Dan Lyle will captain Bath against Saracens on Saturday despite still being in shock following the terrorist attacks on America.

The US Eagles skipper spent a frantic hour trying to ring his parents, who live near New York, following Tuesday's atrocities and he admits he has been left numb by the incidents.

Lyle has also tried in vain to contact his good friend Kurt Shuman, the US full-back, who works near the devastated World Trade Centre in Manhattan.

Father Mike, a retired US general who used to work at The Pentagon and now runs the New York Military Academy, and mother Carol often go into the city.

Lyle said: "It took me an hour to get hold of my parents and I was really panicking.

"The lines were jammed and I was just pressing redial. Touch wood they are OK but you never know.

"About 30 of the kids at my dad's school have parents or friends who work at the Trade Centre and some of them are now going to be orphans.

"I've tried to e-mail and call Kurt but haven't got through. He works in downtown Manhattan and he spends a lot of time in that area, as do a lot of the guys I know from the New York Athletic Club.

"Outside of 'Shu' I don't have anyone I'm really close to who works down there but you never know, someone could have been on a flight or visiting and that could apply to any of us. This is not just going to be a tragedy for America."

Despite being on an emotional rollercoaster, Lyle has managed to train with Bath and insists he will play against Saracens at the Recreation Ground on Saturday - a game his club need to win to lift themselves off the bottom of the Premiership.

Lyle added: "Everybody is completely shocked by this. My senses are pretty numb right now and I hope that I don't get so overly emotional by the weekend because I find out that people I know have been affected by this.

"But I would be falling into some trap by not turning up when people counted on me because some idiot put together a plan to create destruction of such magnitude.

"That would belittle the people that have been hurt by this.

"I hope I can focus but I think it will be a little while before the reality sinks in."

Bath, along with other Zurich Premiership clubs, will hold a minute's silence before Saturday's match kicks off.