Experienced hands sign up for Rotherham Titans

The pair, along with the other latest signing, Sam Boxhall, are among the raft of players who have agreed to stay at Clifton Lane having originally been lined up for the vetoed 2020/21 campaign.

In Carlisle, Hayes and scrum-half Boxhall, Titans have three players with a mixture of know-how and youth who they hope can help make sure the club's drop into regional rugby for the first time in 25 years is only a brief one.

Fly-half Carlisle has played at home and abroad, taking in time at Treviso, London Welsh, USA Perpignan and, more latterly, Old Elthamians and Yorkshire Carnegie.

Centre Hayes played 32 games for Rotherham after first joining the club back in 2014 before moving to Doncaster Knights, where he has spent the last four years. 

Boxhall, Carlisle and Hayes join props Colin Quigley, Rikki Stout and Dan Lamb as confirmed signings for the new National Two North season, which kicks off on September 4.

Full story in this week's Advertiser, plus our Rotherham United 2020/2021 player ratings and off-beat review of the season, Yorkshire Southern Premier League cricket, boom time for Rotherham Hockey Club and more. Out now.