Caldy

Hooker Paul Ince and winger Neil Kerfoot have left the Club.

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Fylde

Former England Head Coach Brian Ashton has joined his old club as Coaching Consultant in a support role to Head Coach Mark Nelson. Ashton played for the Woodlands club between 1966-73 and coached there briefly in 1980 before moving to coaching roles with Bath, Ireland and England.

New players include England & British Lions legend Jason Robinson who has come out of retirement to ply his trade in N2N. He is joined by current Lancashire (& former Loughborough & Sale Jets) goal kicking fly-half Steve Collins from Rochdale and the returning front row forward Tom Lavelle. Lavelle came through the Fylde M-Js and made his 1st team debut in 2003. A spell in New Zealand for Silverdale United and North Harbour was followed by three years at the University of Northumbria where he skippered the 1st team and made occasional league appearances for Tynedale. The Cypriot international skipper and former Transvaal U'19 & U'20s prop Tony Thoma has joined the club from Paphos Tigers after settling in Lancashire.

Another newcomer amongst the backs is Lancashire county centre Stephen Briers, formerly with Boroughmuir, Waterloo and West Park.

Younger recruits incude a trio of flankers - Dan Waller (Preston Grasshoppers) has returned to the club after missing last season through injury; newcomers are Ben Vernon and Ali Sutherland, both Sale Jets players. Scrum-half Callum McShane, Lancashire U'20s player, has also signed up.

Lancashire duo, prop Adam Lewis and centre Alex Hurst, have joined Sedgley Park. Fly-half Tom Barlow has returned to the Midlands where he lives and Roger Banks has moved to junior club Fleetwood as Player-Coach along with flanker Mark Stephenson.

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Harrogate

Departures include hooker Harry Hannan to Otley, Richard Boyle to Tynedale & prop Ben Sowrey to Wharfedale.

 

Source: Websites

Huddersfield

The new Head Coach at Lockwood Park is Dan Hyde, the former West Hartlepool, Leeds, Otley, England Saxons and England Counties backrower. He was in a player-coach role last season but takes over the leadership reins from Mark Sowerby who had led the club to the National Leagues.

New players include Yorkshire U'20s hooker Ben Morrell (ex-Old Brodleians), lock Lee Brown (Hull Ionians), centre/utility back Richard Strather (Hyde) while Dave Hall has returned to the club after spells with Halifax, Wharfedale and Cleckheaton.

Departures include winger Matt Clark to Blaydon and lock Ben Harris to Rotherham.

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Hull

Newcomers include highly experienced lock Phil Murphy (Leeds Carnegie) and back-rower Ollie Cook from French side US AP Auvignon. They will join elder brothers Chris Murphy and Dan Cook at the Ferens Ground for the new season. Other signings include prop Adie Longbone from Hull Ionians and itinerent Kiwi back-row, Fraley Hopa, most recently with Scottish club Biggar, but also at Beverley and an earlier spell with Hull. He's also flirted with RL.

No8 Laurence Pearce has joined Hull FC (RL) and back-rower Neil Spence has joined Rotherham Titans.

 

Source: National Forum & Hull Daily Mail.

 

Hull Ionians

New recruits include player-coach and prop Simon Jenkins (Rotherham), prop Nick Brocklehurst (Coleraine, Ireland), lock Joe Sanders & James Krebs (Hullensians), back row forwards Chris Young (Bridlington) and Aiden Mersch (Hull University). Amongst the backs, fullback Dan Porter (Selby) and half-back Sam Clews (Bridlington).

Departures include lock Lee Brown (Huddersfield)

Source: Hull Ionians website

 

Kendal

There's a welcome return for a Mint Bridge favourite, former skipper and utility back Simon Mullholland. He played almost 100 games for the club between 2004-7 before his visa expired. He has since played and coached in Ireland and in his native New Zealand. In their established tradition of recruiting numerous overseas players, the club has also signed 22 year old South African fly-half Kyle Peyper from the Union Bulldogs club in Johannesburg. Peyper is an accomplished goal-kicker with a 80-85% record in his home land.

Other newcomers include Lancashire County flanker or hooker Charlie Baleirara, the experienced Fijian who has left the Army and has formerly played for Sale Jets. He is waiting for a new visa which may delay his league debut. More immediate strengthening comes with the return to Mint Bridge of accomplished Cumbrian County flanker Nathan Bland who has played several seasons at Otley.

Young recruits include centre Matty Sale (Barrow & Cumbria U'20s),  flanker Joe Mallinson (Furness & Cumbria U20’s),  20 year old backrower or lock Dan White (Furness & Barrow RL), hooker Bradley Morrow (Furness), Sedburgh School no 8 and skipper Chris Downham and fellow Sedburgh pupil Joe Robinson (lock or backrow).

Other newcomers include prop or hooker Richard Bennett (ex-Ilkley) and Kiwi backrower Peter Stevens, from the Clifton club & Taranaki B squad. Last season he played for Bury St Edmonds in London 1.

Departures include flanker/no 8 Matt Charters who has joined Preston Grasshoppers.

Sources: Kendal RFC website

 

 

Leicester Lions

Newcomers include lock Dan Hurst from local rivals Nuneaton.

Hooker Dale Agar has joined Coventry whilst winger Scott Alfeld has moved to Barking.

 

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Loughborough Students

Arrivals include Olli Winterbottom (Cinderford)

Departures include Phil Burgess (Cornish Pirates), Tom Cobb (Barking), Fraser Tate (Coventry), Aaron Luckett (Macclesfield), Cameron Brown (Stourbridge), David Hughes (Wharfedale).

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Luctonians

New Director of Rugby, who will also be a key player, is lock Alex Davidson, a regular at Birmingham & Solihull for the last eight years.

Other newcomers include winger Greg Summers (formerly at Broadstreet), winger/full-back Bruce Thomas, hooker Dale Garner, Robin French & two Portugese props, Jorge Segurado and Joao Junior.

They have lost their two Southern Hemisphere players - hooker Nick Byron to Bromsgrove and Leon Mells to Newport (Salop) who between them scored a third of the club's tries last season.

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Manchester

 

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Morley

 

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Nuneaton

New signings include hooker Declan Farrell (Loughborough University, Ireland U'18 cap & on the books at Nottingham) and 19 years old fly-half Jack Jolly, a former Wasps Academy and Birmingham & Solihull Bees player.

Leaving Liberty Way are prop Tim Pickard, flanker Nathan Roy-Smith and his twin brother, fly-half Lucas Roy-Smith. All three have signed for National League One side Stourbridge. Other leaving include second row Dan Hurst to league rivals Leicester Lions, prop Jamie Taylor will miss half the season due to work commitments and hooker Adam Bray is yet to decide his future.

Mike Umaga staying as Director of Rugby.

Source:  Nuneaton News

Rugby Lions

Both last seasons joint-coaches, Pete Glackin and Steve Halsey, are leaving Webb Ellis Road. Glackin moves to Coventry as backs coach, along with hooker Matt Price, prop John Pateman, wing Geoff Gregson and lock Andrew Weaver.

Other rumoured departures include centre Matt Goode, prop Tom Williams, hooker Tom Major, scrum-half Lewis Barker and flanker Chris Humphrey.

Source: Rugby Advertiser & Rugby Lions unofficial website