Park lead the way as teams power up

Ben Jaycock looks at the comings and goings at National One ahead of the new season which kicks off on September 2

Title-hunting Rosslyn Park are the team that have seen the biggest overhaul in National One with 23 players arriving to Priory Lane and 11 departing.

Rosslyn Park finished fourth last season, 31 points behind champions Cambridge and director of rugby Kieran Power has looked to the Premiership, Championship, URC and National Leagues for his new recruits.

Prop Conor Carey, second row Arinze Okemuo, fly-half Tom Wilstead, full-back James Stokes, centre Matt Williams and hooker Isaac Miller all arrive from the Premiership as National One clubs across the board take advantage of the financial squeeze in the top flight.

Carey is a tight-head prop who will bring a wealth of experience to the club having previously played for Connacht, Northampton Saints, Perpignan and Worcester Warriors. Okemuo joins from Newcastle University having made a number of appearances with Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Cup and will bring his sizeable frame of 6ft 4in, over 16 stone to the second/ back row this season.

Wilstead made three appearances for Bristol Bears at 10 and will look set to take over the playmaking roles.

Stokes, Williams and Miller all arrive from the now defunct London Irish. Stokes arrives with 61 appearances for the Exiles, Williams 38 and Miller comes in after 60 top-flight appearances for Worcester and Irish.

Power said: “Whilst we say goodbye to a number of players, we are confident we have built on the progress made over the last few seasons through the retention of key players and also adding a range of experience and youth with our exciting new signings. The boys have been working hard over the last two months in preparation for the season, and are raring to get going.”

Rams fell just short of Cambridge last season, losing out on points difference and Seb Reynolds’ title hunting side have recruited three players from London Irish.

Callum Scott, who played in the Premiership Cup and made four appearances for England U20s in this year’s Six Nations, joins alongside fellow hooker Ben Atkins and full back George Makepeace-Cubitt.

Makepeace-Cubitt is rejoining his boyhood club after taking up the sport as a kid at Old Bath Road.

He said: “It’s special to come home and I’m delighted to be back at the club I started at. Rugby is a massive part of my life and to end up playing where it began – where I went and first watched, is cool.”

Richmond were relegated from the Championship last season and have shown their aspirations to head straight back up to the second tier with 13 new players signed.

Second row Freddie Hosking and winger Henry Cheeseman arrive from Rosslyn Park, while outside back Conrad Burne (Plymouth) and scrum-half Matt Marsh (Moseley) are also drafted in from fellow National One clubs.

Birmingham Moseley finished an underwhelming ninth last season and have added four players from the Championship. Former Leicester Tigers prop Ben Betts and ex-Gloucester lock Callum Allen are joining from Nottingham, Lewis Holsey is arriving from Bedford Blues, who has Premiership experience with Worcester, and Hungary international outside back Dan Brough is drafted in from Cambridge.

Newly promoted Blackheath have looked to the Championship for four of their new recruits.

The National Two East winners have signed lock Ben Charnock from London Scottish, prop Will Davis from Ealing, above, who has Premiership experience with Bristol and Northampton, back-three player Archie English from Hartpury University and Kiwi centre Shae Tucker from Cornish Pirates.

Chinnor have also been busy in the transfer market with five players arriving at Kingsey Road from the Championship, as well as a shrewd signing in Morgan Passman, who has been poached from National One rivals Darlington Mowden Park.

Props Conrad Cade (Doncaster), who played 19 times in the Premiership for Newcastle, Rob Hardwick (Ampthill), Matt Woodward (Caldy), hooker Alun Walker and centre James Bourton (both Ealing) arrive with useful second tier experience. Outside centre Passman arrives from Darlington having scored 16 tries last season.

Bishop’s Stortford, who finished sixth in 2022-23, are yet to announce any new signings and have lost 14 players. Saracens trio of second row Obinna Nkwocha, prop Tristan Smith and wing Francis Moore return to north London having impressed last season on loan at the Essex-based side and will leave sizeable holes at Stortford.

Cinderford have to date managed to hold onto all their key players including potent hooker Nathan Taylor, who scored 51 tries in the last two seasons.

Joining the south west side are eight fresh faces including competition for Taylor’s No.2 jersey as Tom Anderson from Dings Crusaders, who scored 22 tries in his last two seasons in National Two, is brought in. The club has also benefited from London Irish’s demise with 19-year-old academy centre Jake Shortland joining.

Darlington Mowden Park have had a big turnaround with 12 players signed and seven departing.

Hooker Charlie Smith brings Premiership experience from Newcastle Falcons, while fellow No.2 Lawrence Mason joins from Championship giants Ealing after his loan spell last season at London Scottish.

The loss of freescoring Passman to Chinnor looks a blow but with the abundance of players coming in they will hope to patch up the void.

Leicester Lions appear to have kept all of their stars from last season’s National Two West triumph and Gareth Collins’ side have recruited seven new players. Joining from the Championship is full-back Joey Patrick from Cambridge and back three player Joe Brock from Coventry.

Plymouth Albion have also recruited seven new players with their highlight acquisition being hooker Tom Cowan-Dickie, older brother of England international Luke.

Cowan-Dickie arrives at Plymouth having made 12 appearances and scored three tries for Tigers, as well as three appearances in the United Rugby Championship for Ospreys.

Sale FC also pushed Cambridge close in the last campaign, finishing just a point behind and they’ve recruited Ben Carlile and Chris Owen from the league above.

Prop Carlile, made six appearances for Sale Sharks and joins from Doncaster Knights, while Owen returns to Sale following a season in the Championship with Coventry.

Newly promoted Sedgley Park have poached South African fly-half Warren Seals from Darlington MP, who scored 303 points in his two spells with DMP.

All six new recruits are from northern clubs as the National Two North champions hope to survive their first season back in National One.

Taunton Titans have kept their cards close to their chest as they refused to reveal any of their new signings or departures.

Birmingham Moseley

IN: Ben Betts, Callum Allen (both Nottingham), Lewis Holsey (Bedford Blues), Jack Jolly (Broadstreet), Tighe Maxwell Whitely (Leeds Tykes), Dan Brough (Cambridge)

OUT: James Tideswell, Josh Olver, Jide Ajayi, Max Ayling, Jac Le Roux (all retired), Matt Marsh (Blackheath), Dan Lewis (Leicester Lions), Archie Heard (Bournville)

Bishop’s Stortford

IN: TBC

OUT: Tom Banks, George Cullen, Will Roberts, Rory Banks, Tom McCrone, Jack Scantlebury, Jacob Wrafter (all retired), Charlie Garwood (Royal Marines), Joe Tracey (Hertford), Henry Wills (Richmond), Obinna Nkwocha, Tristan Smith, Francis Moore (all return to Saracens after loan), Ioan Parry (Durham University)

Blackheath

IN: Chris Ball (Sheffield Eagles RL), Ben Charnock (London Scottish), Will Davis (Ealing Trailfinders), Archie English (Hartpury University), Billy Harding (Rosslyn Park), Carl Morgan (Barnes), Alex Noot (Old Albanian), Faysal Olabooye (Rams), Tom Petty (Plymouth Albion), Shae Tucker (Cornish Pirates)

OUT: Alex Brown, Ollie Claxton (both Tonbridge Juddians), Nick Foster, Neale Patrick (both retired), Harry Holland, Freddie Owen (both Australia)

Chinnor

IN: Conrad Cade (Doncaster), Rob Hardwick (Ampthill), Matt Woodward (Caldy) Alun Walker (Ealing), Shek Sheriff (Plymouth), George Merrick (Carcassone), George Stokes (Vrac), Isaiah Wharton (False Bay), Max Clementson (West Harbour, James Bourton(Ealing Trailfinders), Morgan Passman (Darlington Mowden Park)

OUT:Josh Pieterse (Rosslyn Park), Charlie Robinson (Newport), Brad Harewood (unattached), James Down, Reece Marshall, Ben Manning (all retired)

Cinderford

IN: Cairan Leeson (Bury St Edmunds), Callum Thompson (Bournville), Stan Norman, Joe Winfield (both Hartpury University), Tom Anderson, Tom Knight (both Dings Crusaders), Sam Allford (Newent), Jake Shortland (London Irish Academy)

OUT: TBC

Darlington Mowden Park

IN: Josh Ree (Leeds Tykes), Corben Ollivent (Rotherham Titans), Luckas Sableman-Blue (Rotherham Titans), Drew Davison, Phil Graham (both Army), Bernardo Nogueira (Swansea University), Callum Davidson (Southern Knights), Eoin Harrison (Southern Knights), Ethan Thiart (Otley), Charlie Smith (Newcastle Falcons), Lawrence Mason (Ealing Trailfinders), Ryan Gibson (Northumbria University)

OUT: Chris McTurk, Dave Fisher (retired), Matt Minogue (Australia), Ali Ledingham (Ghana), Morgan Passman (Chinnor), Josh Crickmay (Heath), George Shannon (released)

Leicester Lions

IN: Joey Patrick (Cambridge), Dan Lewis (Birmingham Moseley), Devon Coulson (Nuneaton), Aaron Dawson (Syston), Jake Sterland (Market Harborough), Joe Brock (Coventry), Will Stoker (Nottingham Trent University)

OUT: TBC

Plymouth Albion

IN: Tom Cowan-Dickie (Leicester Tigers), Gabe Mead (Hartpury University), Jack Wickham (Cardiff Met), Sonny Hirini (New Zealand), Jesse Lowe (Cornish Pirates), Archie Hill (Exeter Uni), Pat Walton (Saltash)

OUT: Jeremy To’a (France), Alex Ducker (Camborne), Shek Sheriff (Chinnor), Jamie Salter (retired), George Mills (released), Conrad Burn (Richmond)

Rams

IN: Ben Atkins (London Irish), Liam Bishop (Nottingham), Zach Clow, Ed Hoadley (both London Scottish), Fraser Honey (Redruth), George Makepeace-Cubitt, Calum Scott (both London Irish)

OUT: Joe Booth, Mana Cakau (both Bracknell), Jamie Guttridge, Craig Nightingale, Ollie Taylor (all retired), Tim Townsend (South Africa)

Richmond

IN: Henry Wills (Bishop’s Stortford), Conrad Burne (Plymouth Albion), Cameron Gray (Melbourne Harlequins), Luc Jones (Neath), Tom Smith (Loughborough University), Cameron Flavell (Reds Heavies), Rhett Butler (Warringah), Freddie Hoskins, Henry Cheeseman (both Rosslyn Park), Max Bliss (Exeter University), Harry Breeze (Bath University), Max Murphy (Clifton), Matt Marsh (Birmingham Moseley)

OUT: James Lennon (Bedford Blues), George Cave, Steve Kerins (both Richmond), Callum Torpey, Callum Watson, Henri Williams, Sam Collingridge (all released)

Rosslyn Park

IN: Conor Carey (Northampton Saints), Josh Cilia (Bath University), Maurice Nwakor (London Scottish), Josh Pieterse (Bedford Blues), Jasper Cameron (Loughborough University), Ed Ashcroft (Bath University), Jake Cleet (Wimbledon), Arinze Okemuo (Newcastle Falcons), Tom Bloomer (Loughborough University), Gus Lovatt (Durham University), Craig Stevenson (Bury St Edmunds), Jacob Wrafter (Bishop’s Stortford), Owen Davies (Wimbledon), Ewan Fenley (Henley Hawks), Lewis Dennett (Manley Marlins), Jack Martin (Sevenoaks), Tom Wilstead (Bristol Bears), Max Craven (Bournville), Theo Manihera (London Scottish), Patrick Kelly (Glasgow Warriors), James Stokes, Matt Williams, Isaac Miller (all London Irish)

OUT: Cameron Zeiss (retired), Craig Holland (Dorking), Dave Lewis (retired), Dylan Flashman (retired), Henry Robinson, Jack Gash, Jared Saunders, Nick Lovell (all retired), Luc Jones, Henry Cheeseman (both Richmond), Seb Strang (Australia)

Sale FC

IN: Rikki Stout (Rotherham Titans), Ben Carlile (Doncaster Knights), Chris Owen (Coventry)

OUT: Jordan Tebbatt (Poland)

Sedgley Park

IN: Lewis Bradley (Huddersfield), Will Connor (Sale FC), Matt Law (Huddersfield), Sam Lowthion (Rossendale), Danny Rylance (Rotherham Titans), Warren Seals (Darlington Mowden Park)

OUT: Valu Tané Bentley (Fylde), Ben Black (retired), Steve Collins (Rochdale)

Taunton Titans

IN: TBC

OUT: TBC