Aviva
Premiership rugby fans eagerly await the start of the new season with high
hopes. Several clubs have made major changes to coaching and playing staff and
this year’s tournament will be more competitive than ever. Saracens topped the
table in 2012/13, but Leicester beat Northampton Saints in the grand final at
Twickenham (37-17), to claim their tenth Premiership title. London Welsh bowed
out of the league despite a courageous effort and the Newcastle Falcons bounced
straight back up from the Championship.
Bath
Bath has added several new recruits to the
ranks at the Recreation Ground hoping to break in to the top six once again. Bruce Craig’s millions have yet to produce the
results and silverware the West Country fans crave. Gary Gold is in his second
campaign and has an accomplished coaching team alongside him, in Mike Ford,
Toby Booth and Neil Hatley. A weakness may be at scrum-half this season, with
Michael Claassens opting to join cash-rich Toulon. Micky Young joins from
Leicester, having failed to make a real mark with the Midlands outfit. It will
be a real test for Young to take over as the first choice scrum-half. Bath hope
youngster George Ford will step up after a promising start to his career at
Leicester, Bath have not had a solid No. 10 since Butch James left. Gold’s side
have a solid pack and Matt Garvey adds some real bulk and dynamism to the
front-five. Kyle Eastmond in his second
season of rugby union will continue to add a real attacking edge to Bath’s
arsenal.
Key
Man: Jonathan Joseph the former London Irish
speedster has mesmerising footwork and blistering pace. With a reliable forward
platform to play from he will wreak havoc in partnership with Eastmond in the
centres.
In: Juan Pablo Orlandi (Racing Metro), Matt Garvey,
David Sisi, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson (London Irish), Micky Young, George
Ford (Leicester Tigers), Gavin Henson (London Welsh), Peter Stringer (Munster),
Martin Roberts (Northampton Saints), Leroy Houston (Colomiers), Alafoti
Fa'osiliva (Bristol Rugby)
Out: Lee Mears, Dan Hipkiss (retired), Michael
Claassens (Toulon), Stephen Donald (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Jack Cuthbert
(Edinburgh), Ben Skirving (Bristol), Sam Vesty (Worcester Warriors), Simon
Taylor, Mark McMillan (released).
Last
season 7th. This season 7th Bath
may struggle to close out games with untried halfback combinations and without
the guile of Claassens. Also, Gavin Henson needs to be managed well to prevent
him from becoming a disruptive influence on the squad.
Exeter
Rob Baxter’s men continue to make Sandy
Park a real challenging venue for away teams to visit and have improved on the
road. The Chiefs still lack some star quality compared to other teams in the
league, but they should never be written off as they have caused the top teams
difficulty away from home with scalps against Gloucester and Harlequins in previous
seasons. Parting players will be missed including club stalwarts Richard Baxter
and Chris Budgen who have retired and the skill of Ignacio Mieres will be hard
to replace. The South West side have not recruited as strongly as some may have
anticipated, so a lower-mid table finish is expected, unless the Chiefs benefit
from autumn international periods with a less star-studded squad.
In: Greg Bateman (London Welsh), Don Armand
(Stormers), Dave Lewis (Gloucester), Ceri Sweeney, Tom James (Cardiff Blues),
Fetu'u Vainikolo (Connacht)
Out: Neil Clark (Oyonnax), Aly Muldowney (Connacht),
Ignacio Mieres (Worcester Warriors), Josh Tatupu (Carcassonne), Gonzalo Camacho
(Leicester Tigers), Mark Foster (Jersey), Watisoni Votu (Perpignan), Chris
Budgen, Richard Baxter, Kevin Barrett, Junior Poluleuligaga (retired)
Last
season 6th. This season 8th the
Aviva Premiership is the most challenging league in world rugby and Exeter have
not added enough depth to their squad. They will put up a good fight at home
and to claim a few exciting away victories, but their lack of star quality will
cost them a place in the top six.
Gloucester
Nigel Davies had an excellent first season
at the helm of the Kingsholm club, finishing fifth and making the Amlin Cup
quarter-final. The Cherry and Whites were competitive right until the 80th
minute in every league game but one (32-9 defeat to Sale), sealing losing bonus
points and never giving up. This quality served the West Country side well and
they finished five points short of a top four spot. The partnership of Freddie
Burns and Billy Twelvetrees blossomed in the 10 and 12 shirts, while Ben Morgan
and Sione Kalamafoni added real grunt and vicious ball-carrying impetus to the
back-row. This season’s fortunes depend on international call-ups and injuries,
with Burns, Twelvetrees, Morgan and new recruit Matt Kvesic likely to feature
for England this year, severely testing Gloucester’s strength-in-depth.
Key
Man: Matt Kvesic will add a real vigour to the
back-row and will be a neat foil to the brawn of Morgan and Kalamafoni. The
former Worcester Warrior joins the club he watched as a boy and his unrivalled
prowess at the breakdown should make Gloucester a menace in attack and defence
at this vital area of the game.
In: Dan George (London Welsh), Tom Hicks
(Northampton Saints), James Hudson (Newcastle Falcons), Matt Kvesic (Worcester
Warriors), Tavis Knoyle (Scarlets), Jonny Bentley (Cornish Pirates)
Out: Dario Chistolini (Zebre), Jim Hamilton
(Montpellier), Dave Lewis (Exeter Chiefs), Drew Locke (Jersey), Will Graulich
(Cornish Pirates), Alex Brown, Peter Buxton (retired), Tommaso D'Apice
(released).
Last
Season: 5th. This season: 5th Gloucester may struggle in the autumn
and in the Six Nations period without several influential players. The Cherry
and Whites will also rely on very promising young props whose inexperience may
cost Davies’ side a play-off place.
Harlequins
The 2011/12 Champions had a slightly
underwhelming season last year in comparison to their first title-winning season.
Finishing third in the regular season, Quins lost 33-16 to Leicester in the
semi-final, so this year, fans will hope for a top two finish securing a home
semi-final. Connor O’Shea has not recruited extensively, with the majority of
his squad in place from last season. Paul Doran-Jones has big shoes to fill
with James Johnston leaving to join Saracens. Doran-Jones has not excelled
since he left Gloucester, he has plenty of potential, but he is not the same
monstrous scrummager as Johnston. It will be interesting to see how Quins fare
in the scrum this season without the south-sea-Islander. The retirement of Olly
Kohn and Will Skinner is a shame for the club, but Nick Kennedy is a fantastic
replacement in the second-row.
Key
man: Mike Brown Stuart Lancaster tried Brown on the
wing, but full-back is definitely his strongest position. The back-three
maestro is consistently top of the metres-made stats each season, he has a
phenomenal counter-attacking arsenal with a cannon of a left boot and he has
the pace and step needed to punish teams who kick poorly to him.
In: Paul Doran-Jones (Northampton Saints), Nick
Kennedy (Toulon), Paul Sackey (Stade Francais)
Out: James Johnston (Saracens), Chris Brooker
(Worcester Warriors), Peter Browne, Seb Stegmann (London Welsh), Rory Clegg
(Newcastle Falcons), Olly Kohn, Will Skinner (retired).
Last season 3rd.
This season 3rd it is hard to
write off the Londoners, they have found a formula that combines some of the
most exciting attacking rugby in the league with a robust defensive line. The
addition of Nick Kennedy will make O’Shea’s side even more challenging to play
against. Nick Evans still runs the show
at No.10 and Danny Care is a sniping scrum half that can set the right tempo at
the right time for his side.
Leicester
The reigning champions start the season
with Richard Cockerill forced to watch from the stands on match days, but this
should not affect the Midlands clubs too badly. Geordan Murphy takes over as
backs coach and the veteran full-back’s unquestionable skill and experience
will be passed on to the current highly talented back line. Dan Cole’s dominance
in the scrum has forced Martin Castrogiovanni to look elsewhere, although the
Italian stalwart will face stiff competition in Toulon. This year sees hardly
any major imports, but Leicester has a squad capable of competing at the top of
the Premiership and possibly challenging the French big spenders in Europe.
Toby Flood is one of the most experienced members of the squad now at the age
of 28, but a pre-season head injury may threaten Leicester’s early chances.
With the unpredictable Ryan Lamb as a back up option, the Welford Road faithful
will be praying for a quick and full recovery from their new captain.
Key
man: Tom Youngs the combative hooker had an amazing season, making his name on the
international stage for England and playing a key part in the Lions series
victory in Australia. Youngs is a wrecking ball with ball in hand and he is
dynamic at the breakdown, more work on his throwing in to the line-out could turn
him in to one of the world’s best hookers over the next few seasons.
In: Tim Bristow (London Welsh), Jérôme Schuster,
David Mele (Perpignan), Neil Briggs (London Welsh), Sebastian De Chaves (Stade
Montois), Jamie Gibson (London Irish), Ryan Lamb (Northampton Saints), Owen
Williams (Scarlets), Gonzalo Camacho (Exeter Chiefs)
Out: Martin Castrogiovanni (Toulon), Jimmy Stevens
(London Irish), Rob Andrew (London Welsh), Richard Thorpe (London Welsh), Micky
Young, George Ford (Bath Rugby), Andy Forsyth (Sale Sharks), Geordan Murphy
(Retired)
Last season 2nd (playoff winners). This
season 1st the Midlands
outfit are born winners, the fortress that is Welford Road is an intimidating
place to visit and the Tigers arguably have the best pack in the league.
London
Irish
Having lost several influential players, Irish
struggled desperately last season, but with some hard graft they survived the
drop ahead of the relegation dogfight. This
year could also be a huge challenge without the likes of Alex Corbisiero, Jonathan
Joseph and Matt Garvey. Irish need to address the problem of player retention,
but it seems some players are jumping a sinking ship. Former England attacking
coach Brian Smith faces a gruelling season, with home form vital to survival. Irish
have a good kicking game with Tom Homer, however, they lack depth throughout
the squad and will rely on several promising youngsters to keep the side in the
top tier of domestic rugby.
Key
man: Marlon Yarde the young winger had an exciting
summer tour with England in Argentina and is one to watch over the next season
or two. He has electric pace and is deceptively strong. It is likely Yarde will move to one of the top
four clubs next season, to pursue European Rugby and stake his claim for
international rugby.
In: Jamie Hagan (Leinster), Johnny Harris, Jimmy
Stevens, Patrick Phibbs, Alex Lewington (Leicester Tigers), Matt Parr, Nic
Rouse (Nottingham), Blair Cowan (Worcester Warriors), Myles Dorrian (Exeter
Chiefs), Eamonn Sheridan, Fergus Mulchrone (Rotherham), Andy Fenby (Scarlets)
Out: Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints), Max
Lahiff (Melbourne Rebels), Jerry Yanuyanutawa (Glasgow Warriors), James
Buckland (London Scottish), Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), James Sandford
(Cornish Pirates), Matt Garvey, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson, David Sisi
(Bath Rugby), Jack Moates (London Wasps), Steven Shingler (Scarlets), Joe
Ansbro (Retired)
Last season 9th.
This season 11th the relegation battle is likely to go down to
the final few rounds of the season, but Irish should just about avoid the drop.
They have more exciting young talent than Newcastle and Homer’s reliable boot
should be enough to keep them in the Premiership.
London
Wasps
Expectations were low for Wasps last season
after narrowly avoiding relegation the season before, however, the side are now
financially secure and with Christian Wade and Tom Varndell on the wings
scoring tries for fun, they are one of the most exciting attacking sides to
watch. Wasps have brought in the former Leicester and Worcester veteran Andy
Goode to add more structure to the attack. While he does not have the pace to
cut a flat line with any real threat, he has the boot needed to keep Wasps
playing in the right areas of the pitch and a fine tactical brain. Kearnan
Myall is a fantastic signing to replace Marco Wentzel who has been released to
go back to South Africa. Myall is a line-out technician whose signature was
highly sought after by several other Premiership clubs because of his ability
to command the set-piece. If things
click for Wasps this season, they could be the surprise package to sneak in to
the top four.
Key
man: Christian Wade finished last season joint top
of the Aviva Premiership try-scoring list with 13( tied with Varndell). Wade is
a lethal finisher, who can beat an opponent in a space the width of his
shoulders. Some pundits worry about him under the high ball and in defence, but
he is working hard on those two aspects of his game.
In: Matt Mullan (Worcester Warriors), Taione Vea
(North Harbour), Neil Cochrane (Bedford Blues), Carlo Festuccia (Zebre) Esteban
Lozada (Agen), Kearnan Myall (Sale Sharks), Ed Jackson (London Welsh), Nathan
Hughes (Auckland), Rory Pitman (Rotherham), Jack Moates (London Irish), Joe
Carlisle, Andy Goode (Worcester Warriors), Ben Jacobs (Western Force), William
Helu (Roma)
Out: Zac Taulafo (Stade Francais), Rhys Thomas
(Dragons), Marco Wentzel (Released), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Nicky Robinson
(Bristol), Will Robinson (London Welsh), Jack Wallace (Bristol), Stephen Jones,
Lee Thomas, Tim Payne (Retirement)
Last season 8th.
This season 6th If Wade and
Varndell continue to pose a threat out wide and Goode can give the Wycombe-based
side some structure, Wasps can potentially disrupt the top four this season.
Newcastle
Falcons
Rugby fans in the North were delighted to
see the Falcons back in the Premiership after their year in the wilderness. The
Falcons outclassed the rest of the Championship and eased back in to top flight
rugby. They now face the unenviable task of trying to re-establish themselves
as a Premiership outfit. Every point is vital in their scrap for survival. This
year will be tough without Jimmy Goppeth who has joined Leinster and now the goal
kicking responsibilities fall to new recruit Rory Clegg. The former Harlequin moved
to get more game time, but there is a lot of pressure on his young shoulders. Goppeth
kept Newcastle in the Premiership for several seasons before the Falcons
eventually felt the drop to the Championship. Scott Lawson adds some
international experience at hooker and the former London Irish and Gloucester
man is a fine scrummager and a danger in the loose. Considering the Falcons lost line-out supremo James
Hudson to Gloucester and many other key players, the North East side have not
recruited well enough to keep themselves in the Aviva Premiership. They will
have to use the tough conditions at Kingston Park in their favour as away trips
will not be very fruitful this season.
Key
man: Mike Blair the 85 cap Scottish international
is a fantastic replacement for Rory Lawson who retired due to injury. Blair
brings a wealth of experience and is a natural leader, his ability to command
the forwards and get the back line moving and playing in the right areas gives
Newcastle fans some hope.
In: Franck Montanella (London Welsh), Scott Lawson
(London Irish), Dominic Barrow (Leeds Carnegie), Fraser McKenzie (Sale Sharks),
Andy Saull (Saracens), Mike Blair (Brive), Rory Clegg (Harlequins), Phil Godman
(London Scottish), Danny Barnes (Munster), Noah Cato (Northampton Saints)
Out: Jimmy
Goppeth (Leinster) James Hall (Bristol),
Michael Mayhew (London Irish), James Hudson (Gloucester), Taiasina Tui'fua
(Bordeaux Begles), Jordi Pasqualin (London Scottish), Rory Lawson, Jon Golding
(Retirement)
Last season Championship
playoff winners. This season 12th relegated Newcastle have not recruited well enough to
replace some experienced old heads who have moved on and Clegg has too much responsibility
in his first season in the No.10 shirt.
Losing bonus points could narrowly save the Falcons if they can keep
themselves within seven points in away games.
Northampton
Saints
Consistency secured the Saints top four
status, with a respectable home record and some fine away wins against Gloucester,
Wasps and Exeter. Jim Mallinder’s men even managed to shock Aviva Premiership
fans with an away victory to Saracens in the semi-final (13-27), however, when
faced with the powerhouse of the Leicester Tigers in the grand final they
faltered – 37-17. The Saints always have a tremendous rolling maul and this
should only be strengthened with British and Irish Lion Alex Corbisiero now on
the books. Hopefully Corbisiero’s knee and calf injury worries are a thing of
the past. Kahn Fotuali'I
is an interesting addition to the squad, a versatile half back comfortable in
both key positions, it will be fascinating to see him linking up with Lee
Dickson making up one of the quickest halfback combinations in the league.
Key man: George North, it seems Saints have finally
replaced Chris Ashton after his departure two seasons ago with an even deadlier
finisher who can defend as well as score tries. North was one of the star
performers in Australia with the Lions and if he can replicate anywhere near
that kind of form, the Saints will have a fantastic season. The giant winger is
remarkably agile for a man of his mammoth size and his pace defies physics,
Aviva Premiership wingers will not look forward to marking him this season.
In: Alex Corbisiero (London Irish), Salesi Ma'afu
(Western Force), Gareth Denman (Rotherham), Rob Verbakel, Glenn Dickinson
(Otago), Kahn Fotuali'i (Ospreys), George North (Scarlets)
Out: Paul Doran-Jones (Harlequins), Soane
Tonga'uiha, Brian Mujati (Racing Metro), Tom Hicks (Gloucester), Mark Sorensen
(Bristol), Martin Roberts (Bath), Ryan Lamb (Leicester), Tom May (London
Welsh), Noah Cato (Newcastle Falcons)
Last season 4th.
This season 4th North gives
the Saints some real threat out wide, but Northampton may struggle somewhat
during the international periods. Also the enormous figures of Soane Tonga-uiha
and Brian Mujati will be missed as their devastating ball carrying and
monstrous scrummaging have been a key contributor to the Saints’ top four
consistency in recent years.
Sale
Sharks
Sale’s coaching and playing staff overhaul was
woefully underwhelming last season. Within months, Bryan Redpath was demoted to
backs coach and Steve Diamond had to pull his sleeves up and get hands on with
the side to keep them from relegation. Sale secured top flight status with a 10th
placed finish. Danny Cipriani did not perform last season and he has to commit more
in defence and show the skill that saw him win seven caps for England. The
Sharks have lost two line-out winning second rows in Kearnan Myall and Richie
Gray. Gray was a big sponsor-pleasing signing, but he failed to live up to the
hype and was tempted away by a big pay packet with Top 14 champions Castres.
Myall is another line-out general and this could be a area of real weakness for
Diamond’s side. Sale raided London Welsh
for a few players, but otherwise their new additions are disappointing. The
loss of hardened back-row experts Richie Vernon and Andy Powell will be felt
this season, despite Sale boasting the likes of Dave Seymour and Dan Braid.
Key
man: Johnny Leota the Samoan centre is a rock in
defence and gives the Sharks go forward in attack and his partnership with Sam Tuitupou
is vital to Sale’s chances this year. The two hard-hitting centres will work
until the final whistle this season to keep their side in the Aviva Premiership
and they may even dream of sneaking up the middle of the table.
In: Daniel Baines (Rotherham), Kirill Kulemin,
Jonathan Mills, Phil Mackenzie, Tom Arscott (London Welsh), Andy Forsyth
(Leicester Tigers), Michael Paterson (Cardiff Blues), Joe Ford (Leeds Carnegie)
Out: Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh), Richie Gray
(Castres), Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors), Andy Powell (Wigan Warriors),
Corne Uys (Pays d'Aix), Charlie Amesbury (Bristol)
Last season 10th.
This season 9th Sale lack
quality ball-winners in the second row and their fly-half choices are
mercurial. It will not be quite as disastrous a season as last year, but there
will be some nervy moments for Sharks fans in the first half of the season.
Saracens
Mark McCall was disappointed to see his
side lose the home semi-final 13-27 to Northampton last in May after topping
the table in the regular season, but he has made some clever signings to boost
the squad this year. The majority of the squad stays the same, but two powerful
ball-carriers in Billy Vunipola and James Johnston come in to break down
opposing defences and to help Sarries dominate the scrum. Saracens only lost four matches in the regular
Premiership season last year because they have one of the best defences in the
league and have added to their attacking repertoire, scoring five try bonus
points. They have metronomic goal kickers in Charlie Hodgson and Owen Farrell,
who make a fine partnership at 10 and 12. Sarries will comfortably make the top
four and are likely to book themselves another home semi-final.
Key
man: Billy Vunipola the former London Wasp made his
England debut in Argentina this summer, his 126kg frame will be a real asset
for Saracens from the base of the scrum. The brutish No.8 is nearly impossible
to stop from close range, so opposing back-rows will have to be vigilant and
try and bring him down before he builds up momentum.
In: Billy Vunipola (London Wasps), James Johnston
(Harlequins), Tim Streather (Nottingham), Michael Tagicakibau (Bristol)
Out: Andy Saull (Newcastle Falcons), Carlos Nieto,
John Smit, Joe Maddock (Retired)
Last season 1st
(lost in semi-final). This season 2nd Leicester and Saracens will battle to top the table
at the end of the regular season, but both should be confident of a home
semi-final spot. Saracens boast a formidable scrum, some of the best halfbacks
in the league and pose a real threat out wide, so they should hope to make the
final once again this season.
Worcester
Warriors
The Warriors had yet another disappointing season
of mediocrity, narrowly avoiding relegation at the expense of London Welsh. Dean
Ryan takes charge at Sixways, the former Wasps and Gloucester coach will run a tight
ship, hoping to push the Warriors in to mid-table territory. Ryan’s stint at
Sky as an analyst highlighted his knowledge of the game and his meticulous
approach should benefit the side who, for too long, have languished in the
bottom third of the table. Former Gloucester forward coach Carl Hogg comes in
to work with the Sixways pack. The departure of Andy Goode is a big loss for the
club, but Australian Paul Warwick flew in from Stade Français to fill the No.
10 shirt. Another player who will be sorely missed is Matt Kvesic, who moves to
Gloucester – the young back-row dynamo kept Worcester in the league last season
and caused opposing teams nightmares with his ability to turn the ball over. The
Warriors always have a competitive pack and with Ignacio Mieres, the Warriors
have a highly versatile, creative and exciting playmaker to back up Warwick at
fly-half.
Key
man:
In: Paul Andrew (Cornish Pirates), Jérémy Bécasseau
(Stade Francais), Ofa Fainga'anuku (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Brooker
(Harlequins), Agustin Creevy (Montpellier), Michael Williams (Blue Bulls),
Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Cameron Goodhue (Auckland Blues), Leonardo Senatore
(Pampas XV), Jeremy Su'a (Crusaders), Ignacio Mieres (Exeter Chiefs), Paul
Warwick (Stade Francais), James Stephenson (Bedford Blues)
Out: Matt Mullan, Joe Carlisle, Andy Goode (London
Wasps), Ollie Hayes (Bristol Rugby), Aleki Lutui (Edinburgh), Neil Best (London
Scottish), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Nikki Walker
(Edinburgh), Errie Claassens (Bristol), Craig Gillies (Retirement)
Last season 11th.
This season 10th Worcester
should be fairly safe this season, however, a few injuries in key positions or
a bad start to the season could send the Warriors in to panic mode. Dean Ryan
needs to make sure he can hold on to his playing staff for next season,
something which often proved challenging for former coach Richard Hill.
Aviva
Premiership Prediction
1. Leicester
2. Saracens
3. Harlequins
4. Northampton Saints
5. Gloucester
6. London Wasps
7. Bath
8. Exeter
9. Sale Sharks
10. Worcester Warriors
11. London Irish
12. Newcastle Falcons
Top
point scorer: Freddie Burns (Gloucester)
Top
try scorer: Christian Wade (London Wasps)
How
do you think your side will get on this season? Comment bellow or message me on
twitter @tommyd91
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