Bath, who face having to move home after a High Court ruling which has all but ended their hopes of turning the Recreation Ground into a 16,000 capacity all-seat stadium, have been offered a new base by the city's football club.
The Rec has an 8,000 capacity but from the season after next any club that cannot take 10,000 will be ineligible for the Zurich Premiership.
Bath's plans to develop their facilities drew protests from interest groups in the city and a High Court ruling this month gave the Rec charitable trust status rather than allow its future to be determined by the city council.
The club's chief executive Bob Calleja will meet the trust's members next week when he will also consider an invitation from Bath City's chairman Steve Hall to join forces.
Bath City play at Twerton Park on the west side of the city and own five acres at Newton St Loe. "We have seven acres at Twerton and five at Newton St Loe," Hall said. "The former in particular can afford to have a larger capacity which would be relatively easy to achieve. I have written to the council with my ideas."
Bath hope this week to sign the Pontypridd prop Duncan Bell, who has toured with England. Pontypridd's coach Lynn Howells said: "We have been told they need first to release players so they do not go over their £1.8m salary cap. Duncan has been told he is in the thoughts of the England management and that his chances of a call-up would be enhanced if he joined an English club."
· The South African RFU has demanded that the New Zealand union takes action against the All Blacks' outside-half Andrew Mehrtens for alleged comments about the referee Andre Watson after Australia's Bledisloe Cup win by a late penalty in Sydney on Saturday. He was reported as saying that the South African official should have been "ashamed" of his performance.
South Africa have called the wing Dean Hall into their squad for the Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand in Durban on Saturday. The prop Willie Meyer returns after an ankle injury.
· Bristol have named Ross Beattie as their captain.
