News in brief
England call up quartet
Scrum.com
March 17, 2009
England's Toby Flood offers some instruction to a team mate, Ireland v England, SIx Nations Championship, Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland, February 28, 2009
England currently have an injury doubt over fly-half Toby Flood for their Scotland match on Saturday © Getty Images
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  • Injury worries to Toby Flood and Joe Worsley have forced England to add four new players to the squad of 22 for Saturday's final Six Nations match against Scotland at Twickenham.

    Olly Barkley, Ben Foden, Tom Rees and Tim Payne have been added to the squad who triumphed 34-10 over France on Sunday at Twickenham.

    England are set to make a final decision on the starting XV on Wednesday after further training and treatment. Flood damaged a shoulder in the first half against France while Worsley has a cut thumb.

    Both players played significant parts against France. Worsley scored one of the tries in the first half after Flood, who kicked nine points, had fallen awkwardly on his shoulder in trying to stretch out for the line.

    England forwards coach John Wells said they had full confidence in Rees being able to step into Worsley's place on the openside despite the flanker having only played twice since recovering from a knee injury sustained over the New Year.

  • Ben Cohen could be heading back to play in England at Sale Sharks, according to reports in France. He is said to be considering a two-year deal after playing 18 months at Brive.

    Brive officials refused to confirm reports about the England World Cup winner who is said to be returning for family reasons. He is presently at the Top 14 club alongside another former Northampton colleague Steve Thompson.

  • Frederic Michalak could be set to play his first game for France in two years after he was called up into the squad to play Italy in Rome on Saturday. The versatile halfback won the last of his 50 caps in 2007 but lost favour because of his move to play for Natal Sharks.

    Michalak returned from South Africa to Toulouse in the autumn and has been called up because of a bicep injury to Sebastian Tillous-Borde. He is joined by club colleague William Servat who has replaced Leicester's Benjamin Kayser who has a neck injury.

    Both Tillous-Borde and Kayser were injured in France's 34-10 defeat by England at Twickenham on Sunday.

  • Former Saracens coach Eddie Jones has opened up about his departure from the club, citing a difference of opinion with the club's new management structure, including CEO Edward Griffths and chairman Nigel Wray.

    "For the club to move forward and for me to move forward in what I'm going to do next, that was the right timing," Jones told BBC London 94.9. "I have a contrary point of view and if I didn't, I'd still be coaching there. When I signed for Saracens I had a set plan on what we wanted to do and where we wanted to take the team and progress the team and increasingly it became very difficult to do, almost impossible to do."

  • The Stormers have called up Western Province lock George Earl for their Super 14 tour after Springbok Andries Bekker was ruled out with an injury to his big toe. Earl was part of the Stormers pre-Super 14 training camp but has not yet been used in a matchday 22. The franchise have also called up former Toulon hooker Tiaan Liebenberg for the tour after a knee injury to second-choice hooker Deon Fourie prevented him from touring.

    "All the other locks are already contracted," said Stormers media manager Frikkie Erasmus. "Earl is the next guy in line and will be going on tour. Rassie [Erasmus, Stormers coach] thought long and hard about this and George is the only player who could replace Andries at this stage."

  • Dan Ward-Smith looks set to leave Bristol to join Wasps next season. The No 8 is reported to be considering a three-year deal after Wasps lost James Haskell to Stade Francais. Bristol have also released scrum-half Graeme Beveridge. Beveridge, a former Scotland international, joined the Guinness Premiership side in 2007 but has struggled to pin down a first-team place

  • Newcastle lock Tim Swinson has signed a two-year deal to stay at Kingston Park.

  • Queensland Reds scrum-half Will Genia has been suspended for four weeks after he was found guilty of a dangerous tackle on Sharks flanker Keegan Daniel in a Super 14 match last weekend.

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