English Premiership: market movements

[Marco]

Gloucester signed 29-year-old former England 7s captain and 2009 7s Player of the Year Ollie Phillips until the end of the season to cover for Lesley Vainikolo who moved to La Rochelle and Olly Morgan's injury.

Phillips, who can also play at fullback, spent 5 seasons in Newcastle where he played 33 Premiership games and scored 9 tries before joining Stade Francais in 2009. He left Stade last June and didn't sign any contract as he worked with the England 7s squad to get back to fitness after a knee injury. He now joined Gloucester until the end of the season.

[Marco]

24-year-old Chris Ashton (95 tries in 105 games for Northampton) announced that he will be leaving the side at the end of the season. He is expected to be joining Saracens.

It has been reported that there was a clash between Ashton and Northampton coach Mallinder at training on Wednesday and it is expected that the wing will not feature on Saturday in their final Heineken Cup Pool game against Munster.

[Marco]

24-year-old Chris Ashton (95 tries in 105 games for Northampton) announced that he will be leaving the side at the end of the season. He is expected to be joining Saracens.

Ashton signed a "long-term" deal with Saracens.

[Marco]

29-year-old Leicester lock George Skivington, who skippered the Saxons in 2009 and 2010, will join London Irish on a three-year contract at the end of the season after only two seasons (and 39 games until now) for the Tigers, that he had joined from Wasps.

[Marco]

The Wasps signed Russian hooker Vladislav Korshunov, who skippered his country at the 2011 World Cup and has won 57 caps, and flanker Victor Gresev, the 2011 Russian Player of the Year and the Man of the Match in the World Cup games against Italy and Australia.

Korshunov will provide cover for Rob Webber who is in the England Elite Player Squad, while Gresev adds strength in depth to the back-row, an area significantly affected by recent injuries.

[Marco]

The Wasps signed until the end of the season wingers Lee Robinson, on loan from Leicester, and 19-year-old Welsh international (4 caps, the youngest player ever capped by Wales) Tom Prydie on loan from the Ospreys.

Prydie will not be able to play in the LV= Cup as he has already appeared in it for the Ospreys this season.

[Marco]

Billy Twelvetrees will leave Leicester for Gloucester at the end of the season.

Leicester Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill expressed his disappointment of having to find out from a press release by Gloucester rather than from the player.

[Marco]

25-year-old Wasps hooker Rob Webber will join Bath at the end of the season.

Webber, who will thus complete his sixth season with Wasps (that he joined from Leeds), is in this year's Elite Player's Squad.

[Marco]

30-year-old prop Eifion Lewis-Roberts, capped once by Wales, will make his return to Sale to replace leaving Andrew Sheridan.

"Fridge", who joined Sale first in 2005 from Clwb Rygbi Rhuthun, was signed by Toulon in 2010.

[Marco]

England lock Tom Palmer (35 caps) will leave Stade Francais at the end of the season after two years to rejoin Wasps, where he played from 2006 to 2009.

Before then he had played for Leeds, where he was the club's first ever international.

[Marco]

Glasgow Warriors 30-year-old Samoan international winger David Lemi will move at the end of the season to Worcester Warriors.

He is in Scotland on a short-term contract that started in November and is due to expire at the end of the season.

[SirCliveWolfe]

Danny Cipriani signs three-year deal with Sale Sharks in hope of reviving England career

Cipriani, who is about to start his second Super 15 season with the Melbourne Rebels, is believed to have agreed a three-year deal following the conclusion of negotiations between Sale and the player’s representatives on Tuesday.

The North West club are expected to announce the deal before the end of the week once Cipriani, who is in Melbourne, has signed the contract.

Cipriani, who won the last of his seven England caps in November 2008, had hoped for a fresh start in Australia after a reputed fallout with former England manager Martin Johnson, but his first season in Melbourne was marred by a series of off-field controversies.

Following a discussion with England interim coach Stuart Lancaster last month, the 24 year-old is now eager to return home to rekindle an international career that stalled under Johnson.

Woot... if he can keep things straight off the pitch he should provide good competition for Macleod... looking good for next season

[Marco]

Danny Cipriani signs three-year deal with Sale Sharks in hope of reviving England career

Sorry for Sale, I don't think he's worth the fuss.

[jaffka]

Did I mention this one quite a while back

[Marco]

Did I mention this one quite a while back

Indeed, Sir, indeed.