah to touch down between the posts.West came back at the end when Stephen John ran in two tries, though their cause had long been lost as Luger scored two, Nick Walshe another and Carling kicked four conversions and a penalty.West Hartlepool: Tries S John (2); Conversions C John; Penalties C John (3). Quins are not quite so conspicuously multi-national, but four of their team were not English registered and they had another Frenchman on the bench on Saturday.True, Daren O’Leary, who scored four tries against Gloucester a week ago, Peter Mensah and ex-Orrell wing Dan Luger, may soon press their claims So too might Quins’ No 8 Mick Watson.

But Will Carling, who had never before appeared there in a Harlequins shirt, may well have cause to remember his part in the comprehensive defeat of hapless West, as the day he revived his chances of a recall to the national squad. West had seven Welshmen, a New Zealander and an Australian in their side. We can be sure of nothing in these uncertain times, though when Mike Slemen, a key member of Jack Rowell’s selection and coaching coterie, closed his notebook after half an hour, there was only one name in it: W D C Carling.
Not that an England selector has too many options these days, with the First Division clubs packed with overseas players. West Hartlepool’s Lane is not a venue which springs to mind as the likeliest arena in which to resurrect an England career. Five minutes she will hit well and she then will hit it all over the place. It makes it very difficult for her to practice,” Gunthardt said.That may account for Graf’s difficulty in the first set of each match throughout her 1996 US Open campaign as she struggles to find her concentration in the early stages.”I am usually somebody that starts well from the beginning on, so that is not my character,” admitted Graf, who had to stave off five set points in the first set against Hingis.”Not one of those set points she saved can you say she got a present from Hingis,” said Gunthardt “You can’t say Hingis choked At the crunch time Steffi knuckled down That’s the mark of a champion.”.

Graf herself remains under investigation, and while her father insists she knew nothing of his handling of her vast tennis earnings, co-defendant and former Graf family accountant Joachim Eckardt testified on Friday that the 27-year-old player knew all about the financial dealings.”I know it has been very difficult for her the entire time, but more now than ever before,” Gunthardt said of Graf, who has still won three Grand Slam titles with her father behind bars.”She does have lapses in practice and days when she is not well off Sometimes she can’t get her head together on court. if I knew the recipe I would be the greatest coach in the world,” Heinz Gunthardt, Graf’s coach, said with wonder and admiration.Peter Graf, once a constant presence at all her matches, has been in prison for more than a year on suspicion of failing to pay approximately $13m in taxes on his daughter’s tennis earnings.The trial began on Thursday with the tennis player’s father facing a possible 10 years in prison if convicted. Once again on Saturday, just two days after the start of her father’s trial on tax evasion charges, Graf managed to keep her focus on tennis long enough to score a 7-5, 6-3 win over the Swiss teenager, Martina Hingis, and advance to her fourth consecutive US Open final.
“How she goes and pulls it together… The world No 1 Steffi Graf continues to astonish even those closest to her with an amazing ability to keep winning while her personal world is falling apart. “After leading for most of the race, there was no way anyone was going to beat me,” Fogarty said.Results, Digest, Page 23.

In the second race, Fogarty elbowed Kocinski and Corser out of the way to take the chequered flag first. I knew I could win and I wanted it for everyone, including the 10,000 British fans who have made the journey.”Slight pipped Troy Corser for third on the last lap, with John Kocinski finishing fifth. Carl Fogarty won both of yesterday’s races in the World Superbike Championship to keep his title hopes alive. The Briton extended a remarkable run to eight wins from eight races in the last four years at Assen, the Netherlands.