Bath
The 2025 champions go into the new campaign with a point to prove after they were humbled on home turf by Exeter in last season’s semi-finals. Successfully defending the title is no easy task – it has not been done since Saracens in 2019 – but last season’s failure to return to Twickenham should stiffen the sinews in Johann van Graan’s squad. There is a World Cup at the end of the campaign and plenty in Bath’s squad also have a point to prove to Steve Borthwick – the centres Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, and Ted Hill chief among them. Recruitment has been kept to a minimum, but the arrival of Dan du Preez adds some more Springbok beef. Losing Thomas du Toit, who has returned to South Africa, is a huge blow, but Will Stuart’s return after a lengthy layoff due to an achilles injury softens it somewhat. If they finish in the top two Bath would forgo a home semi-final with the Rec finally undergoing much-needed refurbishment, which could ultimately count against them. Expect them to be in the mix.
Last season 2nd Predicted finish 2nd Key player Ted Hill
Bristol
In mid-May, Bristol headed to Northampton with three matches to go and still in the hunt for the playoffs. They proceed to ship 14 tries and a staggering 94 points. It has all come to feel very Bears-y and there is no reason to think it will not continue this season. There will be times when Bristol play rugby from the heavens and there will be occasions when they perform dismally. It is eight years since Pat Lam, in his second season, guided Bristol back to the top flight but for all their swagger the Bears have not been able to produce the kind of consistency required to reach the Prem final. There has been little done in the transfer market to suggest that will change. Given the size of Lam’s salary and the facilities Bristol have at their disposal, supporters have every right to expect better. There are a few directors of rugby who may find themselves under serious pressure come Christmas and Lam is one of them.
Last season 6th Predicted finish 8th Key player Benhard Janse van Rensburg
Exeter
The surprise package of last season in reaching the final after enduring a torrid campaign the year before, and how we felt for Henry Slade after the Chiefs’ defeat at Twickenham – the 33-year-old, the surviving member of the 2017 and 2020 triumphs, performing so impressively throughout the campaign. Optimism abounds that Exeter can go one better this season after Black Knight, the US owner of AFC Bournemouth, completed its takeover during the summer, ending a period of financial difficulty since the pandemic. That has not translated into a spending splurge, however, and Rob Baxter has been looking around for bargains. That Len Ikitau has gone back to Australia deprives the Chiefs of a world-class operator and Exeter’s fortunes will depend so much on whether Immanuel Feyi-Waboso stays fit. As demonstrated in England’s victory over Argentina, the 23-year-old is a gamechanger and the Chiefs will feel he has been sidelined for too long in recent years.
Last season 3rd Predicted finish 6th Key player Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
Gloucester
It has been a while since the Gloucester faithful had much to shout about and it has been a summer of overhaul in an effort to rectify that. Two Wales captains have arrived in the form of Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake while Jean Kleyn, a World Cup winner with South Africa, has also been recruited. Tomos Williams is the most significant of the departures but it is behind the scenes that the biggest changes have been made. Chris Boyd arrived last season as a consultant while Rob Burgess came in as rugby manager in moves designed to allow George Skivington to focus on coaching. He is another who will come under more scrutiny if there is not a major uptick early in the season. Off the field, Gloucester continue to look for the kind of investment that we have seen at Exeter, Newcastle and Bath. Get the Shed faithful back onside and Gloucester could be the surprise package, but another season at the wrong end of the table and something is likely to give.
Last season 8th Predicted finish 9th Key player Dan Robson
Harlequins
Looking with rose-tinted glasses, the Stoop promises to be the place to be. The thought of Marcus Smith and George Furbank teaming up, under the tutelage of Brad Cooper, who was attack coach for the dazzling Hurricanes, is enough to excite even the most pessimistic supporter after last season’s turgid campaign. The key question remains, however, will Smith and Furbank be awarded enough front-foot ball to work their magic behind a pack that, with Alex Dombrandt sidelined, looks powder puff? Harlequins conducted a global search to unearth a new head coach after Danny Wilson left on the eve of last season and in March announced that they would give the job to Jason Gilmore, who had been acting as interim all along. He has an experienced figure in Robbie Deans assisting him this season and the acquisition of Cooper may prove to be a canny one. Supporters are losing patience, however.
Last season 9th Predicted finish 7th Key player George Furbank
Leicester
Losing semi-finalists in Geoff Parling’s first season in charge with a promise of evolution rather than revolution to come this term. There are obvious similarities between Parling and Borthwick – not least because they both played second-row for England – and the former appears to be bringing stability back to Welford Road, after 10 different head coaches since 2013. Law tweaks to how the maul can be defended have already been identified as a potential weapon for the Tigers and though they have lost some key players in Hanro Liebenberg, Nicky Smith and George Martin, the arrival of Aaron Wainwright could prove to be the signing of the summer. Mako Vunipola’s capture is also intriguing and Leicester have a habit in recent years of putting wise old heads to use with Richard Wigglesworth, Mike Brown and Chris Ashton all enjoying their time at the club. The Tigers are never going to play the sort of exhibition rugby that is becoming increasingly frequent in the league, but, focusing on Tigers traditions, they can rekindle the glory years.
Last season 4th Predicted finish 1st Key player Aaron Wainwright
Newcastle
This time last year, Steve Diamond was telling us that now would be the time to really judge Newcastle’s ambition. The Red Bull investment was hugely significant, but it came too late to affect Newcastle’s player recruitment so he dusted off his extensive contacts book and went looking for short-term deals. The promise being that this summer, with a full run-up, Red Bulls would be transformed. Certainly they have been busy and the calibre of player they have attracted is better. Raffi Quirke, Rus Tuima and Sam Graham have Prem pedigree and then there is the All Black No 8 Hoskins Sotutu, who is eligible to represent England and was pulling up trees in Super Rugby not so long ago. There is still no A-list arrival, however, and Dan McFarland has a job to do knitting together an unfamiliar squad. Newcastle spent the summer in Salzburg, taking advantage of Red Bull’s facilities, but they have won four games in the past three seasons. A significant upturn still looks a big ask.
Last season 10th Predicted finish 10th Key player George McGuigan
Northampton
The defending champions will be doing everything they can to avoid the kind of season they encountered on the back of their last title – after lifting the trophy in 2024 they finished eighth the following year. Part of the problem then was the loss of key personnel and the fact that they could not afford to keep George Furbank will hurt. In Phil Dowson, however, Northampton have one of the sharpest minds in English rugby and already he is shaping up as a popular candidate should he throw his hat into the ring to replace Borthwick. Dowson has been outspoken in the past about the difficulty in managing his tranche of England players through the season – that was a problem in the 2024-25 campaign – and it is likely to be a bigger issue with the World Cup looming. All eyes will be on Henry Pollock to see whether his rapid rise continues with claims from his representatives he deserves a seven-figure salary and it is a big year for Fin Smith who is now in possession of the England No 10 jersey and will be doing everything he can to prove why.
Last season 1st Predicted finish 4th Key player Fin Smith
Sale
It feels like a significant point in time for the Sharks with a new stadium on the horizon, but some torpor to shake after a few disappointing seasons since reaching the final. You can always expect physicality from Alex Sanderson’s side, as well as George Ford pulling the strings behind, but you suspect they need to add a touch more devil. Avoiding injuries in key positions would help – their front row was decimated last season and they were unable to pair Ben and Tom Curry together at any stage – and there are some eye-catching summer signings. Courtney Lawes leads them and, while we should not expect him to run out every week, the effect he will have around the club is sure to be significant. Joe Marchant is another who arrives from France while Nicky Smith, Christ Tshiunza, Tomas Francis and Alex Lozowski are proven Prem operators. As a result there is a genuine optimism around the place, but a difficult start could put Sanderson under pressure.
Last season 7th Predicted finish 5th Key player Ben Curry
Saracens
Mark McCall’s departure meant the end of an era, but with Brendan Venter returning to the club, there remains a degree of familiarity about the place. “Psychopath” was how one senior player recently described him – it was meant as a compliment – and while the suspicion is that Venter is keeping the hot seat warm for a longer-term appointment, his tenure promises to be anything but dull. Saracens have stagnated in recent seasons so that is surely a good thing and though they haven’t been the busiest in the transfer market, they have added genuine star quality in Tomos Williams and George Martin. The arrival of Alfie Barbeary is fascinating too – can Venter get the best out of the supremely talented No 8? – while the manner in which Maro Itoje and Ben Earl are managed with the World Cup on the horizon will be fascinating. So, too, how Noah Caluori copes now his opponents know exactly what to expect.
Last season 5th Predicted finish 3rd Key player Ben Earl
