PHIL Godman has joined the trend of internationals staying in Scotland by signing a new contract keeping him at Edinburgh until 2010.
The 25-year-old plays in Edinburgh's final Magners League match of the season away to Llanelli tomorrow night, and will tour Argentina with Scotland next month, and despite the return of Chris Paterson to Murrayfield the former Newcastle player is co
nvinced his future will be best served staying where he is.
Godman said: "The competition for places will keep me on my toes. If you are in any team worth their salt, then you will have competition for your place; it would be strange to not have someone always breathing down your neck.
"There will be no change in my attitude at all (with Paterson back] and it will keep me working as hard as I currently am. It can only be good for Edinburgh as a squad that we have so much competition for places."
Edinburgh also announced yesterday that Augusto Allori, Alistair Warnock and Andrew Maxwell are leaving this summer, Allori to Treviso, Warnock to Doncaster and Ulsterman Maxwell to pursue business interests overseas.
Llanelli (v Edinburgh, tomorrow, 5.30pm): D Evans; D James, M Watkins, G Evans, N Brew; R Priestland, L Davies; P John, M Schwalger, D Manu, V Cooper, S MacLeod, S Easterby (capt), J Bater, J Edwards.
Subs: I Thomas, K Owens, L Reed, N Thomas, G Cattle, C Thomas, D Daniel.
Edinburgh: H Southwell; C MacRae, B Cairns, N De Luca, A Turnbull; P Godman, M Blair; A Allori, R Ford, G Cross, M Mustchin, B Gissing, A Hogg (capt), D Callam, A MacDonald.
Subs: S Lawrie, A Jacobsen, C Hamilton, S Newlands, G Laidlaw, D Blair, M Robertson.
The full article contains 297 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
