Murray heads north to join the Falcons

The Scottish prop said he could not wait to get stuck in at Kingston Park after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with Newcastle (GETTY IMAGES)

Euan Murray, the Lions prop whose scrummaging strength is matched only by his commitment to Christian belief that prevents him playing on the Sabbath, yesterday agreed terms with Newcastle, signing a deal that will keep him at Kingston Park for the next two and a half years. The surprise development came less than a fortnight after the Scottish forward's abrupt departure from Northampton, where his stance on Sunday rugby, combined with the brilliant form of his first-team rival Brian Mujati, had left him marginalised.

"I'm delighted with the move and I can't wait to get stuck in," the 30-year-old tight head remarked. "The move was the best option for me and my family." Murray's countryman and fellow Lion, the Newcastle director of rugby Alan Tait, expressed considerable delight of his own, adding: "Our preferred time to play is on a Friday night and while some games do get moved for television, we will have Euan available for more matches than we would most international players."

The Tynesiders are no strangers to high-calibre tight-head specialists: last season, their pack was anchored by the powerful All Black forward Carl Hayman. Yet Newcastle have struggled at close quarters for some years now – many would argue that they have not fielded a dominant pack of forwards since 1998, when they won the Premiership. Murray will go some way towards addressing their current issues in the tight, but as Hayman found, scrummaging is about eight men, not one.

It had been widely assumed that Murray would head for France, given the lavish rewards on offer and the relative scarcity of Sunday fixtures. But by moving to Newcastle he will keep himself in the international loop – the Scotland coach, Andy Robinson, will want to take him to next year's World Cup in New Zealand, even though the player's religious principles will rule him out of a crucial pool-stage contest with Argentina and could prevent him appearing in any knockout matches for which his country might qualify.

London Irish, whose game with Harlequins at Twickenham on Monday is expected to draw the best part of 70,000 spectators, have talked a couple of their prize academy products – the outside back Tom Homer and the prop Alex Corbisiero – into signing contract extensions, even though neither man can yet consider himself a first-choice player. Homer, currently struggling with injury, and Corbisiero, back between the front-row shafts after orthopaedic frustrations of his own, have committed themselves to another two years at the Madejski Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Cardiff Blues No 8 Xavier Rush has been banned until 28 December – effectively a single Magners League game, and one that may not happen, given Newport-Gwent Dragons' difficulties in thawing their Rodney Parade pitch ahead of the derby scheduled for Monday – following his sending-off in the Heineken Cup match with Northampton last weekend. The judicial officer Christopher Quinlan decided there had been no malicious intent in the former All Black's dangerous tackle on the England lock Courtney Lawes.