Stuart Lancaster today paid tribute to Rob Vickerman after the former Leeds Carnegie and Newcastle Falcons centre was named England Sevens captain.

Vickerman has been appointed by England Sevens Head Coach Ben Ryan to lead the side in the remaining two legs of this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series – the Glasgow Sevens this weekend and the Marriott London Sevens at Twickenham on May 12-13.

England Head Coach Lancaster recruited the teenaged Vickerman while at Leeds and described the 26 year-old as an “outstanding professional in both forms of the game”.

Lancaster said: “I’d like to congratulate Rob on his appointment and wish him, Ben Ryan and the England Sevens players and management the best for the final two legs of the series.

“I started working with Rob when he was a teenager at the Leeds Academy. He was and still is one of the best players I have coached with an intuitive understanding of time and space on a rugby field. He has developed into an outstanding professional in both forms of the game, first at Leeds, then at Newcastle Falcons and now as a full-time sevens player with England.

“He’s a great communicator on and off the field, someone who leads by example and I’m sure he’ll be a great ambassador for England Rugby.”

Vickerman banked more than 50 top-flight appearances for Leeds and Newcastle before joining England’s full-time sevens squad.

He accepted the captaincy honour by singling out Lancaster’s influence and added that his mentor’s success as England head coach came as no surprise to him.

“Stuart’s a person who was never going to end up anywhere other than where he is now,” said Vickerman. “He’s a real leader of men, he’s very aware of how he manages and of his principles he’s learned at Leeds and with the RFU.

“He’s helped me in leaps and bounds and has been one of the most influential people in my life, not just my career, so it’s great to see him doing well.

“There was no doubt in my mind that he would succeed with England. To anyone who has worked with him and knows his philosophies in terms of the culture in the team, it’s no surprise.”

England are fourth in this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series table after seven of the nine legs, behind New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa in the standings.

The current series is arguably the most competitive ever. Five different nations have won individual titles – England defending their Dubai crown in December – and the challenge is to finish the campaign on a high.

Ryan’s side face Kenya, the USA and Australia in the pool stages and Vickerman insists the change of leadership won’t affect his or the team’s focus.

“The captaincy is a great honour and something I know my family will be very proud of but it takes nothing away from what we are looking to achieve as a team,” he said.

“Sevens is a completely different format from 15s and it’s far more about seven people leading on the pitch, 12 leading in the squad and then a wider squad of 20 performing week-in, week-out in training.

“It’s a lovely accolade for my family more than anything else and it’s going to make no difference to the way I play.

“The goal this week is to perform. We want to be in an environment where we’re enjoying what we’re doing, we’re working hard and being enthusiastic.”

England Sevens: Dan Bibby (UWIC), John Brake, Chris Brightwell, Chris Cracknell, Sam Edgerley (Rosslyn Park), Tom Mitchell (Oxford University), Dan Norton, Mark Odejobi (Brunel University), Tom Powell, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman.

HSBC Sevens World Series standings (top six): 1 New Zealand 128 pts, 2 Fiji 122, 3 South Africa 105, 4 England 104, 5 Samoa 101, 6 Australia 84

Davies played his club rugby for Llanelli and enjoyed a distinguished 46-cap career for Wales between 1985 and 1995.

The ex-Wales captain, born in Seven Sisters, spent a decade at Leeds Tykes between 1996 and 2006 taking the Yorkshire club from Division Three into top-flight Premiership rugby. He steered Leeds to their Heineken Cup debut in 2003 and to a Powergen Cup win in 2005. Davies also spent two years at the Scarlets, leading them to their first Heineken Cup semi-final in eight years.

The former Scarlets and Leeds boss Phil Davies joined Worcester Warriors as a forwards coach from his position at the WRU as Wales Under-20s coach and National Academy Manager in August 2010.

Commenting on the appointment, Cardiff Blues CEO Richard Holland said:

“Phil Davies is a hugely respected coach and we are delighted to have secured him as the new Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby.”

“He has shown during his time at the Leeds Tykes, when he took them from Division Three to the Premiership, that he can develop a young team and deliver success.”

“He is hugely knowledgeable about the game, extremely hard working and we look forward to having him with us for the forthcoming season.”

Speaking of his appointment, Phil Davies said:

“I’m really looking forward to starting the job. It’s a role I’ve been passionate about for a long, long time.”

“The Blues cover a massive region, the biggest in Wales, and it’s a great opportunity for a young group of players and staff to work hard in order to push the region forward and look to build upon the foundations that have been laid over the last eight or nine years, firstly by David Young and more recently, Gareth and Justin.”

“Our aim will be to move forward, play attractive rugby and over time develop the Blues into a very competitive side in all competitions and ultimately win trophies and produce quality players to represent Wales!”

“I know an awful lot of the players from my time at the National Academy and I know not only at the Blues but in the whole of Wales there are some fantastic academy systems producing some good players.”

“There is a lot of change happening and with that comes a element of excitement and uncertainty, with that in mind there will be some growing pains moving forward as we develop the capabilities and experiences of a very talented group of players and staff”

“I know from my time at the Scarlets introducing young players such as Ken Owens, Rhys Priestland, Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams does take some time.”

“They were very young when I was there but look at them now.”

“It’s important that people understand it’s going to time but we are on the starting line here to something really exciting.”

“The players moving on have been fantastic servants to both the region and Wales and we thank them, however this is an opportunity for a new group of people to create their own legacy and that’s what really excites me.”

“I like to develop teams based on a few important principles. We have good basic skills. Some people will say that’s stating the obvious, but I think it is important that we are able to perform the basics well under pressure. We need strong foundations, which are: mean defence, quality kicking game and accurate set piece."

"We will look to play the way Welsh players like, which is with flair and expression, hopefully with a lot of tries thrown in”

“That’s the type of rugby I tried to develop at Leeds, the Scarlet’s and during my time with Cardiff RFC.”

“Sometimes things don’t always go to plan, but if you’ve got strong basics and core skills, then you hopefully have the foundations to let players express themselves.”

“With the speed and talent we have in the back line, this will hopefully get people excited to come and watch the Blues watch.”

“I hope this is a fresh start for a young group of players with a new Director of Rugby who has a lot of experience and who will work hard for them and with them.”

“It will be a huge team effort. We want to enjoy what we do, but we are all rugby professionals who represent a fantastic region that has a proud rugby heritage, that responsibility is something we will all take very seriously.”

“We will work hard, have good discipline and team spirit, I want people from around the region to really identify with and be very proud of the team and want to come and watch us play.”

The club’s four most experienced players in terms of career starts will all be making their final appearances. Prop Mike MacDonald will make his 127th appearance for the club since joining in 2006 whilst Lee Blackett returns on the wing for his 99th start for the club since joining from Rotherham in March 2006. Centre Scott Barrow has made 81 appearances for Leeds Carnegie whilst winger Michael Stephenson has made 48 appearances since joining from Bath in 2010.

Head Coach Diccon Edwards has made a number of changes to the side that won at Rotherham last Saturday. Tommy Bell will start at fly half in place of Joe Ford with Craig Hampson at scrum half instead of Will Cliff.

In the pack, Halani Aulika and Sean Hohneck are also making their final appearances for Leeds Carnegie whilst Richard Beck continues his role in the back row.

The team in full is:

15. Stevie McColl

14. Lee Blackett

13. Iain Thornley

12. Scott Barrow

11. Michael Stephenson

10. Tommy Bell

9. Craig Hampson

1. Mike MacDonald

2. Andy Titterrell (c)

3. Halani Aulika

4. Jon Pendlebury

5. Sean Hohneck

6. Richard Beck

7. Jacob Rowan

8. Ryan Burrows

16. Scott Freer

17. Mo Mustafa

18. Ed Williamson

19. Chris Walker

20. Will Cliff

21. Jordan Davies

22. Pete Lucock

Mathematically, it is still possible for Titans to reach the semi-final stage of the competition, but anything less than a victory over local rivals Leeds will see their slender hopes evaporate.

The only change to the squad that narrowly lost 14-17 to Cornish Pirates last time out is Cliffie Hodgson comes in for the injured Garry Law at fly-half.

Looking ahead to the contest Titans assistant coach Ben Wade said, “The boys have trained very well this week and they are ready for what we anticipate will be a tough Yorkshire battle. Both Leeds and ourselves can still progress from the pool, throw into the mix it’s a local derby with lots of pride at stake and that means both sides will be giving everything to gain the victory.

“We had a tremendous victory at Leeds just four weeks ago and to repeat that result would be brilliant, unfortunately that will count for nothing when the teams run out at Clifton Lane on Saturday. The boys know that and there won’t be any complacency on our part. We’d like to sign off our last game of the season at Clifton Lane with a memorable victory and finish the campaign as the top side in Yorkshire.”

Rotherham Titans: 15 Tom Foden, 14 Peter Homan, 13 Dave McCall, 12 Pale Nonu, 11 Shane Monahan, 10 Cliffie Hodgson, 9 Jimmy Williams, 1 Shane Cahill, 2 Dan Baines, 3 Ben Hooper, 4 Neale Patrick, 5 Barney Maddison, 6 Robin Copeland, 7 Sean Dougall (Capt.), 8 Semisi Taulava.

Replacements: 16 Ted Stagg, 17 Jamie Kilbane, 18 Talite Vaioleti, 19 Adrian Griffiths, 20 Carl Kirwan, 21 Ed Tellwright, 22 Stephen Hamilton.

Welsh just need a bonus point from their remaining two games to make sure of their place in the last four for the third consecutive season. Doncaster, meanwhile, played their part in an entertaining contest that produced eight tries – three of them to the home side for whom former Newcastle academy player Fred Burdon crossed the line twice.

Bristol stuttered for the second time at home after being held to a 19- all draw against Nottingham. But it could have been worse for the West Country outfit had James Arlidge’s drop goal attempt gone over in the final minute.

A crowd of just over 7,000 turned up at the Memorial Stadium expecting to see Bristol confirm their place in the semi- finals but Liam Middleton’s men were unable to convert the ten-point lead they held at half- time into victory. Nottingham now need to beat Doncaster away and London Welsh at home to have any chance of progressing further in the competition.

Bedford became the first team to officially book their place in the Championship semi- finals after securing their first victory over Leeds at the fourth attempt this season. Leeds did the double over the Blues in the regular season and the sides then drew in the first play- off meeting at Headingley. But on home soil and in front of a large crowd Bedford laid that particular bogey to rest with a 26-20 win at Goldington Road. Tries for Josh Bassett and on- loan Saracens scrum- half Luke Baldwin at the start of the second half proved pivotal to the eventual outcome.

Cornish Pirates are strong favourites to join Bedford in the last four after repeating their home and away victories over Rotherham in the regular season in the play- offs. The Pirates are seven points clear of Leeds, who they meet at Headingley in the final round of fixtures, following their 17-14 success at Clifton Lane. Four penalties from Rob Cook and a try from flanker Phil Burgess were enough to see off the Titans who are bottom of the pool.

Leeds’s hopes of returning to the Premiership at the first attempt are now hanging by a thread after a four- game winless run in the play- offs. A record of two draws and two defeats means that victories in their remaining two games are vital if they are to stand any chance of beating Pirates to the second semi- final qualification play- off spot.

Plymouth will live to fight another day in the Championship after securing their third straight win in the play- offs. On Sunday Albion completed the double over London Scottish with an 11-6 victory at the Athletic Ground to ensure that a troubled season on and off the field has a happy ending.

Aaron Carpenter’s try in the 56th minute proved crucial to the eventual outcome with all the other points in a tight game coming from the boots of Dan Mugford and James Love with two penalties apiece. Love has been integral to Plymouth’s survival bid with 51 points in the play- offs to add to the 187 he managed in the regular season – not a bad return for his inaugural Championship campaign.

Neither Plymouth nor Moseley can be caught at the top of the Pool C table. Both sides are safe having accumulated 19 points – 13 more than bottom side Esher with two games remaining. Moseley secured their future in the second tier with a 25-13 win at Esher, Brad Davies and David Lyons scoring their tries with Ollie Thomas contributing 10 points from the kicking tee.

Esher are effectively down and out unless they can pick up maximum points from their remaining two fixtures and London Scottish fail to claim a single bonus point in theirs. Esher are at home to Plymouth on April 14 before making the short trip to London Scottish a week later.

Following Sunday’s 24 all draw at Headingley, the Blues welcome Leeds to Goldington Road but are fully aware of the huge task that lays ahead come 3pm. The Yorkshire club thoroughly enjoyed their last visit in October when they ran out 28-45 winners and followed that win up with a 21-17 ‘regular season’ result in the return.

With Leeds trailing second placed Cornish Pirates by four points ahead of Saturday’s game, Bedford know that Diccon Edwards men will be throwing everything including the kitchen sink at the Blues in an effort to get their first win of play-offs and push for a semi-final spot of their own.

Looking ahead to the game, Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “Walking away from Headingley last week with two points was a real bonus given the way Leeds dominated for large parts of the game. Our defence had to work overtime but you can’t buy the spirit that the players showed, we had to dig deep in the final quarter and they responded magnificently

“We’ve had a lot to work on in training this week and the boys have gone about it with their usual appetite and enthusiasm. Now we need to transfer that onto the pitch on Saturday. We are at home and need to make it count and if last week’s second half is anything to go by then I’m sure we are in for a cracking game of rugby.”

The Blues make six changes from the team that drew with Leeds last weekend with Neil Cochrane, Phil Boulton and Darren Fox returning up front while Luke Baldwin, Jake Sharp and Henry Staff return behind the scrum.

Starting line-up:

15. James Pritchard (c)

14. Ollie Dodge

13. Brendan Burke

12. Henry Staff

11. Josh Bassett

10. Jake Sharp

9. Luke Baldwin

1. Sam Walsh

2. Neil Cochrane

3. Phil Boulton

4. Paul Tupai

5. Alex Rae

6. Jonathon Fisher

7. Darren Fox

8. Don Barrell

Replacements: 16. Chris Locke, 17. Ben Cooper, 18. Mike Howard, 19. Sacha Harding, 20. Darryl Veenendaal, 21. Jamie Lennard. 22. Ian Vass

Lancaster, who guided England to second place in the 2012 RBS 6 Nations, becomes permanent Head Coach with immediate effect following unanimous RFU Board ratification this morning.

Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Ian Ritchie said: “We have been through a rigorous and global selection process and are confident that Stuart is the right person to lead England Rugby forward into the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He has shown throughout the RBS 6 Nations and subsequently in both interview and other conversations I, as chairman of the advisory panel, have had with him that he has the skills and vision needed in the England Head Coach.

“I would also like to thank the advisory panel for their time and invaluable advice during the course of the process. I have been very lucky to be able to draw upon great rugby expertise and for that I am grateful.

“I am sure everyone in England will join me in congratulating Stuart on his appointment. He can be assured of my support and everyone in the Union as he embarks on what we all hope will be a successful period for English rugby.”

The 42-year-old Cumbrian said: “I am immensely honoured and proud to accept this role. From the hundreds of messages I received during the Six Nations I know what supporting England means to millions of people and I am privileged to be involved. The players, coaches and the management were superb during the tournament and it’s down to them that we made such positive steps from when we first met up in Leeds. The challenge now is to take this squad and the players we will see emerge forward to 2015. It is one that I can’t wait to get stuck into.

“We have a massive task ahead of us in South Africa this summer and we have 37 games before that first World Cup match on home soil, so every second counts in developing players who can win that tournament – which has to be the ultimate aim.

“I want to thank Ian and the panel for giving me the chance to explain my vision for England Rugby and, with their backing, I feel very positive about the future.”

STUART LANCASTER PROFILE 

BORN 09.10.69 | Penrith, Cumbria

Stuart Lancaster was appointed last December as England’s Interim Head Coach for the 2012 RBS 6 Nations Championship. All three away matches produced victories over Scotland, Italy and France  and a home win over Ireland. Prior to that he had been England Saxons Head Coach for the past four years as part of his role as  the RFU Head of Elite Player Development. A flanker and Leeds captain at Headingley from 1992-2000 he was the Academy manager there from its inception in 2001 until 2005. He was appointed as director of rugby and led Leeds back into the Premiership following a National One title winning season in 2006-07. He first laced up his boots when aged 10 at St Bees School in Whitehaven and became the first Leeds player to appear in a century of games for the club founded in 1991 from the amalgamation of Headingley and Roundhay. A former PE teacher he holds the Elite Coaching Level 5 qualification and is the assistant coach of West Park Leeds Under-11s.

The Blues haven’t enjoyed their last two outings against Carnegie with the Yorkshire club racking up a 28-45 win at Goldington Road in October and a 21-17 victory in January’s reverse. That defeat was Bedford’s last in the Championship though and they have gone on to win five in a row including a thriller against Cornish Pirates last Friday night.

Looking ahead to the game, Bedford Team manager Rob Crowle said: “Last Friday was a big effort for all the boys and although it wasn’t the prettiest of performances, we got the result that we wanted and now we have to continue building on that.

“We are very aware that we haven’t done as well as we would have hoped against Leeds this season, but the previous results are irrelevant in the play-offs and we need to make sure that we step up to the challenge at Headingley on Sunday afternoon. Leeds are coming off a painful derby defeat to Rotherham last weekend and we have to expect some form of a backlash.

“That said, if we can show as much grit and determination as we have done in the last five games then I’m sure that we’ll be in for a cracking contest on Sunday afternoon.”

Bedford make several changes to the team that came from 6-25 down to win against the Cornishmen last weekend as they look to continue their good run of results

Starting line-up:

15. James Pritchard (c)

14. Ollie Dodge

13. Brendan Burke

12. Ian Vass

11. Josh Bassett

10. Jamie Lennard

9. Darryl Veenendaal

1. Sam Walsh

2. Chris Locke

3. Ben Cooper

4. Paul Tupai

5. Alex Rae

6. Jon Fisher

7. Sacha Harding

8. Don Barrell

Replacements: 16. Neil Cochrane, 17. Ricky Reeves, 18. Mike Howard, 19. Darren Fox, 20. Luke Baldwin, 21. Jake Sharp. 22. Handre Schmidt

As for the return match in Stage 1, played at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in December, everyone knew a much sterner test lay in wait, and so it proved. Despite the Pirates leading 13-9 at the break, in a game that was as closely and physically fought as had been expected, nearing the end there was a sense that Leeds would sneak a victory, and they did, with a try scored by a delighted Michael Stephenson.

Saturday’s play-offs opener promises to be a fascinating encounter and despite the Pirates being hampered by injuries, especially in the back-line, their selection is still a strong one. Speaking ahead of the game, high performance manager Chris Stirling commented:

"We will have to play well to beat Leeds but having had a few days off the boys have come back pretty focused and with their impressive attitude it’s very rare that we play poorly against such good opposition."

The Cornish Pirates line-up is as follows:-

Cornish Pirates: R. Cook, T. Kessell, G. Pointer, T. Cooper, M. Evans, A. Penberthy, G. Cattle (capt), K. Marriott, C. Morgan, D. Ewers, I. Nimmo. M. Smith, A. Paver, D. Ward, C. Rimmer.

Replacements: P. Andrew, T. Cowan-Dickie, L. Fairbrother, P. Burgess, B. Maidment, C. Thomas, A. Suniula.

Referee: Paul Knowles (RFU) Assistants: Michael Tutty & Richard Parker-Sedgemore

Assessor: Jerry Wallis 4th Official: Andy Bickle

Match Day Sponsor: Elite Wealth Management

Match Ball Sponsor: The Cadgwith Singers

They face fellow relegation strugglers Plymouth hunting three successive wins for the first time since the restructuring of the English leagues.

Mike Schmid’s side followed up the crucial derby win over London Scottish with a stunning 24-22 triumph at Leeds on Sunday.

Now they are gunning for the hat-trick against Plymouth to set them up perfectly for next month’s relegation play-offs.

Canada star Mackenzie, who scored his 10th try in the last 12 games and fourth in the last three, insists bottom-side Esher must keep up the momentum as they aim to complete the great escape.

Mackenzie, 25, said: “It was great to get such a good win against a very good team and it’s one of the most memorable since I’ve been at Esher. We were ecstatic afterwards.

“Now we must build on those two wins by backing it up against Plymouth. To win three in a row would be massive in terms of confidence ahead of the play-offs and we can’t afford to take a step backwards.

“Everyone is fully committed and we’ve got some stability in the squad now. But when people are injured, others are stepping up.”

Esher have won three and drawn one of their last seven league games, a remarkable turnaround in fortunes after 14 successive defeats.

Their three league wins so far gives them three points to take into the relegation play-offs, where they will face London Scottish, who have won five, while Moseley and Plymouth currently have six victories.

The form of Mackenzie, who enjoyed a superb World Cup with Canada, has been one of the main factors in Esher’s resurgence.

Mackenzie, a centre who is equally at home on the wing, added: “I’m happy with my form and if I keep scoring, even happier. I’m not too fussed where I play.”

Director of Rugby Schmid said: “Phil’s a very talented, hard-working boy and an exceptional try scorer. He’s certainly hitting form at the right time for us.”

Schmid was delighted with the victory at Headingley but insists the players will not get carried away. He said: “We’re not getting too excited or ahead of ourselves.

“We always said when we got the core of the side back we would be competitive in this league but the boys know that there is still a lot of work to do.”

Esher could be boosted by the return of dynamic prop Will Collier after a back problem against Leeds.

Schmid also has three other dual-registered Harlequins stars, Nic Mayhew, Seb Stegmann and Rob Buchanan, available.

However, Mackenzie’s younger brother Jamie misses out with a calf injury whilst lock Tom Alexander has failed to shrug off an ankle problem.

15 Luke Daniels

14 Sebastian Stegman

13 Thomas Cheeseman

12 Arran Cruickshanks

11 Philip Mackenzie

10 Mark Atkinson

9 Clive Stuart-Smith

1 Nick Mayhew

2 James Campbell

3 Ignacio Elosu

4 Ian Kench

5 James Inglis

6 Sam Stitcher

7 Peter Synnott

8 Michael Macfarlane

Replacements

16 William Collier (FR)

17 Robert Buchanan (FR)

18 Matthew Symons

19 Shawn Renwick

20 Nicky Little

21 Jonathan Hylton

22 Patrick O’Grady