Perry primed for Bath comeback

ENGLAND’S most capped full-back Matt Perry is primed to make his Bath comeback in today’s Parker Pen Challenge Cup semi-final clash with Montferrand — just five weeks after undergoing pioneering back surgery.

The procedure, required to rectify a problem which first surfaced during the 2001 Lions tour to Australia, freed a trapped nerve that had become embedded in scar tissue and muscle.

Perry has since played two matches for Bath's second string and successfully negotiated both, allowing coach John Connolly to turn to the 27-year-old when Mike Catt failed a fitness test yesterday morning.