London Welsh's cash lifeline

John Taylor, the former Wales and Lions flanker, is spearheading a consortium offering a pounds 500,000 lifeline to London Welsh, the struggling Third Division side. The proposals of Taylor's group will be put to members with the intention that Welsh, the supreme club in England in the 1970s, regain their glory days.

A club statement yesterday said: "The directors of London Welsh agreed that an offer to restructure and refinance the club should be put to members. A consortium of supporters has raised pounds 500,000 as the first step in an initiative aimed at re-establishing Welsh as one of Britain's top clubs."

Phil de Glanville is out of Bath's team to face Orrell on Saturday. The England captain has a badly bruised toe and is replaced by Matt Perry, who played at full-back against Leicester last Saturday.

The former Scottish international flanker Eric Peters returns after two months out with a serious hand injury which required an operation. He replaces Nathan Thomas, who fell victim to a dead leg on Saturday. The former England back row international Steve Ojomoh is at No 8, as the US Eagles captain Dan Lyle is resting a groin injury.

Leicester's dwindling hopes of catching Wasps have been undermined by injuries to a dozen players as they prepare to face London Irish tonight.

Tigers, five points behind leaders Wasps, will be without the captains who have shared the duty this winter, Dean Richards and Martin Johnson. Richards is one of five back-row players unfit, the others being John Wells, Will Johnson, Eric Miller and Neil Back.