Bath
No one can question the quality of the rebuild carried out by Johann van Graan since his arrival in 2022. The South African has taken Bath from the bottom to agonisingly close to the top, almost achieving a sensational Twickenham victory against Northampton in June despite Beno Obano’s early dismissal. Van Graan said he was “at peace” that the team had done all they could: now can they go one better? Signing the Springbok prop Thomas du Toit has been a resounding success – he top-scored last season with 12 tries in 25 matches – and Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half, has slotted in perfectly. The former Worcester captain Ted Hill and England’s Sam Underhill power up the back row while Van Graan’s ability to bring the best out of his players appears to be improving. Exciting times lie ahead: opening fixtures against Northampton and Leicester will set the tone.
Last season 2nd Predicted finish this season 1st Key player Sam Underhill
Bristol
Pat Lam’s side have been hampered by inconsistency in recent seasons but when the attack clicks they are unplayable. The stop-start nature of progress under the former Samoa international makes them hard to predict but fans will feel some tangible progress, such as when they lifted the Challenge Cup in 2019-20, is overdue. They may struggle to challenge sides that finished above them last season (Saints, Bath, Sale, Saracens) while Quins and Leicester will aim to outstrip the Bears this time. Regarding the financial pressure being felt by Premiership clubs, Bristol’s chief operating officer, Tom Tainton, told the BBC last month: “It has been a really challenging time and we can’t continue down this path … this is a key time for professional rugby and it’s probably at a crossroads commercially.” Bristol are far from alone in finding life difficult and Tainton’s honesty should be welcomed.
Last season 5th Predicted finish this season 9th Key player Ellis Genge
Exeter
Rob Baxter’s coaching savvy was on display last season when an inexperienced, much-changed squad pulled off some heartening results domestically and in Europe. Finishing seventh in the Premiership was ultimately a disappointment as it was all to play for during the run-in. But that arguably reflects the progress made within a young playing group, expertly handled by the league’s longest-serving senior coach, and invigorated by the resurgence of England’s Henry Slade. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Slade will miss the opening months of the season after a shoulder operation while the Wales captain, Dafydd Jenkins, is also sidelined after knee and shoulder surgery. Sandy Park is no longer the fortress of a few seasons ago and another campaign of rebuilding, rather than challenging at the top of the table, would seem likely.
Last season 7th Predicted finish this season 8th Key player Dafydd Jenkins
Gloucester
Lifting last season’s Challenge Cup would have constituted more than a bonus for George Skivington’s men – they were overwhelmed by the Sharks in May’s final – but it would arguably have papered over some worrying cracks. Consistency across the league season must be the aim in what feels like a make-or-break year for Skivington, a talented coach who has seen some of the goodwill of his early days at Kingsholm evaporate due to the team’s frustrating erraticism. The wing Christian Wade – who has done his time in the NFL – has arrived from Racing 92 after Louis Rees-Zammit’s shock departure to chase his own gridiron dream. Wade says he wants a title as well as the Premiership’s all-time tries record, but his presence will be little more than cosmetic if Skivington cannot get the engine room firing every week and mount a proper assault on the playoffs.
Last season 9th Predicted finish this season 7th Key player Zach Mercer
Harlequins
You’ve heard the one about Quins’ DNA: scintillating attacking, high-tariff offloading and all that jazz. But the director of rugby, Billy Millard, and his coaching team know trying to score more than the opposition is rarely a recipe for sustained success, and the quality of Harlequins’ defence will determine whether they repeat the memorable triumph of 2020-21. The dynamism of André Esterhuizen will be missed in midfield but the evergreen full-back Leigh Halfpenny, 35, has arrived to bolster a back division commanded by the even more evergreen scrum-half Danny Care, 37. Nick Evans is firmly embedded as attack coach after last year’s dalliance with England: supporters of the national side and Quins alike will hope Marcus Smith’s journey to being a well-rounded Test fly-half can be completed. Will Collier has joined Castres but the young England internationals Fin Baxter, a prop, and back-row Chandler Cunningham-South have plenty of improvement left in them.
Last season 6th Predicted finish this season 6th Key player Marcus Smith
1st Bath
2nd Saracens
3rd Northampton
4th Leicester
5th Sale
6th Harlequins
7th Gloucester
8th Exeter
9th Bristol
10th Newcastle
Leicester
“I want this to be my best coaching yet,” Michael Cheika said on arrival at Welford Road in June. If he achieves that aim the Tigers’ rivals should be concerned because the Australian’s CV has plenty going for it. His record at Leinster, NSW Waratahs, Australia and Argentina speaks for itself. But in his peripatetic career Cheika has somehow come to resemble rugby union’s José Mourinho – a brilliant yet highly demanding and temperamental coach whose old-school methods risk becoming outmoded. Does he have the materials to put Leicester back on top? The former Argentina head coach has a strong relationship with Julián Montoya and he will relish working with players such as George Martin, Tommy Reffell and Freddie Steward. The Springbok back-row Jasper Wiese has gone to Japan, but if Cheika brings the best from a talented squad, and gets the best from himself, they will be dangerous.
Last season 8th Predicted finish this season 4th Key player George Martin
Newcastle
They lost 18 out of 18 last season and finished 27 points behind second-bottom Gloucester. The director of rugby, Steve Diamond, says things will be different this time and believes an emphasis on fitness in pre-season will improve discipline, making the Falcons harder to beat. Given Diamond’s experience there are grounds for optimism and, from a holistic perspective, Newcastle improving would benefit the Premiership’s reputation. The suspension of relegation was a bad look for the sport given the absence of the drama, in so many matches, that should be a prerequisite for elite sport. But a team propping up the table, so far from being competitive with the rest of the pack, is even worse. Simply having the chance of a fresh start plus the potential of the former Sale and Leicester fly-half, Kieran Wilkinson – along with the lightning pace of the wing Adam Radwan – are reasons to be cheerful.
Last season 10th Predicted finish this season 10th Key player Jamie Blamire
Northampton
The list of Premiership winners in the past five years is as follows: Exeter, Harlequins, Leicester, Saracens, Northampton. Not since Sarries in 2018-19 have a club defended the title and you may wonder how anyone would deal with a Courtney Lawes-shaped hole in their pack. The Saints finished on the same points as Bath last season, when only six points separated the top five. They richly deserved their title but, down to the closing moments of the final against 14-man Bath, the margins were tight. It will be interesting to see how the new Professional Game Partnership – the deal between the Rugby Football Union and clubs – shakes down in reality and whether it risks putting clubs with more England players at a disadvantage. Alex Mitchell’s energy and vision at scrum-half has deservedly made him England’s No 1 but recent history suggests Saints may not repeat their title trick.
Last season 1st Predicted finish this season 3rd Key player Alex Mitchell
Sale
June’s semi-final defeat at Bath could have gone either way and Alex Sanderson, whose side finished third last term, will be plotting a path to next summer’s final. In May, the forward-thinking coach signed a new three-year deal in the year Sale celebrate 25 years as the Sharks rather than plain old Sale FC. Manu Tuilagi has left for Bayonne, while Waisea Nayacalevu has crossed the Channel in the opposite direction from Toulon, one of few notable names to arrive in the Premiership in the summer rather than leave it. A mid-season dip in form proved costly last time but there is no reason to believe Sale cannot continue to add up to more than the sum of their parts: especially with the incomparable George Ford orchestrating the attack from fly-half. The Sharks stalwart Sam James has joined Racing 92; academy product Will Addison is back after six years with Ulster.
Last season 3rd Predicted finish this season 5th Key player George Ford
Saracens
Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, indulged in a customary mention of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, that is) when announcing Maro Itoje as Owen Farrell’s successor as captain. “From his early days in our academy, at 14 years old, we all knew we were witnessing the development of someone special,” McCall said. “Maro has Saracens in his DNA.” The 29-year-old England second-row has been back to his destructive best for a while and, with Mako Vunipola leaving the StoneX alongside Farrell, Itoje’s leadership skills will be tested in the coming months. With players such as Jamie George, Ben Earl, and Elliot Daly, though, Saracens’ squad is not exactly short on big-game experience, while there is a welcome return for the Wales prop Rhys Carré. The 2022-23 champions are another side to have lost more marquee names than they have gained but Farrell or no Farrell, McCall’s teams are always competitive.
Last season 4th Predicted finish this season 2nd Key player Ben Earl
