Exeter Chiefs have announced that club captain Alan Miller has left the club after actively supporting the squad in its successful bid for promotion to the Premiership.
The Devon-born flanker is one of 12 players that have been confirmed as leavers at the end of the 2009/10 season. Miller served the club for seven seasons, playing in more than 100 games. He was named as club captain last summer and worked alongside 1st XV captain Tom Hayes in leading the squad both on and off the field. However, the 28-year-old missed most of the 2009/10 season with a series of fractures.Chiefs' head coach Rob Baxter said , "Misty has done a great job for us this season despite suffering injuries that kept him off the field. He is an Exeter Chiefs man through and through and being club captain can be a difficult job, but he helped the coaching staff keep the squad motivated and focused to enable us to achieve what we have."
Sam Blythe, Toby Freeman Danny Gray, Steve Jones, Shane Kingsland, Emyr Lewis, Sean Marsden, Saul Nelson and Clive Stuart-Smith are also among the leavers. Matt Cornwell and Sean Tomes have already joined Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues respectively.
The RFU's Elite Rugby department has appointed Duncan Locke as its new Senior Performance Analyst.
Locke, 28, takes up the role in August after five years at for the English Institute of Sport, initially in a multi-sport role before four years with British Cycling, where his work included supporting gold medal winners Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics."I can't wait to get started and it's a very exciting challenge," said Locke. "Rugby's a sport I've followed for a long time and I want to work at the highest elite level. I'm hoping to transfer a number of skills and knowledge from different sports to benefit England Rugby."
Edinburgh Rugby has announced the signing of 22-year-old prop Jack Gilding on a two-year contract from Worcester Warriors.
Gilding, a 19st 3lbs tight-head, was born in Plymouth but qualifies for Scotland through a paternal grandmother from Greenock.Gilding has played ten games for Worcester Warriors in the past two seasons and also worked at Moseley under the coaching guidance of former Scotland openside flanker Ian Smith.
"I'm really excited about a new challenge and looking forward to seizing an opportunity," said Gilding. "My goal is to give my best and play first-team rugby for Edinburgh and I certainly have longer-term ambitions to play tight-head for Scotland."
The Scarlets have signed winger Joe Ajuwa on a development contract to play and train with the senior squad full-time for next season. Ajuwa, who was nominated as Principality Player of the Year by the WRU for his performances with Llandovery RFC, said he was delighted to be working with such a high-profile squad.
"I'm really pleased to be signed up with the Scarlets now full-time and just look forward to the challenge ahead and working hard in pre-season to get myself in great shape. I know I need to work on the finer points of my game and I'm looking forward to being part of the Scarlets squad next season."
Newport Gwent Dragons have reinforced their coaching team with the signing of former Wales National Skills Coach Danny Wilson from London Welsh.
Wilson has been at the helm at the London side since 2008 and has extensive coaching experience, having been part of the team at the Cardiff Blues, Cardiff RFC and the Welsh Sevens side. His involvement in the Wales national set up has also seen him attached to the U18s, U19s and U20s as skills coach."Joining the Dragons presents a great opportunity for me as a coach," said Wilson. "They are a side who are constantly developing as their success last season shows.
"This is an exciting time to be part of the team at Rodney Parade and I hope to contribute to further success in the coming campaign."