With two props leaving the club at the conclusion of the 2011/12 season, the Blues have moved quickly to capture Newcastle front row star Darren Fearn who has been with the Falcons since 2010.

Fearn, 23, was born and raised in Yorkshire and started his playing career with local side Scarborough before moving to Newcastle to study at Northumbria University. After playing for Blaydon in the 2008/9 season and picking up an England Student cap, Fearn was awarded a full time deal with the Falcons which coincided with his studies.

At six foot three inches tall and tipping the scales at the 20 stone mark, Fearn is certain to add plenty of beef to the Bedford front row next term.

Also signing for Bedford this week is impressive Esher fly half Mark Atkinson who has quite the rugby CV despite being just 22 years old.

Atkinson, who can also play at inside centre, started his career with Sale before turning out for Sedgley Park, Rosslyn Park and Wasps prior to joining Esher last season where he put in a scintillating first half performance against Bedford in September only to go off injured at the interval.

Having picked up caps for England Under 18s and Under 20s, Atkinson will provide plenty of competition for the much sought after Bedford Blues number ten jersey.

Commenting on the signing, Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “It has been a busy couple of weeks for us at Goldington Road but we are delighted to be able to welcome Darren and Mark to the club.

“Darren is a good, young prop who has Premiership and European experience and will add plenty of momentum to the Blues scrum. Anyone who was at Moseley Road last season will know what Mark can do given the tiniest amount of space and I look forward to seeing him in action in a Blues shirt soon.”

The Exiles have lost on their last three visits to Mennaye Field and have not beaten the Pirates in their last three meetings.

When the sides met at Mennaye Field earlier in the season, the Pirates enjoyed a comfortable 27-6 victory – Rudi Brits, Dave Ward and Matt Evans scoring the home side’s tries.

That followed a 17-17 draw at Old Deer Park, in which Alex Davies came off the bench to land three late penalties to give the Exiles a share of the spoils.

The Exiles’ previous visit conjures no less favourable memories, coming in last season’s 18-10 Championship semi-final defeat. Welsh led 10-3 at half-time thanks to Matt Corker’s try, but second half scores from Gavin Cattle and Rhodri McAtee sent the Pirates into the final.

The regular 2010/11 season also produced a home win for the Pirates, 22-3. McAtee scoring the only try of the game.

Welsh have to go back to March 2010 for their last win at Mennaye Field, when 22 unanswered points saw the Exiles snatch a 28-24 victory. Nathan Bonner-Evans, Charlie Gower and Ben Thomas the London Welsh try scorers.

The Exiles’ last win over the Pirates came in November 2010 when the Exiles won 23-16 at Old Deer Park. Aled Thomas kicking 18 points and Dom Shabbo crossing for the home side’s only try.

The 2nd leg of the Championship final takes place on May 30 at the Kassam Stadium, Oxford.

London Welsh: 15. Alex Davies, 14. Nick Scott, 13. James Lewis, 12. Hudson Tonga’uiha*, 11. Joe Ajuwa, 10. Gordon Ross*, 9. Jack Moates, 1. Billy Moss, 2. Dan George, 3. James Tideswell, 4. Adam Brown, 5. Matt Corker, 6. Jon Mills ©, 7. Mike Denbee, 8. Ed Jackson.

Replacements: 16. Vili Ma’asi*, 17. Shawn Pittman*, 18. Greg Bateman, 19. Gary Johnson, 20. Lee Beach, 21. Rob Lewis, 22. Seb Jewell.

* Denotes full international

Welsh head to Cornwall for Wednesday’s 1st leg of the Championship final double-header with the Pirates (kick-off 7:45pm), having lost on their last three visits to the ground.

That losing run includes last season’s 18-10 semi-final defeat, with the Pirates going on to contest the final with Worcester Warriors.

The sides’ meeting in January at Mennaye Field produced a comfortable 27-6 win for the Pirates on a miserable afternoon on the south-west coast. It was a game which also saw Ross see yellow.

“The last three times we’ve been down there in the league we haven’t performed, we’ve been really disappointing,” said Ross.

“We’ve been in and out of the game but not put together a performance for 80 minutes.

“The one thing the Pirates do is they come at you for 80 minutes, they don’t give you any space or time.

“We’ve got to make sure that for 80 minutes we’re nice and proactive and ready for that challenge, and hopefully we can put our game together and challenge their defence.

“I’ve not had a great time down at Pirates personally, but that’s up to me to sort out.
I’m hoping to take inspiration from the big football game last Saturday – Hearts beating Hibs 5-1 in the Scottish Cup final!”

If they are to do that, however, the Exiles will have to succeed where Bristol failed on the same ground where the Championship favourites succumbed 45-24, having conceded five tries and 19 points in the final 12 minutes.

“They were relentless; 14-0 down in the first half other sides might have crumbled, but they just stuck to their plans and they backed themselves. They just kept going at Bristol,” said 34-year-old Ross, who won 25 caps for Scotland.

“The Pirates really challenged them; they were physical, they were high energy and it’s up to us to make sure we can match that.

“They’re very well drilled, they do the basics well and they’ve also got two or three very creative players. There’s no weakness in their team – they’re a very good rugby side.

“But we believe in our ability and they way we’ve performed the last two or three months. Hopefully we can put a performance together down there and really challenge them.”

The 21-point deficit proved too much for Bristol to claw back in the return leg at the Memorial Stadium. Welsh, meanwhile, would endure a nervier passage to the final, as they let slip a 17-point lead over the Blues before eventually prevailing 30-27 on aggregate.

“It was relief rather than celebration. We’re an honest bunch and we were a bit disappointed with the way we played in the second half,” said Ross.

“The mindset perhaps wasn’t quite as good as it should have been. In the first half Bedford didn’t know what to do at times. In the second half we played into their hands, we gave them a lot of possession and invited them to come at us.

“The first 20 minutes after the game the guys were a bit down, but then we realised what we’d achieved this season. To get to the final is a massive achievement – we finished fourth in the league.”

Welsh had laid the groundwork for their semi-final victory with a 13-3 win at Goldington Road, and when Nick Scott crossed in the second half at Old Deer Park and Alex Davies added his fourth penalty the Exiles led 17-10.

However, tries from Don Barrell and Neil Cochrane ensured a tense finish at Old Deer Park.

“At half-time we were pretty happy. We’d played a lot of good rugby and created two or three good scoring opportunities and we believe that if we’d taken one of them then it might have put Bedford away,” said Ross.

“But we weren’t as clinical as we’d liked to have been and fair play to them they attacked very well in the second half, and we did well to hang on in there.”

Welsh will need to take what chances come their way on Wednesday, but they can travel to Mennaye Field quietly confident given their recent form on the road.

The Exiles’ win over the Blues at Goldington Road having been preceded by play-off wins at Nottingham and Doncaster and a draw at Bristol.

“We started playing some of our best attacking rugby of the season [in the play-offs], we mixed up our game well and our set piece has been quite good,” said Ross.

“Our challenge in these big games is we’re only going to get one or two chances, but if we can take them hopefully it will be enough.”

As for the return leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford on May 30, Ross is looking forward to the prospect.

“It will be exciting; we love playing down at Old Deer Park, it’s a great venue and a great pitch. The Kassam is something; hopefully the Welsh fans can get up there as it should be a good atmosphere,” he said.

Now in its third year, the RFU Championship currently adopts a two stage structure with a twenty-two round league season, followed by promotion and relegation play-offs.

The 2009-10 season saw Exeter Chiefs lift the inaugural trophy after topping their play-off group and winning the two legged final. Worcester Warriors enjoyed the same success last season, beating Cornish Pirates to return to the Aviva Premiership.

The agreed structure is designed to deliver optimum home games while continuing to provide an exciting season climax for Championship supporters.

The revised structure, which has been approved by the RFU Board, sees the 12 clubs compete in a league season across 22 rounds, with the bottom club relegated to SSE National League 1 and the top four clubs going on to compete in a two-legged semi-final and final. The winners of the semi-finals will go on to play in the RFU Championship final – also two legs.

The new structure will provide 11 home games for the Championship clubs and a minimum of six games in the revised British & Irish Cup.

The cross border competition will now run across nine weeks with six pool rounds, concluded by three weeks of knock-out stages (quarter-final, semi-final and final).

Rob Andrew, Professional Rugby Director of the RFU commented:

“Following consultation with the Championship Clubs Committee, we have come to a revised structure that meets with the approval of the clubs and the RFU Board.

“The reduction from an eight team promotion play-off to four will ultimately reward those clubs who best perform across the season, whilst encouraging a hugely competitive league to reach the top four.

“The amended structure also shows a further commitment to the British & Irish Cup which will include six pool matches played on a similar format to ERC competitions.

“The structure of the Championship has always been determined with the club’s input and agreement and this continues to be the case as we revise the competition for next season.  I would personally like to thank all the Championship clubs for their input into the new structure.”

Geoff Irvine, Chairman of the Championship Clubs, said:

"The clubs believe these changes will improve the competition, providing quality rather than quantity of fixtures. It should also help with congestion of fixtures which results in player welfare issues.

“The clubs are excited by the changes in the British & Irish Cup and believe that removing the playoff pools in the Championship will enable them to compete more vigorously in the Cup.”

RFU Championship structure 2012-13

Stage 1 to 22 weeks
Bottom team at the end of Stage 1 relegated to SSE National League One
Stage 2 semi-finals of two weeks for top four teams
Semi-finals played over two legs
Final staged over two legs

British & Irish Cup structure 2012-13

Played over 9 weekends
Six pool rounds over 6 weeks
All fixtures played on weekends
Quarter-finals staged over one leg
Semi-final staged over one leg
Final staged over one leg

*Subject to fulfilling the Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC). The MSC is set out by the Professional Game Board.

Note to editors: The current RFU Championship and British & Irish Cup structures are as follows:

RFU Championship structure 2011-12

Stage 1 of 22 weeks starting September 3, 2011
Stage 2 Play-Offs of six weeks for top eight and bottom four
One reserve weekend for postponed matches
One blank weekend between Stage 1 Round 22 and Play-Off Round One
Semi-finals staged over two legs
Final staged over two legs

British & Irish Cup structure 2011-12 
Played over seven weekends
Structure to follow LV= Cup format i.e. six pools of four teams and each team will play the 4 teams of their neighbouring pool giving four pool matches (two home, two away)
Each pool to consist of 2 RFU Championship clubs, one Welsh Principality club, one Irish province or Scottish club
All-Championship ties played mid-week
Quarter-finalists will be six pool winners plus two best runners-up
Semi-final staged over one leg
Final staged over one leg

The 26-year-old is the first player to pen a new deal with the Green and Whites for the 2012/13 RFU Championship, adding to the 13 players already contracted for the new campaign.

Despite enduring a nightmare season, which amounted to three cameo appearances and more than 13 months on the sidelines with injury, Crane’s potential could not be ignored.

From little more than 100 minutes of game time, between recovering from knee surgery, a broken jaw, a debut lasting just 30 seconds and a career-first red card, he still found time to convince Nottingham Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney to re-sign him.

It was his explosive impact off the bench against London Welsh in the final match of the season, putting on a big hit to win possession before crossing for a try with his first touch of the ball, which sealed it.

“He earned his contract off the bench that day. He showed us exactly what he is about, adding energy and enthusiasm to the game at a time that it was lacking on the pitch,” Delaney said.

“He showed fantastic desire to play for this club, his attitude, application and potential is everything we look for in a player.

“He is clearly a talented player who had a horrendous season with injury. That broken jaw that took him out against Esher in December isn’t the sort of start anyone wanted for him.”

With a thorough understanding of Crane’s recent injuries, Delaney didn’t hesitate in signing the athletic back.

“He is no more of a risk than any other player, he proved his fitness at the end of last season and has put those knee problems behind him,” Delaney said.

“We are not worried about what’s happened in the past, we are only concerned about what he can do for us in the future.”

Crane said he was “over the moon” to remain in Nottingham, vowing to return the faith put in him by club management.

“Reputations aren’t made in one game, and now I have a whole season to look forward to proving myself,” Crane said.

“It’s a great to have the vote of confidence from Glenn that he feels that I have something to give the club.

“I’m looking forward to a good pre-season. Just the prospect of getting a full pre-season without any niggles holding me back is a nice change from the past few years.”

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.

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.