Stanley wings in from Canada to join high-flying Leeds

When Winston Stanley, the Canadian wing, last played a game in the English Premiership – for Leicester against Harlequins in front of a 16,000 full house at Welford Road in April 2001 – the Second Division Yorkshiremen of Leeds were doing their thing in front of a tiny Midlands audience somewhere in the suburbs of Solihull. Since when, the world has changed somewhat. Leeds are now holding down third place in the big boys' league, a couple of points ahead of Leicester, and Stanley is about to surface at Headingley.

Phil Davies, the director of rugby at Leeds, announced the signing yesterday, and hopes to consider Stanley for this weekend's home fixture with Wasps. "Winston has just come off tour with the Canadians, so he's match fit," Davies said. "He knows the English game, having played here before, and has a wealth of experience. I see him as a key addition to the squad."

Davies is on quite a roll in terms of shrewd signings, and his wing investments have been particularly astute. He picked up Diego Albanese, the busy Argentinian, from Gloucester during the summer, and also lured George Harder away from National Provincial Championship and Super 12 rugby with Auckland. Harder has been among the most influential Premiership threequarters in the first half of the campaign, and with Dan Scarbrough, the England squad player, also in hot form, Leeds have an impressive cluster of strike runners.

Stanley, capped 56 times by his country and Canada's leading Test try-scorer with 11, has played at full-back and centre as well as wing; indeed, he can perform any of the five roles outside No 10. After leaving Leicester for Worcester at the start of last season, he returned home and spent the summer playing for the James Bay club in British Columbia. "I did not expect to return to the Premiership, although I was hoping it might happen," the 28-year-old veteran of two World Cups said. "I'm pretty fortunate to get this chance. All the players in Canada want to compete in the top flight here."

While Leeds were raising a glass to another smart move on the transfer market, Leicester were sifting through the fall-out of a hugely physical autumn international series. Two of their three Test open-side flankers, the English pair of Lewis Moody and Neil Back, are nursing shoulder and cheekbone injuries respectively, and are most unlikely to lace up their boots in anger this side of Christmas. The European champions have ruled both men out of Saturday's derby with Northampton and, more worryingly from their perspective, the back-to-back Heineken Cup confrontations with Béziers, who top Pool One with two straight victories.

Northampton, also suffering from aprés-Test fitness problems, have delayed finalising their squad for the visit to Welford Road. But Budge Pountney, the Scotland flanker whose scavenging performances have been at the heart of the Saints' title challenge this term, is expected to make his 200th senior appearance for the club he joined almost a decade ago.

* Organisers of the Six Nations' Championship are reportedly close to announcing a three-year sponsorship deal worth around £23m with the Royal Bank of Scotland. The Championship has been without a sponsor since Lloyds-TSB opted not to continue its backing at the end of this year's tournament.