Scotland International Phil Godman Signs For London Scottish

Posted on May 18, 2012 in Edinburgh, London Scottish

Phil Godman, capped 23 times by Scotland, has signed for London Scottish from Edinburgh Rugby.

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.”

Hanno Dirksen signs on for another two years

Posted on May 17, 2012 in Ospreys

The Ospreys have announced that they have secured the services of young winger and crowd favourite, Hanno Dirksen for another two years, contracting him until the end of the 2013/14 season.

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.

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Dragons bolster back three with the signing of Scarlets’ Evans and Ospreys’ Prydie

Posted on May 16, 2012 in Newport Gwent Dragon

Newport Gwent Dragons are delighted to announce 2 new signings to bolster their squad ahead of the 2012/2013 season.

Full back Dan Evans, 23, joins the Dragons from the Scarlets whilst full back/wing Tom Prydie, 20, also makes the move East from the Ospreys. Their recruitment comes days after the Leinster game where the Dragons bid farewell to back 3 players Aled Brew and Martyn Thomas.

Both Dan and Tom have huge potential and are Wales caps but have had limited opportunities up until now.

Dan Evans rose through the ranks at the Scarlets and has been a mainstay in the squad over the past 3 seasons. He has racked up 14 appearances for the Scarlets this season including home and away against the Dragons. Dan won two caps on Wales’s 2009 North America tour, making his debut in the 32-23 win over Canada but has been overlooked since.

On his move to the Dragons, Dan said “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s exciting to be joining a squad with the amount of young talent that the Dragons has at the moment. I’m eager to press for some more game time and hopefully help push for a successful season here at the Dragons.”

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Cardiff Blues hold on to Alex Cuthbert

Posted on May 16, 2012 in Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues have held on to their Welsh international winger Alex Cuthbert,  with the young star deciding to sign a new contract extension with the region.

Cuthbert underlined his credentials during the Blues Heineken Cup campaign in November scoring a brace of tries against Racing Metro in Paris and was picked for Wales soon after, making his debut against Australia in December 2011.

It has been a meteoric rise from UWIC, Cardiff RFC, and Cardiff Blues to Wales Grand Slam winner for the young Gloucester man who extends his contract with the Cardiff Blues this week.

Speaking of his decision to stay with the region, Cuthbert, said:

“I am very pleased to be re signing for another year with The Blues and I can now look forward to the summer tour with Wales and next season with the region”

“I had a few offers outside of Wales and having gone through all the options thoroughly with family and friends, I came to the conclusion that the best option was to stay at the Blues, showing my loyalty to the region, coaches and the fans”

“Playing for Wales was a huge part of my decision to stay with the Blues and playing for the region regularly will hopefully strengthen my chances of keeping my place in the Wales team.”

“Obviously with Phil taking over as Head Coach it’s exciting times for the region as well. I know Phil from my time with the Wales Sevens where he was involved. He’s a great coach, I’ve heard he’s very well organized and puts good structures in place which I know will benefit the club next season.”

“I’m also very excited that the Blues are moving back to the Arms Park, I’m yet to play there in front of a full crowd so hopefully we can do that next season. I’ve watched a few games down there and the atmosphere is unbelievable and if we maintain good crowds that will help us no end on the pitch.”

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McKenna & Hancock called up to England Women’s Sevens squad

Posted on May 16, 2012 in England Sevens, England Women

England Women’s Sevens Head Coach Barry Maddocks has called up Sarah McKenna (pictured right) and Kate Hancock to the England squad to compete in the Amsterdam Sevens this weekend.

Wasps’ McKenna was part of the squad that lifted the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens at Twickenham Stadium last weekend, while Kate Hancock is a newcomer to the squad. Hancock has progressed through the RFUW Regional Programme and the RFUW Sevens Development Squad.

McKenna and Hancock replace Heather Fisher and Kay Wilson who both picked up injuries at the weekend.

Saracens’ Sonia Green will captain the side, taking over the captaincy armband from Wasps’ Michaela Staniford who is being rested for this tournament.

Also new to the England squad are Wasps’ Natasha Brennan and Bristol’s Katie Mason. The duo join a line-up mixed with experience and youth. The likes of Jenny Brightmore and Emily Scott will also be looking to build on their experiences with England in Dubai.

12 international teams will compete for the coveted Amsterdam Sevens crown and England will face the USA, South Africa and Wales in Pool A. Pool B pits Canada, Spain, France and newcomers Ireland against each other, with the final pool seeing the hosts take on Australia, Germany and Scotland.

Maddocks said: “It is obviously frustrating for both Heather and Kay that they have been ruled out through injury, but in Sarah and Kate we have two exciting young players. Sarah put in another good performance at Twickenham at the weekend while Kate has proved herself in the RFUW Sevens Development Squad and also impressed at the recent RFUW Open Sevens Trials. This is a very different looking squad to the team that won in London, but it is important that we use our wide pool of players and develop our squad as much as possible ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens next year.”

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