Rugby Digest/England: Gloucester, Leeds, Northampton and Newcastle have joined the scramble for the England centre Mike Tindall, whose contract talks with Bath are in danger of stalling, writes Paul Rees.

Yesterday Tindall's agent, Dipo Alli, started talks with potential employers for Tindall (26), whose contract with Bath runs out in May.

Tindall is on £110,000 a year at the Recreation Ground and is looking for a £40,000 rise, though he would still be earning considerably less than some other members of England's World Cup winning side. Bath have offered £120,000.

"I have started speaking to other clubs," said Alli. "The talks with Bath are not dead, but the ball is firmly in their court now. We have told Bath what we will settle for, and it is a lot less than Mike's true worth, but nothing has happened and it is extremely frustrating. His first choice is to stay, but we are in a position now where we have to listen to what other clubs have to offer."

Tindall will not play again until next month because of a foot injury but wants to sort out his future before the start of the Six Nations championship in February.

Two of his England colleagues, outhalf Charlie Hodgson and wing Mark Cueto, yesterday signed new contracts with Sale which will keep them at Edgeley Park until 2007.

Hodgson and Cueto are likely to be in the England side which starts the Six Nations against Wales in Cardiff on February 5th.

SCOTLAND: Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) chairman David Mackay has resigned after a vote of no confidence by the general committee. The decision comes on the back of a simmering row over the direction of the sport in Scotland.

The SRU have appointed Fred McLeod as interim chairman of with immediate effect.

SRU president Gordon Dixon said: "There is never a right time to make announcements such as this. Clearly we have been listening to the concerns of the member clubs, the key stakeholders in Scottish Rugby, and these changes are as a consequence of their concerns."