The 29 year old Edinburgh born fly half has also represented Scotland at U18, U19 and U21 level before winning his first cap for the senior international side against Romania in June 2005.

He made his RBS Six Nations debut against Wales at Murrayfield in February 2007.

Godman captained Merchiston Castle School to victory in the Scottish Schools Cup in 2000 before signing a professional contract with Newcastle Falcons. He moved to Edinburgh Rugby from Newcastle in 2004.

Godman: “I’m excited to be joining a club with such a prestigious history. Obviously, with its Scottish heritage, it was a definite attraction for me. After a few injuries recently, I’m looking forward to kick-starting my career and getting on the pitch for London Scottish.”

Director of Rugby Simon Amor is excited about the signing of Godman as the club continues its search for Scottish talent, with Godman being the third Scot signed by the club this month.

Amor: “A core part of the London Scottish philosophy is always being on the lookout for Scottish talent. The signing of Phil’s calibre not only fits into this philosophy, but his quality shows the ambitions of the club as we prepare for a second year in the Championship.”

Amor also believes Godman’s experience can only benefit players such as young fly half Dan Mugford.

Amor: “I’m hugely excited. Dan is an exciting young talent, proven with his accolades this season as top try scorer, top points scorer and voted the Supporters Player of the Season. Having two excellent fly halves at the club can only benefit us and Dan will learn a lot from Phil. This fits in with our philosophy of developing younger players who have the potential to play at the highest level.”

England Sevens have increased the number of full-time players and the off-field resources available to Head Coach Ben Ryan next season.

The full-time player roster increases from 12 to 16 with new contracts awarded to backs Dan Bibby (UWIC), James Lightfoot-Brown (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Mitchell (Oxford University) (pictured), Marcus Watson (Saracens), Jeff Williams (RC Chateaurenard), and forwards Mike Ellery (Moseley) and Jack Preece (Birmingham Solihull).

Assistant coach Russell Earnshaw now has a full-time post after previously combining his role with that of Director of Rugby at Birmingham Solihull.

Some of the newcomers will appear in European competitions this summer ahead of a busy 2012-13 season which will see the HSBC Sevens World Series followed by the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow next June.

Mitchell, 22, Bibby, 21, Watson, 20, and centre Williams, 23,  all made their England Sevens debuts this season. Mitchell appeared in six tournaments, Watson in five, Bibby in two and Williams in one, scoring a debut try against Australia at last weekend’s Marriott London Sevens.

Lightfoot-Brown, 19 in June, is a former England Under 18 scrum half who joins after spells in the Exeter and London Irish academy ranks. Ellery, 22, is an athletic back row forward in outstanding form in the Championship this season while openside breakdown specialist Preece, 22, captained Bees in National One this season.

Departing are former captain Greg Barden, who has retired, hooker Simon Hunt and wing Nick Royle.

England can also add further players to the squad either on ‘core’ contracts shared with professional clubs or those in higher education like former England Under 20 internationals Sam Edgerley and Mark Odejobi.

Isoa Damudamu is unlikely feature in 2012-13, though. The soldier dislocated his left knee and damaged ligaments playing for the Army against the Navy last month and rehabilitation following surgery is expected to take at least a year.

England finished third in this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series behind New Zealand and Fiji with Mat Turner and Dan Norton first and second in the leading try-scorer table with 38 and 37 respectively.

“Being able to keep the bulk of this season’s squad together and add new faces is good news for us in terms of maintaining momentum, increasing competition and driving up standards,” said Ryan.

“We believe we can maximise their potential and turn them into world class sevens players. Some of the new full-time players have already gained experience in the HSBC Sevens World Series; others will make their debuts in Europe this summer and they’re all part of the next chapter for England Sevens.”

England Sevens contracted players: Dan Bibby, John Brake, Chris Brightwell, Chris Cracknell, Mike Ellery, Christian Lewis-Pratt, James Lightfoot-Brown, Tom Mitchell, Dan Norton, Tom Powell, Jack Preece, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman, Marcus Watson, Jeff Williams.

We also hear from a stellar cast including Jonny Wilkinson, Iain Balshaw and Lawrence Dallaglio as well as England youngster Jonathan Joseph.

England forwards coach Rowntree has first-hand experience in South Africa as forwards coach with the British & Irish Lions in 2009 and insists any side that wants to win there has to earn the right to play at the breakdown.

He also analyses the prospects for newcomers like Tom Youngs, Graham Kitchener and Joe Launchbury who are all part of Stuart Lancaster’s 42-strong touring squad.

Centre Joseph, coached by new England man Mike Catt at London Irish, tells us he’s ready to stake his claim on tour and in the Killick Cup game against the Barbarians on May 27 at Twickenham Stadium.

World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon) and Iain Balshaw (Biarritz) talk about being on opposite sides on Friday night at the Stoop in the final of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

The Dallaglio-Flintoff Cycle Slam is due to finish on Friday after an epic 2,872km trek from Greece to London raising money for Cancer Research UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Dallaglio reports on his progress and weighs up the prospects for Leinster and Ulster at Twickenham Stadium in this weekend’s Heineken Cup final.

Head Coach Graham Smith has made five changes, and one positional, to the team that defeated Italy 32-8 on Tuesday. Lichfield’s Sarah Hunter will once again captain the side which welcomes back Emily Scarratt (pictured) and Katherine Merchant to the starting line-up. Both Merchant and Scarratt were involved in England’s victory in the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens in London on Sunday.

Bristol’s Marlie Packer and Worcester’s Rochelle Clark return to bolster a strong England pack, while Ceri Large moves to fly-half and Kim Oliver is back in at centre.

Smith, whose side like France have defeated both Italy and Spain in this tournament, said: “The spirit in the camp is very good and we are confident that we have a strong enough team to defend our European Cup crown.

“This is a strong England pack, while our backs have also been performing. Georgina Rozario is playing some of her best rugby ever at scrum-half, and Ceri Large is developing into a good international fly-half. Kim Oliver has also been in top form this season, Emily, Kat and Danielle are world class players while Lydia really has the potential to be a world class wing.”

The final England versus France match is set to be a thriller with matches this season between the two sides evenly matched. France have beaten England twice this season, but England took the most recent victory in the RBS 6 Nations in March.

Smith added: “Our players like nothing better than playing France and they’ll be really up for it. We know we’ll have to be at the top of our game for this one, with France being a tough and physical side. Like us they have some new caps in their squad, but they also have the nucleus of their Six Nations side here. They have a good kicking game, can move the ball around well and have a big effective pack and we know they’ll be really up for this match.”

England

15 Danielle Waterman (Worcester)

14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester)

13 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield)

12 Kimberley Oliver (Bristol)

11 Katherine Merchant (Worcester)

10 Ceri Large (Worcester)

9 Georgina Rozario

1 Rochelle Clark (Worcester)

2 Victoria Fleetwood (Lichfield)

3 Laura Keates (Worcester)

4 Rowena Burnfield (Richmond)

5 Tamara Taylor(Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

6 Sarah Hunter (C) (Lichfield)

7 Marlie Packer (Bristol)

8 Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield)

Replacements:

16 Emma Croker (Richmond)

17 Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield)

18 Emily Braund (Lichfield)

19 Gemma Sharples (Worcester)

20 Fiona Davidson (Richmond)

21 Lauren Cattell (Chesham)

22 Sally Tuson(Bristol)

23 Kate Newton (Bristol)

24 Fiona Fletcher (Lichfield)

25 Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, WON 61-0.

Italy v England, May 15,WON 32-8

France v England, May 19, KO 630pm

As the top seeds from the regular season, Joe Schmidt’s team earned the right to host the Final at their home ground after beating Glasgow Warriors in the Play-Off last weekend. That triumph set up a repeat of the 2010 Final against the Ospreys.

The 2010 Final was the first time the competition had used the Play-Off system to determine the champions. This is the third season in a row that Leinster has reached the Final and they are still seeking their first win.

Interest in the game is intense and the Irish language TV channel TG4 will act as the host broadcaster. TG4 will screen the match live, as will RTE in Ireland and the Welsh language station, S4C, in the UK. The game will also be shown delayed live in Italy on RAI Sports 2 at 9.00pm local time.

In addition to coverage within the nations that provide teams to the RaboDirect PRO12 competition, the game will also be screened in the following countries either live or delayed live:

• Malta– Go Malta
• Middle East– Orbit Showtime Network – (23 countries) Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates
• North America – Fox Soccer Plus
• Canada– Rogers Sportsnet World
• Sub Sahara Africa Setanta – (50 countries) Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivorie, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, Swaziland, Tanzania/Zanzibar, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
• Asia Setanta – (8 countries) Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand
• New Zealand– Sky New Zealand

Overseas viewers are advised to check with their Broadcasters as to whether they are showing the game live or delayed.

Adding to the extensive expansion behind the scenes both players join Connacht on one year contracts. Along with the Heineken Cup returning to Galway, the British & Irish Cup will add to the number of competitive fixtures in the season and there is a massive opportunity for exposure to rugby at the top level. Connacht Rugby are delighted to be able to provide genuine rugby experience to emerging, Irish-qualified talent and Harris-Wright and Murphy are the latest additions to that contingent.

24 year old hooker Harris-Wright is a product of the Leinster Academy and has 11 senior appearances for the club as well as four Heineken Cup matches under his belt including the 2011 final victory over Northampton Saints.

Jason was part of the Ireland U20 World Championship team that beat Tonga in 2008 and featured in all bar one of Ireland U20′s RBS 6Nations matches the same year.

Asked about joining Connacht he said:

"I would just like to say I’m delighted to have signed for Connacht Rugby and I’m really looking forward to being part of a great club who I believe are making huge strides both in Europe and in the domestic competition. I look forward to meeting all the lads and getting stuck into pre-season next month."

His inclusion in next season’s squad will strengthen the depth at hooker with the experienced Adrian Flavin and Ethienne Reynecke already in situ.

Speaking about Jason joining the club Assistant Coach Dan McFarland said:

"I’m delighted to be working with Jason again; since I worked with him last with Ireland U20′s team he has gained a lot of experience including RaboDirect PRO12 and Heineken Cup with Leinster. He’s a good strong, aggressive athlete and this is a great opportunity for him to develop his game even further."

Meanwhile 26 year old Brian Murphy earns his first professional contract having joined from Ulster Bank All Ireland League club side Galwegians. Murphy was voted the iRadio Senior Club Player of the Year at the recent Connacht Annual Awards having performed consistently over the course of the season. The versatile centre/fullback, who came through the Connacht age-grade system, was part of the 2006 Connacht U21 side that beat Leinster in Donnybrook. He went on to represent Connacht at Junior level before moving from Corrib RFC to Galwegians RFC and has been rewarded for his consistently high level performances in the All Ireland League this season.

In just five short years Mallinder has taken the Saints from the pain of relegation to being considered one of the top clubs in Aviva Premiership Rugby and in the Heineken Cup.

Indeed the club has not enjoyed such consistent levels of success – four trophies; five finals in five years, including the 2011 Heineken Cup final; and three successive Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-finals – since the 1950s and 60s.

Individuals have also flourished under the Yorkshireman’s guidance, with a modern-day record of eight players chosen in England’s 2012 Six Nations Elite Player Squad and no fewer than six England regulars having made their international debut since joining the club.

Mallinder has also rejuvenated the Saints Academy, appointing Dusty Hare to manage a production line which is now providing the first team squad with a steady stream of exciting young and talented players.

Already Aviva Premiership Rugby’s longest-serving current director of rugby, by the end of his new contract Mallinder will have been in charge of the team at Franklin’s Gardens for eight years, stability which chairman Leon Barwell says is vitally important for the continued growth and development of the club.

“Jim signing his new contract is terrific news for the club and underpins our aspirations for the future,” he said. “As we see so often in sports across the world having continuity of management is crucial in a club’s long-term success, and this is exactly what Jim brings to the Saints.

“You cannot overstate how important he has been to the rejuvenation of the team, which then has a massive part to play in everything else we do at the club. He is a first class coach, one of the best in England, and a terrific guy to have at the club.

“Like everyone at Franklin’s Gardens I am delighted that Jim has extended his commitment to the club until at least 2015, and I’m sure that Saints supporters everywhere are looking forward to the team continue to flourish under his leadership.”

Mallinder said that signing his contract extension had been a straightforward decision for him.

“I’m very happy at Northampton Saints,” he said. “We also have a talented group of coaches and support staff which is among the best in the league. We all want the club to improve year on year and are committed to working together to achieve that.

“We have come a long way in a short period of time, but I know that there is more to come in the future. We have won silverware and played in some massive occasions, and this is where I know we can compete year in, year out, and regularly bring major trophies to the club.

“The fact that my family is settled and happy in the area also played a major part in my decision to sign again. We all feel very at home in the Northampton area and feel a part of the community here.

“I’m proud to be director of rugby of the Saints, which has a great history and fantastic supporters, and I’m looking forward to bringing more success to the club in the future.”

After one season with Worcester Warriors, Ben Gulliver, who previously played for the Cornish Pirates, Plymouth and Coventry as well as a loan spell with Leicester Tigers, is making the move from Sixways.

Gulliver, 30, who stands at six foot five inches tall and weighs in at almost 17 and a half stone will add some much needed fire power and experience to the Blues second row.

Adding a bit of weight in the back row department will be former Bedford Blues Academy player Tom Armes who returns to Goldington Road after a four year stint with Leister Tigers.

Armes, who can play anywhere across the back row, was signed to the Leicester Academy and played in the ‘A’ League with Tigers before making his debut as a replacement in the Premiership win over Northampton in October 2009 followed up a week later by coming off the bench in the historic win over the then world champions South Africa.

The 21-year-old spent time with Championship rivals Nottingham during the 2010/11 season to gain some valuable game time but returns to his roots with a permanent move to Goldington Road.

Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “I am thrilled to be able to welcome Ben and Tom to Goldington Road and I think everyone will be excited to see them in action for the Blues next season.

“We all know just how important a player Ben was for the Pirates and how influential he was down in the West Country. I have no doubts that after a stint in the Premiership, he will be fired up and raring to get going for us next term.

“Tom is a fantastic talent who we all know really well and I’m sure he will slot in perfectly within our back row. Tom headed off to Leicester with our best wishes but we are now delighted to welcome him back and I’m certain it won’t take long to get back into the swing of things.”

The 21-year old has been a huge success for the Ospreys this season, scoring eight tries in 24 appearances, including the RaboDirect PRO12 Try of the Season against Edinburgh at Murrayfield in February.

Dirksen commented:

“I’m very happy. The Ospreys are the best team in Wales and I’m really happy to be a part of the organisation. I feel at home here, everybody has made very welcome and this is my region so I’m happy that I can continue playing for the Ospreys.

“I’ve been given some chances this season and I think I’ve taken them the best I can. It’s great to be playing and training with top class players, Wales internationals and Lions, it’s been an absolutely amazing year for me. It’s nice to be in a squad with so many top class players that I can learn off.

“I’m really excited about the way the team is developing, we seem to be growing every day, every week. It’s good to be finishing off the season with a final, we have worked hard to get there and now we have to make sure we don’t let anybody down.”
Head Coach, Steve Tandy, added:

“Hanno has enjoyed a great season and has really shown what a talent he is. It’s great that we can call on his services for another two seasons. If he continues to work hard and shows the attitude and desire to improve his all round game that we’ve seen from him since he joined the group, he could have a very bright future with the Ospreys.”

Hailing from Krugersdorp in the Gauteng province of South Africa, he moved to the USA with his family in 2006 while still a teenager. Having represented the USA at age grade level, Dirksen became the youngest player to represent the Eagles at senior level when he featured in the non-capped match against Munster in Connecticut in August 2008.

He arrived in the UK to study at Truro College on a scholarship for the 2008/09 academic year before transferring his studies to Neath Port Talbot College in September 2009. He signed for Swansea shortly after, ending the campaign as top try-scorer as he touched down 21 times in just 22 games, claiming the Young Player of the Year award and putting pen to paper on a regional contract in January 2011.

Once again the Series as a whole set a new attendance record with just over 547,500 fans supporting the nine events played across five continents, outstripping the previous best of 500,100.

As well as expanding to nine events with the addition of Japan, there were four new venues in total on the 2011/12 Series, all of which proved an instant hit with supporters.

Australia’s move to the Gold Coast was well supported at the start of the season; Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium provided a cauldron of atmosphere in South Africa; Scotland’s switch from Edinburgh to Glasgow attracted new fans to the game and a return to Tokyo was significant for Asian Rugby as Japan prepares to host Rugby World Cup 2019.

At three of the nine venues spectators were also treated to top women’s action, with the IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup underscoring the global and competitive nature of the Women’s Game, acting as a pre-cursor to a new IRB Women’s Sevens Series, to be announced in due course.

"This has been a magnificent season of achievement for Rugby Sevens both on and off the field," said IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset.

"The action has been more competitive than ever before in the HSBC Sevens World Series, with five different Cup winners and no fewer than thirteen teams reaching the Cup quarter finals, including the likes of Spain, Canada, Tonga and Kenya, while our Women’s and Regional events are going from strength to strength."

"In the stands and around the venues the carnival atmosphere of a Sevens tournament continues to provide a unique appeal to Rugby fans all around the world. Together these factors combine to make the sport an incredibly enticing prospect as we move ever closer to Sevens’ Olympic Games debut in 2016."

New Zealand won a 10th World Series crown at Twickenham. On arriving home in Auckland their coach Gordon Tietjens, freshly inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame, was quick to stress his players’ achievements given the wider backdrop of Sevens’ unprecedented competiveness and an expanded Series.

"It just keeps growing, the crowds keep getting bigger, the competition’s getting tougher, seven or eight teams now could win a tournament. There is no doubt that we are seeing the enormous benefits of Olympic inclusion and I am sure that the Olympics will see the benefits of Rugby Sevens’ inclusion."

Andrea de Vincentiis, Head of Rugby Sponsorship for World Series title sponsor HSBC, also paid tribute to the players and fans.

"When HSBC decided to invest in the World Series it was because the bank saw the potential of the already popular and successful international competition. Since then it has continued to thrive and all nine venues this year hosted successful tournaments which attracted fans from all countries," he said.

"The continued growth in attendance and broadcast coverage illustrates just how popular the Series has become, with Sevens set to have a bright future over the coming four years in the build-up to the Olympic Games in 2016."