Bath (AD)
Improving fast as a side and had all but made the play-offs
last year until a last gasp effort from Quins in the final round of the competition
knocked them down into 5th place. Expect another sterling effort
this season from Mike Ford's troops as they look to clean out the trophy
cabinet cobwebs after once again spending big during the off season.
Players to watch:
NRL superstar Sam Burgess will have all eyes on him
when he finely makes the switch of codes in October. If he's to follow in the
footsteps of other great league converts such as SBW, Jason Robinson and Izzy
Folou in time for the World Cup he'll have to find his feet fast in an already
highly contested center berth for both club and country. George Ford on
the other hand will look to push forward from an impressive first season with
Bath for a chance to impress the England selectors.
Prediction:
Play Off contenders
Exeter chiefs (AHB)
It was a disappointing season last time
around for the Devon-based side, who, after two years in the European top
flight, missed out on first-tier qualification. Whilst the lack of high-level
European action will allow the Chiefs to focus more on their domestic form, a
lack of big signings will not help their chances of overcoming their mid-table
rivals such as Gloucester and London Wasps.
Players to watch:
England under-20 fly half Henry Slade will be hoping to continue
his run of good form and continue to develop into a potential future England
stand off, although it will take some massive performances for the youngster to
oust incumbent Gareth Steenson from the no 10 jersey. New signing Chrysander Botha will be another one to
watch – the Namibian 15 will be hoping to build up some good form before his
national side’s appearance at next year’s World Cup.
Prediction:
Safe from relegation, but still in the
bottom half of the table.
Gloucester (AD)
New Coach, new backbone to the squad and a new start for the
Kingsholm faithful after last seasons abysmal display that saw them languish at
the bottom end of the table. An exciting yet often inconsistent back line
marred by a consistently poor forward pack. A plethora of signings with a
distinctly Welsh vibe have been brought in to help get the Cherry and Whites
back into the top section of the table.
Players to watch:
New recruits James Hook and Richard Hibbard are
perhaps the pick of the signings for Gloucester and these two premiership
débutantes will look to impose their flare and physicality respectively on the
competition.
Prediction:
Mid table
Harlequins (AHB)
It took a last-gasp effort for the South
London side to make it into the playoffs last season, and a similar effort will
be required if they are to make it again this year. With only two signings made
all summer, Director of rugby Conor O'Shea has shown a great deal of confidence
in his existing squad. With a number of England players hoping to cement their
places in the World Cup squad, Harlequins will be hoping for another top four
finish at the very least, but can expect tough competition from the likes of
Bath for that last semi-final spot.
Players
to watch:
England wing Marland Yarde is one of only two new faces at the Twickenham club,
moving from another capital side, London Irish. There will be no better way for
him to secure his starting place in the world cup squad than by running in the
tries each week for his new club.
Prediction:
Missing out of the playoffs by a whisker.
Leicester Tigers (AD)
The East Midland side once again proved they can never be written off after last
season's late surge after their injury woes started to relent. You'd almost have
to assume they'll end up in the play-offs; Richard Cockerill certainly expects
nothing less from his players, who will be gunning for silverware this season.
Players to watch:
Freddie Burns, now behind a dominant Leicester pack,
will look to shake off last season’s woes and upgrade his status from England
understudy behind Owen Farrell. Only time will tell whether he can find the
form that made him such an exciting prospect not so long ago. In the pack it's
the return of Tom Croft to the Tiger's back row that will prick the
interest of many punters. Once the first name on the England team sheet and
twice a Lions tourist the athletic flanker will look to assert himself once
again in the England pecking order after a sleuth of injuries.
Prediction:
Play offs
London Irish (AHB)
It was another disappointing season for
Irish, who were just a few defeats away from being right in the midst of the
relegation battle. Despite having a host of new training facilities at their
disposal, this season is unlikely to be an easy one on the pitch. The loss of
star players such as Marland Yarde and James O’Connor will hurt, especially due
to their lack of like-for-like replacements. If results against bottom-table
rivals Newcastle and London Welsh go the wrong way, it could very easily be
Championship rugby next year for London Irish.
Players to watch:
The most notable new faces at the Madejski
Stadium are international front rowers Geoff
Cross and Tom Court. The
Scotland and Ireland props will give London Irish some much-needed power up
front, but will that make up for the loss of try-scorer Yarde?
Prediction:
Fighting against relegation.
London Welsh (AD)
Upsetting the Championship favourites Bristol in the final
and earning promotion into the big league wasn't something many expected but
it's what the exiles achieved last year. Perhaps with the largest recruitment
drive out of anyone during the summer they'll manage to stay up longer than the
last time they were in the English top flight competition.
Players to watch:
Ex All black Pirri Weepu is easily the clubs biggest
marque signing after leaving Auckland for London. Another player looking to
make a career comeback after coming back from a lengthy injury lay off after
suffering a minor stroke. His new team as well as any neutral will be hoping
this will end up as another rugby miracle if he manages to resurrect the form
that saw him lift a World cup Trophy in 2011.
Prediction:
Fighting against relegation
Newcastle Falcons (AHB)
If it hadn’t been for Worcester’s appalling
run of form, it could have been Newcastle making a return to the Championship.
Granted a life-line by the West-Midlands club, the Falcons will be hoping for a
much-improved run this time around, and will be hoping that the completion of a
new artificial pitch will help create more try-scoring opportunities.
Players to watch:
Italian lock Josh Furno had an exceptional Six Nations, and the Falcons will be
hoping that he can bring his international form to the domestic league. The
arrival of Alesana and Anitelea Tuilagi will provide some
welcome power to the back line, and could prove to be the big difference at the
bottom of the table.
Prediction:
A hard-fought tenth place.
Northampton Saints (AD)
So often the budding bridesmaid in the Premiership they now
at last have their first title under their belt after an impressive victory in
the final against rivals Saracens. They now carry the winners tag around their
necks and it will be a hard fight to keep it there.
Players to watch:
If Samu Manoa is anything to go by then the rugby
world should be grateful the USA still doesn't have much of an interest outside
their own oval ball game. The Herculean lock was at the centre of Saint's
abrasive pack last term and will be looking to enforce his physicality once
more whether it be in the engine room or off the back of the scrum.
Prediction:
Finalists
Sale Sharks (AHB)
After a difficult 2011-2012, Sale began to
show signs of returning to good form last year, with fly half Danny Cipriani
earning himself an England recall. Having qualified for top-flight European
rugby, Steve Diamond’s side will be hoping to go one better, and force
their way into the Premiership playoffs. If results against last year’s top
four go Sale’s way, then they have a real chance of reaching the knock out
stages.
Players to watch:
Scotland scrum-half Chris
Cusiter should prove to be a welcome replacement for the outgoing Dwayne
Peel, but it could be former England flanker Magnus Lund who really proves to be the impact signing for the
northwesterners.
Prediction:
Sixth.
Saracens (AD)
Forerunners throughout the entire campaign last season ended
in heartbreak as defeat in both the Premiership final and the Heineken Cup
Final meant their dominance all year counted for nothing. Boasting arguably the
strongest club squad outside of France they will look again at conquering the
English top flight competition and few teams can deny them that when the aptly
named “Wolf pack” are in full flow.
Players to watch:
So many players within the Sarries squad will be desperate to
rectify the dip in form at the very last point of the previous season. None more so than
Billy Vunipola, whose barnstorming runs that tormented so many would be
defenders all year long seemed to unstuck against a certain Armitage brother (no, we don't mean Delon).
Then also losing his place in the England 1st fifteen to Ben Morgan
on the New Zealand tour he'll be wanting to start strong before the Autumn
internationals roll up.
Prediction:
Finalists
London Wasps (AHB)
Qualifying for the inaugural European Rugby
Champions Cup was a real coup for Wasps, and they will be hoping to begin this
season with the same flair and intensity that saw them record back-to-back wins
against Stade Francais. If they can tighten up their defence and get wingers
Tom Varndell and Christian Wade firing, Wasps could be the dark horse of this
year’s Premiership.
Players to watch:
Having made a real impact in the first Test
against New Zealand this summer, new captain James Haskell will be desperate to put himself in contention for
the World Cup. New signing Ruaridh
Jackson will be looking to challenge Andy Goode for the ten jersey, and try
to reclaim his place as first choice for Scotland in the process.
Prediction:
Potential top-half of the table, but
probably seventh again.
To be crowned champions: Northampton Saints
To be relegated to the Championship: London Irish.
