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Plymouth Albion
The Brickfields side have been successful in their bid to keep fly-half Kieran Hallett on board for the coming season but have lost wing Liam Gibson who is expected to sign for London Welsh this week.
Chairman of rugby Graham Dawe told The Herald that he was pleased to keep hold of Hallett but a little disappointed to lose Gibson.
He said: “We worked really hard with Liam over the years and he certainly came of age last season.
"But you have to accept that players come and players go. We just have to hope that we can locate a good replacement."
Full story www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/albion
Prop Ryan Hopkins has committed to another season at Brickfielkds as he recovers from a hernia operation.
He made 25 starts for the club last season and will join the battle for front row places with Martin Rice, George Porter and David Morton.
However Graham Dawe will be without Morton until October when he is due to return from Australia.
Full story www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/albion
Albion have also offered a trial to former Leinster Academy lock Robin Copeland. The 22 year-old currently plays his club rugby for St Mary`s College and has represented Ireland students at international level.
Copeland will feature in tomorrow night`s game between Plymouth Albion`s Development XV and the British Armed Forces XV.
He told The Herald: “I got the chance to come over here and I grabbed it. I'm going to play on Tuesday, but I won't be nervous. I never get nervous before games or trials.
"If I don't make it, I don't make it. But I would like to stay here. I have had a look around the city and it is beautiful. And all the guys at the club seem cool.
"The ground is nice as well and, like I said, I would like to stay if I can. I am going back home on Wednesday after the game, but hopefully I may get the chance to come back."
Story www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/albion
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Worcester Warriors
New head coach Richard Hill has told the Worcester News that he has been inundated with calls from players keen to join his revolution at the Warriors.
Following the acquisition of hooker Ed Shervington from the Ospreys www.warriors.co.uk Hill has stated that he only needs to find a utility back before starting work on his new-look squad.
He said: “My phone has been red hot with players wanting to come to the club — they can see Worcester has got massive potential and can be a strong force in English rugby.
“Over my 16 years of coaching, I’ve got to know a lot of players and, therefore, there are a lot of them who would be delighted to have the opportunity to come here and it’s a shame we’ve had to turn down so many.”
Hill continued: “I’ve got a lot to do when I start with the rugby because we may well change the style of play — I shan’t be starting just yet as I’ll leave them in the hands of the strength and conditioning coaches while I work out the game plan that will suit the players we have.
“I need to get to know the players and work with them a bit more before deciding exactly how we’re going to play.”
Full story www.worcesternews.co.uk
Hill has also moved to quash rumours that fly-half Willie Walker is set to quit the club as Andy Goode and Ollie Thomas move in.
The former Bristol boss has admitted that he will be trimming the first team squad size from 40 to around 33 for the new season but has also said that he has no plans to release talented youngsters Miles Benjamin and Graham Kitchener.
He said: “I’m going to work things slightly differently to how it was last year, as I understand there was a larger group training together with a lot of the lads just coming out of the academy working with them too.
That often meant 40-plus players working with the first-team squad and I find that too many, so we’ll have a slightly different system where we have a squad of 33 senior players which I will work with.
You’ll always have a couple of injuries so it is less than 33 — ideally 30, so we can have 15 versus 15. "
Hill continued: “Basically, I’m working with two sets of 15 and then another set of three front-rows which makes 33.
“Alex (Grove) would make that 34, but I haven’t included him as I don’t envisage him being available until the latter end of the season. But the likes of Miles, Graham, Marcel Garvey and Chris Pennell are definitely in that 33 and will be here full-time.”
Full story www.worcesternews.co.uk
But hooker Simon Alcott will not be moving to Sixways from Exeter Chiefs after pledging his future to the Sandy Park outfit.
Alcott had signed to the Midlands club but Chiefs managed to persuade him to stay and to further his career in the Premiership.
Alcott said: "I must thank Worcester for allowing me to change my mind; it was very decent of them to accommodate my change of heart.
Exeter Chiefs were the club that gave me my chance to play professional rugby and have helped me through some tough injuries.
I am very excited at the prospect of playing with them in the Premiership and developing further under Rob (Baxter) and Robin's (Cowling) tutelage."
Baxter said: "We are glad Simon has decided to stay with us. He has only played professional rugby for two years and I believe there is lot more to come from him."
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England Saxons
Finally, Warriors duo Tom Wood and Graham Kitchener were part of the England squad which won the Churchill Cup with a 38-18 win over Canada at the weekend.
James Pritchard (Bedford Blues), Phil Mackenzie (Esher), Justin Mensah-Coker (Moseley), Adam Kleeberger (Rotherham Titans), Aaron Carpenter (Plymouth Albion), and Tyler Hotson (Plymouth Albion) represented Championship clubs in the Canadian squad.
Match Report..
England Saxons 38 - 18 Canada
England Saxons Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said, "It's a fantastic achievement. Three weeks ago we met in a Heathrow hotel with disappointed players not making the senior tour and young players who came in straight from the Premiership and collectively to put all that together and form a team is great, I'm really proud.
"I'd like to think that the players have enjoyed it. They're working with different players and different coaches and learning different ways to play.
That's what international rugby is all about, we want to make sure these players have enough room to grow and develop so when they make the step to the senior stage they're ready."
England Saxons:
15 Alex Goode (Saracens), 14 James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby), 13 Jon Clarke (Northampton Saints), 12 Anthony Allen (Leicester Tigers), 11 Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby), 10 Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints), 9 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), 1 Nick Wood (Gloucester Rugby), 2 Andy Titterrell (Leeds Carnegie), 3 Alex Corbiserio (London Irish), 4 James Hudson (Newcastle Falcons), 5 George Skivington (Captain, London Wasps), 6 Tom Wood (Worcester Warriors), 7 Andy Saull (Saracens), 8 Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
Replacements:
16 Rob Vickers (Newcastle Falcons), 17 Duncan Bell (Bath Rugby), 18 Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors), 19 Kearnan Myall (Leeds Carnegie), 20 Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons), 21 Ollie Smith (Harlequins), 22 Tom Varndell (London Wasps)
Scorers:
Tries: Abendanon, Goode, Clarke, Narraway;
Cons: Myler (3); Pens: Myler (4)
Canada:
15 James Pritchard (Bedford), 14 Ciaran Hearn (The Rock), 13 DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors), 12 Phil Mackenzie (Esher), 11 Justin Mensah-Coker (unattached), 10 Matt Evans, 9 Sean White (BC Bears), 1 Doug Wooldridge (Ontario Blues), 2 Pat Riordan (Captain, BC Bears), 3 Andrew Tiedemann (Prairie Wolf Pack), 4 Luke Tait (Unattached), 5 Brian Erichsen (BC Bears), 6 Chauncey O'Toole (The Rock), 7 Adam Kleeberger (Rotherham), 8 Aaron Carpenter (Unattached)
Replacements:
16 Ryan Hamilton (BC Bears), 17 Jason Marshall (BC Bears), 18 Tyler Hotson (Plymouth Albion), 19 Nanyak Dala (Prairie Wolf Pack), 20 Eric Wilson (BC Bears), 21 Ryan Smith (Prairie Wolf Pack), 22 Connor Braid
Scorers: Tries: Evans, O'Toole, Smith;
Pens: Hearn
England Saxons 2010 Churchill Cup fixtures and results:
Wednesday, June 9
Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado
England Saxons 49-17 Russia
Sunday, June 13
Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado
USA 9-32 England Saxons
Saturday, June 19
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
Finals Day triple header
England Saxons 38-18 Canada
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