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The Premiership returns with 10 clubs again vying for domestic success and the English top-flight looking as competitive as ever.
Headline names like Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes were among those to depart in a summer of high-profile outgoings, leaving an uncertain landscape ahead of the start of the season.
Slimmed-down squads and a quieter offseason of incomings will make player management crucial in a campaign culminating in a British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
Will Northampton Saints go back-to-back? Could Bath or Sale take the next step? And, after a big-name coaching hire, can Leicester rebound to return to the play-offs?
Here’s our club-by-club guide to the new season, in the order in which they finished the last campaign:
Northampton Saints
Director of rugby: Phil Dowson
Champions for the first time in a decade, everything came together magnificently for Saints in 2023-24. A triumphant send-off for Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam was richly deserved, yet it was the blossoming of a young core to take the club forward that will have most pleased the excellent Phil Dowson. Laden with developing talent in key areas, Northampton look well put together once more.
Key figure: George Furbank. Having effectively performed the duties on an interim basis last season, Furbank has been upgraded to club captain after Ludlam’s exit to Toulon. The full-back looked a natural in the role last year, seizing an England shirt again after a couple of years in the international wilderness and linking so wonderfully with the rest of this brilliant backline. Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme and George Hendy should also fancy their chances of featuring in England squads – a mark of Northampton’s strength and depth.
Youngster to watch: Henry Pollock, flanker
Predicted finish: Third
Bath
Director of rugby: Johann van Graan
Bath look perfectly placed to go again, having finished as runners-up last season. Most of the band is back together after hitting the right tunes throughout the campaign, with Finn Russell and skipper Ben Spencer perfect conductors for Bath’s percussion ensemble. Tighthead Thomas du Toit had just as sizeable an impact as Russell in his first year, scoring 12 tries to go along with everything else he offers.
Key figure: Alfie Barbeary. With youngster Guy Pepper further bolstering the ranks, Bath boast maybe the best and deepest back-row room in the country. None of Barbeary’s colleagues can match his proficiency as a carrier, though – the No 8’s ability to generate go-forward will again be vital.
Youngster to watch: Guy Pepper, flanker
Predicted finish: Champions
Sale Sharks
Director of rugby: Alex Sanderson
A play-off appearance in three of the last four years is evidence of the progress made under Alex Sanderson, with Sale now one of the Premiership’s top predators. Can they take the next step and secure a second title? George Ford should benefit from a summer of rest and rehab on his niggly achilles, while Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu is an eye-catching addition to compensate for Manu Tuilagi’s move to Bayonne.
Key figure: George Ford. Agreement was reached between club and country that Ford would be allowed to miss England’s summer business to ensure a full recovery for a long year ahead. While often-time playmaking partner Rob du Preez is an able deputy, Sale’s fortunes may rest on ensuring their fly-half is fully fit and firing come the crunch at the end of the season.
Youngster to watch: Asher Opoku-Fordjour, prop
Predicted finish: Runners-up
Saracens
Director of rugby: Mark McCall
A summer of change at Saracens, with Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers now France-based at the end of an era. Not that the departures leave the stock cupboard bare: Maro Itoje has been installed as club captain, Ben Earl and Juan Martin Gonzalez might both claim to be one of the 10 best back-rowers in the world, and the backline remains as versatile and venomous as ever.
Key figure: Fergus Burke. Stepping into Farrell’s shoes, ostensibly, will be Burke, who qualifies for both England and Scotland and has been lured north from the Crusaders. It may be that Saracens chase a bigger name recruit for next season, having had to scramble when their fly half expressed a desire to depart, but Burke could prove a shrewd, steady head to steer the club through unsteady territory.
Youngster to watch: Olamide Sodeke, lock
Predicted finish: 5th
Bristol Bears
Director of rugby: Pat Lam
Bristol very nearly snatched a play-off spot at the end of last season, having reverted to type in again proving themselves among the league’s great entertainers. It is a shallower group at Pat Lam’s disposal this season as the Bears cut their wage bill, though James Dun and James Williams showed that there is ability beyond the big names of 2023-24.
Key figure: Viliame Mata. It’s been an offseason with few splashy signings across the Premiership, and even big-spending Bristol are cutting cloth to try and live more sustainability. But Fijian No 8 Mata is an addition to get Ashton Gate jumping, a perfect fit in the Bears’ all-court style – though an injury will keep the back row out until November.
Youngster to watch: Benja Elizalde, wing
Predicted finish: 7th
Harlequins
Director of rugby: Billy Millard
A season that promised much for Harlequins ultimately delivered little, though a first Champions Cup semi-final was not to be sniffed at. The club struggled defensively after Jerry Flannery’s defection to the Springboks and have appointed Aussie Jason Gilmore in a bid to solve their problems, while British & Irish Lions Wyn Jones and Leigh Halfpenny add rather decorated depth to the squad. Alex Dombrandt takes over the captaincy from Stephan Lewies.
Key figure: Luke Northmore. Few Premiership signings have been as influential in recent years as Andre Esterhuizen, and his return to South Africa leaves a great gaping hole in Harlequins’ midfield. The club had been succession planning and have plenty of options: Lennox Anyanwu and Bryn Bradley are both highly rated, young fly-half Jamie Benson is capable of sliding across, but Luke Northmore’s sharp angles and solidity have earned him repeated England calls; he should get first crack at filling Andre the Giant’s boots.
Youngster to watch: Sam Riley, hooker
Predicted finish: 6th
Exeter Chiefs
Director of rugby: Rob Baxter
Exeter admitted that they were a year ahead of schedule in their rebuild when challenging for the play-offs at the end of last season, testament to the continued ability of the Devon club to unearth talent. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Greg Fisilau and Rusi Tuima were among those to take huge strides last season and that group will be encouraged to grow together as the club look to make a genuine title push.
Key figure: Henry Slade. After missing out on the World Cup squad, Slade could have followed plenty of his former club colleagues to France and cruised through a final season at Sandy Park. Instead, Slade knuckled down to become a vital figure for club and, more surprisingly, country. A new deal followed for the centre, who has added the ability to command a blitz defence to his already considerable skillset and is hoping to be back from injury ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Youngster to watch: Zack Wimbush, centre
Predicted finish: 8th
Leicester Tigers
Director of rugby: Michael Cheika
So much for the Dan McKellar experience. Leicester parted ways with one Australian after a single season in charge to parachute in another – though their expedient call makes more sense when it is Michael Cheika eager to take over. The former Leinster, Wallabies and Argentina coach carries plenty of pedigree but must steady a ship that has listed ever since Steve Borthwick’s elevation to England. There is stacks of talent in the Tigers squad but they didn’t show their teeth often at all last season.
Key figure: Hanro Liebenberg. A figure of consistency even in a year with more downs than ups for Leicester, Liebenberg will be a key leader again from a back row that will be reshaped after the departure of Jasper Wiese.
Youngster to watch: Finn Carnduff, flanker/lock
Prediction: 4th
Gloucester
Director of rugby: George Skivington
A tough season for Gloucester’s men last time around, the Kingsholm club the worst underperformers in the top flight with Premiership Rugby Cup success and a European final only somewhat salvaging the season. Some inside the game feel George Skivington was fortunate to survive the season but his installation as England A coach evidences how highly he is regarded by others – now is surely the time to prove his potential as a coach.
Key figure: Tomos Williams. There are three key additions for Gloucester, with Christian Wade winging in to resume his pursuit of the Premiership try record and compensate for the losses of Jonny May (to France) and Louis Rees-Zammit (to the NFL). But it is the performances of the two other recruits that may shape the season at Kingsholm as Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe unite in an all-Welsh half-back partnership on the other side of the Severn. Full fitness for Anscombe would be a boon after his injury travails; Williams should ensure the sharpest of service.
Youngster to watch: Afolabi Fasogbon, tighthead prop
Prediction: 9th
Newcastle Falcons
Director of rugby: Steve Diamond
Newcastle ended last season winless and watched three of their most promising Falcon chicks plucked from the nest this summer in Phil Brantingham, Guy Pepper and Louie Johnson. Alas, it could be another tough campaign for the most northerly of the Premiership’s clubs, though their aim to spend within their limits remains laudable. Steve Diamond has got the maximum out of his squads in the past but this will be another significant challenge.
Key figure: Jamie Blamire. Still well liked by England, hooker Blamire finished last season strongly. If he can marry set-piece solidity to his open-field dynamism, Newcastle might have the right ingredients up front to more consistently challenge their opponents.
Youngster to watch: Ben Redshaw, full-back
Predicted finish: 10th
