Cornish Pirates

Nottingham

Fly half James Arlidge will join Nottingham from the Newport Gwent Dragons next season after signing a one-year deal.

The 30-year old Kiwi moved to the Dragons in 2008 after a spell in Japan where he earned 14 caps for the national team.

Arlidge has a breadth of experience of club rugby in his native New Zealand, having represented the Auckland Blues and the Highlanders in the Super 14 as well as playing for NPC teams Auckland, Northland and Otago.

Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney is looking forward to him joining up with his squad in pre-season this month, saying: "I am delighted to have signed James from Newport for the new season.

"He brings with him a wealth of experience from Super 14 Rugby, NPC and internationally as a current Japanese test player.

"He fits with our plans to play exciting attacking rugby and he will give us strong leadership of a youthful and exuberant backline.

"Having lost Tim Taylor to Gloucester we needed to bring in a fly half of true calibre and in James we believe we have found it. We look forward to welcoming him and his young family to Nottingham."

Doncaster Knights

Moseley fly half Tristan Roberts, who last season was the Championship's leading points scorer in the "regular season" with 236 points, has signed for Doncaster Knights.

Doncaster's Director of Rugby Lynn Howells said that he first became interested in Tristan when he saw him play the major part in his Moseley's home defeat of the Knights by 33 points to 25 last October. As well as putting in his usual excellent kicking display, Howells said that Roberts had orchestrated both Moseley's attack and defence excellently.

Tristan is 23 years old, stands 1.70m and weighs in at 78kg. He has represented both England Students and England Counties, spent 2005-6 at Bristol and was dual registered between Gloucester and Moseley between 2008 and 2010.

Assistant Coach Brett Davey said he was looking forward to working with Tristan to develop the Knights back play and to bring their four excellent wingers more into the game. Davey said he was also confident that Tristan would help improve even further the Knights defence that, for the most of last season, conceded an average of only just over one try per game.

Howells said that he hoped that Tristan would follow in the footsteps of his predecessors Mark Woodrow and Jamie Lennard and become the number one kicker in the league and he looked forward the competition between him and Steve McColl to become the main marksman in the team.

Bath Number 8 Ed Jackson has also signed for Doncaster Knights for the coming season after attracting the attention of a number of Championship clubs in recent weeks.

Director of Rugby Lynn Howells said that it is second time lucky for the Knights with twenty-one year-old Jackson as they had try to sign him just before Christmas 2009 as a replacement for knee injury victim Chris Planchant.

Ed is a product of famous rugby school Millfield where he captained the 1st XV in his final year. From Millfield he joined Bath Youth and played for Bath United in the Guinness "A" League. He also had a short spell on loan with Newbury.

Jackson is 6' 4" tall and weighs in at almost 17 stone. Howells said he was looking forward to working with Ed as, from the videos he had watched and the rugby contacts he has spoken to, he feels he has a very bright future in the game. Howells says that Ed will give the Knights a lineout presence in the back row which they lacked once Planchant was injured.

Knights chairman Steve Lloyd has told the Doncaster Free Press that the club is not giving up on its Premiership ambitions despite budget cut-backs of around one third for the coming season.

He said: “I've heard the rumours - including one that I'm supposed to be pulling my money out of the club. Nothing could be further from the truth.

And any talk of the club being close to going out of business is complete nonsense."

Lloyd continued: "Problems have arisen because funding that was talked about by the Rugby Football Union when the Championship was set up has simply not been forthcoming. It's not just Doncaster.

"All the clubs at our level are in the same boat.

In those circumstances clubs have to make a decision whether to make up the shortfall and go for broke in an attempt to get promotion to the Premiership, or cut back and run things at a sensible level they can afford."

Full story www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

Bristol

As wing Lee Robinson heads out of the Memorial Ground on his way to join Leicester Tigers next season www.thisisbristol.co.uk

Players remaining at the club have taken professional advice over pay-cuts of up to 50 per cent.

The Bristol Evening Post reports that players have contacted the Rugby Players` Association after being told to accept the situation or find new clubs and RPA chief executive Damian Hopley said:

“We have been contacted by players from Bristol, many of whom have been seeking legal advice.”

"Obviously, this is a desperate situation for everyone, but our concern is that the first target in all of this will inevitably be the players. They are the ones suffering on the back of this.

"It is a very worrying situation that players, who signed contracts in good faith, are now faced with the Hobson's choice of leaving the club or taking a 50 per cent pay cut.

"Of course, we understand it is a desperate situation for the club, who did not go straight back up to the Premiership.

But we are trying to get as much clarity as we can on the situation – and trying to give the players as much support as we can at what is a very distressing time."

Full story www.thisisbristol.co.uk

Worcester Warriors

Worcester have signed Welsh international scrum-half Andy Williams on a one year-deal.

The 29 year-old, capped five times by his country, spent last season at Moseley and then on-loan to Gloucester but has previously played for Bath, the Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons.

Full story www.worcesternews.co.uk

However the Rugby Paper reports that full-back Luke Rooney will snub a planned move to Sixways and join new Super 15 franchise Melbourne Rebels instead.

The 27 year-old had agreed a two year deal with the Warriors but their relegation from the Premiership immediately threw that agreement into question.

New Warriors boss Richard Hill has reportedly siad that he will not stand in Rooney`s way if he dicides not to come as he believes that he has sufficient cover for the Number 15 jersey.

Hill added: “The extra money freed up by not bringing Luke Rooney on board will be handy.”

Plymouth Albion

Prop Danny Porte has left Brickfields to take on a coaching role with National South West Three side Newton Abbott.

The 32 year-old will become a forwards player-coach after struggling with a neck injury last season which limited him to only six appearances for Albion.

Meanwhile Graham Dawe has told The Herald that he would not rule out dual-registering players during the coming season in the face of financial cut-backs at the club.

He said: “If the situation was right then yes we would consider it. So it is a possibility, but we would only do it if it was appropriate."

Full story www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

London Welsh

The Exiles have confirmed that former Cornish Pirates hooker Vili Ma`asi has joined the club from Leeds Carnegie.

Ma`asi, a huge crowd favourite at the Pirates, has also won 31 caps for Tonga during his career and Welsh head coach Danny Wilson has snapped him up to provide a greater physical presence in his team`s front row.

Full story www.london-welsh.co.uk