The Harlequins’ full-back was chosen as the month’s stand out performer by a panel of distinguished rugby media – including writers, broadcasters and photographers.

“Mike has reinvented himself this year and turned himself into a world class player who we believe will deservedly make his Test debut in this year’s RBS 6 Nations," said Panel Chairman Paul Morgan.

"He exemplifies the reasons why Harlequins sit on top of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table and the award is our way or showing how impressed we have been with Mike’s form."

Brown spoke of the pride he felt for being named December’s Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Month: "I am so happy to receive this award from Aviva. It’s a great time to be involved with Harlequins. I couldn’t have found my recent form without the constant help and support from my teammates and the Quins coaching staff, they have all had a massive influence on me over the past few months and I’d like to thank them all.

"Aviva have kindly donated £500 to the charity of my choice – and I’ve chosen Macmillan Caring Locally. The reason I have chosen this charity is because my Gran recently passed away. Before she passed on, she asked for people to donate to the charity, instead of buying flowers for her funeral, as it was a charity that she supported. So in memory of her, I would like to donate to Macmillan Caring Locally."

Director of rugby at Harlequins Conor O’Shea said: “I’m delighted that Mike has been given this Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Month award. He has been in great form for us all season and he deserves this recognition. I hope that Mike can continue his fine form for the remainder of the season.’’

Louisa Cheetham, Head of Sponsorship at Premiership Rugby title sponsors Aviva added: “Mike has been knocking on the door of the England squad for some time now.  His outstanding form for Harlequins this season looks has been rewarded with a place in the England elite player squad which is testament to the professionalism and determination of the player; a deserved winner of the Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Month award."

Regarding Mike Tindall, Martyn Thomas, Acting Chief Executive Officer who heard the appeal, said, “We accept that there were mitigating factors which do not appear to have been taken into account to the extent that they might otherwise have been. These include;

i. Mike did not intentionally mislead the RFU team management when he stated that he could not remember where he was on the night of September 11, and that he was relying on other people’s versions of events which were relayed to him

ii. That there was no evidence of any suggestion of sexual impropriety of any nature with the woman in question and we accept the fact that she is a family friend who he has known for a long time

iii. That Mike expressed deep regret during the appeal meeting about his behaviour and that he had apologised to Martin Johnson and the team for the events which unfolded as a consequence

iv. That there was no evidence that Mike had been involved in any incidences in the past which could contribute as aggravating factors.

“Taking all these factors into account we have decided to reduce the fine to £15,000 and reverse the decision to remove Mike from the England Elite Player Squad. It is however important to stress that we believe Mike’s behaviour fell way below that to be expected of somebody of his calibre and experience. He exposed himself to a very compromising position and exposed the rest of the team to damaging publicity.”

“We are aware that the EPS Squad will be reviewed on January 1, 2012 and wish to make it clear that this decision does not prevent those deciding the composition of the EPS Squad from taking into account this incident when making that decision.”

The former Wasps and England U21 star put pen to paper on a deal this week which begins to solve the riddle of how the back division will line up at Castle Park for the RFU Championship 2011/12 season.

Helping guide Esher to safety in their inaugural Championship season White head was a standout player against the Knights, a feat he has achieved in the past with former club Rotherham Titans with whom he spent over 5 seasons. Previously London Welsh had the benefit of his tactical talent making Whitehead a key signing for the Armthorpe Rd club.

On the signing of Whitehead, Davey told us “ In a way this signing has been years in the making. While playing at Coaching at Coventry I remember playing against Mike and studying DVDs of his game and thinking he had something about him. Having seen his performances against us for two different clubs now I can safely say he still has it. He is another part of the balanced side we are trying to build as his tactical rugby ability and experience will be a benefit to the younger players we have on the books.” He finished “ Mike also brings a more physical presence at Fly Half which we perhaps have been missing in some games.”

Mike, as previously mentioned, is no stranger to South Yorkshire and should have no problem settling back into the county.

Ross, who has now won 7 caps at tight head for Ireland since making his debut against Canada in 2009, has also made 39 appearances for Leinster since moving from English premiership side Harlequins in 2009.

Mike Ross said, “It’s been an enjoyable couple of months for me and I am delighted to be able to have my new contract agreed and to remain playing for Leinster. Since coming back to Ireland, Leinster really has become my home and hopefully I can continue to maintain my performance levels to help keep the team successful and also keep me in the frame for selection for the Ireland team.”

Ireland Coach Declan Kidney said, “The IRFU’s policy of keeping as many players in Ireland as possible is an important part to helping Irish Rugby challenge for success in competitions at all levels. The news that Mike has made the decision to carry on his career in Leinster is good news for everybody concerned as he has continued to progress well and is a valued member of the international squad.”

Leinster Coach Joe Schmidt said, “Mike has been a consistent performer for Leinster this season and we are delighted that he has committed his future to the province. A popular member of our squad and a formidable scrummager, Mike has really come into his own at provincial level and more recently at national level and we are confident that his best years are still ahead of him.”

The only change to team manager Martin Johnson’s squad is on the bench where Hendre Fourie (Leeds Carnegie) takes over from Joe Worsley (London Wasps).

Mike Tindall leads the side and wins his 68th cap, while Nick Easter, who made his debut against Italy in 2007, will make his 40th appearance for England.

England team
15 Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)
14 Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints)
13 Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby, captain)
12 Shontayne Hape (Bath Rugby)
11 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
10 Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
9 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
4 Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)   
5 Tom Palmer (Stade Francais)
6 Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
7 James Haskell (Stade Francais)
8 Nick Easter (Harlequins)

Replacements
16 Steve Thompson (Leeds Carnegie)
17 David Wilson (Bath Rugby)       
18 Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
19 Hendre Fourie (Leeds Carnegie)
20 Danny Care (Harlequins)
21 Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon)
22 Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby)

The starting XV will be announced by the Wolfhounds Coaches at a press conference in Belfast on Wednesday.

Prop Tony Buckley is ruled out after picking up an injury in the game against Scotland ‘A’ last week.

Declan Fitzpatrick is named in the squad in place of Buckley. Mike McCarthy is also named in the squad while Paul Marshall, Ian Keatley and David Kearney have also been called up.

Tickets for the game against the Saxons are on sale from www.ulsterrugby.com

O2 Ireland Wolfhounds Squad (v England Saxons, Friday, Februray 4^th, Ravenhill, 19:30)

Backs (10) -

Isaac Boss (Terenure College – Leinster)
Fionn Carr (Galwegians- Connacht)
Ian Humphreys (Ballymena – Ulster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne – Leinster)
Ian Keatley (Galwegians- Connacht)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Paul Marshall (Belfast Harlequins – Ulster)
Johne Murphy (Young Munster – Munster)
Eoin O’Malley (Old Belvedere – Leinster)
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch – Ulster)

Forwards (12) -

Nigel Brady (Dungannon – Ulster)
Willie Faloon (Ballynahinch – Ulster)
Declan Fitzpatrick (Dungannon – Ulster)
Jamie Hagan (Corinthians – Connacht)
Chris Henry (Ballymena – Ulster)
Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers – Connacht)
Ian Nagle (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne – Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon – Munster)
Damien Varley (Garryowen – Munster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians – Connacht)

The Blues mini Welsh tour was cut short last week following a frost in Swansea, but the break was certainly a welcome one which gave the players and coaches extra time to prepare for the visit of the Green and Whites who haven’t lost in the league since November.

Bedford’s time in Wales did have a negative though as Duncan Taylor suffered a acromioclavicular (AC) joint injury during the game against Neath. An MRI scan earlier this week has revealed that the young winger suffered ligament damage and faces up to six weeks on the sidelines. James Pritchard misses Saturday’s game due to a slight thigh strain, Jackson Wray will be representing Saracens in the LV Cup and there was also bad news for Will Fraser who will be out of action for three months following ankle surgery.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: “Getting back to winning ways in the British and Irish Cup has been very important for us and we now need to continue this momentum in the Championship.

“Nottingham are on a great run at the moment and they will be looking at this weekend’s fixture as an opportunity to move closer to the top of the table and I’m sure Glenn Delaney will have his men prepared for the task ahead. They are a very dangerous side who like to play width and we certainly won’t be taking anything for granted.

“The end of the regular season is not that far away so we need to continue working at certain aspects of our game leading into the play offs.

“We had a great result up at Meadow Lane in October but that will count for nothing come 3pm Saturday especially as Nottingham are bang in form. We are going to have to be at our best again tomorrow to get the result that we all want."

Starting line-up:

15. Edd Thrower
14. Handre Schmidt
13. Brendan Burke
12. Tom Bedford
11. Ollie Dodge
10. Myles Dorrian
9. Will Chudley

1. Sam Walsh
2. Dan Richmond (c)
3. Phil Boulton
4. Mike Howard
5. Alex Rae
6. Gregor Gillanders
7. Sacha Harding
8. Paul Tupai

Replacements: 16. Joe Clark, 17. Dan Seal, 18. Chris Goodman, 19. Ben Lewitt, 20. Nick Walshe, 21. Jake Sharp, 22. Ian Vass.

The scan confirmed there was no major damage and he is due to return to training with the England squad when they reassemble at Pennyhill Park Hotel this weekend.

The Bees team is as follows: 1.Mauro Sperandio, 2.Ben Gerry, 3.Joe Reid, 4.Semisi Taulava, 5.Adrian Griffiths, 6.Russell Earnshaw, 7.Mike Denbee (c), 8.Ross Noonan, 9.Rod Petty, 10.Mark Woodrow, 11.Tomasi Tanumi, 12.Ben Barkley, 13.Will Lawson, 14.Ollie Grove, 15.Ollie Winter,

Replacements: 16.Leo Halavatau, 17.Ngalu Tau, 18.Jack Preece, 19.Jack Bentall, 20.Jimmy Williams, 21.Mitch Culpin, 22.Ian Davey.

The versatile three-quarter will have an X-ray after damaging a hand in Tuesday’s crushing 43-12 home defeat by Nottingham.

Director of Rugby Mike Schmid fears the full-back has suffered a fracture, which would rule him out of Esher’s final four Championship matches of the regular season.

It was another huge blow for Esher on top of a seven-try mauling by Nottingham that leaves Esher heading towards the relegation play-offs between the bottom four sides.

Schmid said: “Mikey will be very disappointed if he has to miss the Rotherham game. He’ll go for an X-ray but if it is fractured, he could be out for six weeks which would be a huge blow.”

Schmid was dejected following the second-half display against Nottingham after holding the Midlanders to 12-12 at half-time thanks to four Sam Ulph penalties.But

some sloppy defence allowed Tom Youngs to complete his hat-trick straight after the restart and Schmid admits that sapped Esher’s confidence.

He said: “It was very disappointing. We again gave away needless penalties in the middle of the park which helped them gain field position and then you are under pressure.

“We were doing okay until half-time only to miss two tackles straight after the restart. That deflated us and we lost confidence. You can’t give away soft opportunities at this level because teams will punish you.

“The spirit was good for 60 minutes until we started making too many mistakes. We’re all very disappointed but we’ve got to keep battling hard and try and pick up some more wins before the play-offs.”
Esher remain in 10th spot but eight points adrift of eighth place with four games remaining against Rotherham, Cornish Pirates, Doncaster and Moseley.
Esher have now lost 13 of their last 15 league and cup games with a tough trip to Munster in the British and Irish Cup looming on Friday.
Esher have lost all three of their B&I Cup games so far and Schmid will rotate his part-time squad with Championship survival his priority.
But Esher will be boosted by the return of Canada centre Phil Mackenzie and lock James Inglis for the trip to Ireland.
Schmid added: “”It’ll be a mixed team but I want the guys to go out there and play with pace and tempo and enjoy it.”