Rarely has their been so much excitement ahead of a season of Premiership Rugby, and that is rightly placed with many believing there are as many as 8 contenders for the title.
The Premiership is fast becoming the dominant league in Europe, with 3 of this year's Champions Cup semi finalists belonging to England. It is doing wonders for club and international rugby in this country and with some of the star quality on show this season, we are going to be on the edge of our seats.
So without further ado lets get stuck into the predictions, starting with the side I am tipping for relegation.
12th: Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle are not really going anywhere in my opinion and haven't been since they returned to the Premiership for the 2013/14 season. They came through the relegation scrap with Irish last season, but largely have Andy Goode to thank, after he turned down the chance to start the season with Irish and joined Newcastle mid-way through it. Goode put in some huge performances in big games to give Newcastle the lift they needed to survive.
This season there is no Andy Goode, and in spite of the signing of the highly talented Veriniki Goneva, I don't believe one back can solve their problems. Against an established Worcester Warriors side and a confident Bristol one, I can't see Newcastle's survival skills stretching another season. Their move to a 3G pitch has not improved their style, and I think the team from the North East need to take a step back before they can take 2 forward, much like London Irish.
11th: Worcester Warriors
Worcester were a team that really seemed to be building nicely, after their relegation, under Dean Ryan. However he has left for a job that used to be held by Stuart Lancaster, that will see him coach the England Saxons. Opting to build from within with Carl Hogg is not a bad decision, but with no new coach to plug any hole, it just seems that Worcester have lost a great asset without gaining anything, unlike Harlequins for example, who have taken on Nick Easter and Graham Rowntree as new coaches, despite some building from within. Worcester have a good team, and the signings of Ben Te'o and Francois Houghaard will add enough to keep them up, but I can't see them moving fowards, and with most of the other teams around them progressing fast, they will have to concede a place. I doubt there will be too grave a relegation threat however.
10th: Bristol Rugby
Bristol are back, after 8 years in the wilderness of the Championship they have finally returned. They fully deserve to back in the Premiership, given the investment that has been put into their club, and the way they've played in the Championship in their long period out of the top division. I think they'll do well, they have a lot of really experienced heads such as Gavin Henson and Tom Varndell amongst others and some Pacific Island class in Soane Tonga'uhia and Jack Lam. Despite gaining some players in this transfer period, they have lost some so won't be threatening near the top, but I expect them to survive pretty comfortably. With players and leaders that will know how to see out the tight games and enough quality to earn a few upsets along the way, they'll be absolutely fine.
9th: Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester have got some quality players in their back-line and have always had that but there are some serious gaps there, and even when they've had a good squad across the board, they've always seemed to under-perform. They won't be in any relegation trouble but they aren't moving forward, and they will have to settle for the same spot they've had in the last two seasons. Losing the likes of Greig Laidlaw, Matt Scott and Johnny May during the international period will leave their back-line depleted and with a pack that will rely a lot on young players, they will not have enough quality to put up a serious top four or top six challenge.
8th: Sale Sharks
Sale exceeded their expectations as they did superbly well to qualify for the European Champions Cup, but I think things will be a bit more difficult this time around, the signings of Mike Phillips, Rob Webber and Josh Charmley will all add something but with the Champions Cup itself to worry about and the loss of Danny Cirpirani, Tommy Taylor and Tom Brady they will need to have a huge start to the season. They beat Quins and Bath to earn a Champions Cup place this year but I believe that these two will come back strong and will also be playing in the much less intense Challenge Cup. Sale will do well during the international period, where most big teams will lose a chunk of their squad, but will not quite do well enough to earn a place in that top six.
7th: Harlequins
Harlequins somewhat halted their downward spiral that had been going on since their Premiership win in 2012, but a dreadful finish to the season, (mainly down to dreadful defence) left them in 7th and with no Challenge Cup title, they will spend a second straight year in Europe's second tier. This year is huge for them. Without many new signings or new coaches (after the departure of Conor O'Shea) it's hard to see Quins progressing too much, however I believe that new boss John Kingston will not be as desperate as O'Shea to stick to the typical Quins style of play. Quins have some quality players, and they will earn some seriously big wins this season, but I think they will really struggle in the international period, as they always do. Whilst they have finally built some real, quality back up, these guys will need more than a year to properly gel into the team and I feel Quins will just miss out on a Champions Cup spot. But with the class of their starting line up, they definitely have hope qualifying for it through the play offs, so it's not all doom and gloom.
6th: Northampton Saints
Saints sneaked into the Champions Cup last year, helped by Bath's terrible start, and Quins' terrible finish. They have not added many signings, but have the huge presence of Louis Picamoles arriving. He will help to replace Samu Manoa; not having a big number 8 was a real problem for the Saints last season, so they really will benefit. There's no doubt about it, they underperformed last season, especially given that they lose a lot less players to international duty than they used to. I expect them to improve somewhat this time around but it won't be enough to get them into the play-offs, they will have to settle for a Champions Cup place, but they should be happy with that nonetheless, and will have a decent run in the tournament itself.
5th: Bath Rugby
Bath had a surprisingly poor season last year, very much down to the Burgess saga and a lack of confidence in Mike Ford, their coach. It was good for them to clear him out and bring in the new coach, Todd Blackadder. Having a fresh face looking in will help Bath, and they've got some really talented players. Toby Faletau will add more strength to the pack and they've still got some serious quality in the backline with a revitalised George Ford and Jonathan Joseph. My big concern for them is the fact they have the smallest squad in the League, and will lose a hatful of players during the international periods. 5th seems optimistic, but I see Blackadder instilling a new confidence into the team that will help them win big matches, the first round test is crucial against Northampton, we will know a lot about whether they can make a real push to challenge for the top four or if they will have a repeat of last season.
4th: Exeter Chiefs
Exeter were quite brilliant last season, they were strong, clinical and put in some cracking performances against big teams, notably their stunning 62-24 drubbing at the Stoop that earned them a home semi-final in their first ever Premiership play offs. They fell short in the final, but can be so proud of what they achieved. This season it will be a lot tougher but they've managed to retain their key players and brought in the very talented Ollie Devoto. One big benefit of having a player like Devoto is he is so talented, yet he's unlikely to play for England yet. It's something that Exeter have been superb at down the years, recruiting quality players that are just below international class, that allows them to play these players all through the season. They don't have the best squad in the League, but they will be helped by international losses to their rivals and have got a quality back line. They will earn a play off spot again and will be a big contender when it starts off.
3rd: Leicester Tigers
Tigers just seem to always make the play-offs, and with their big summer signings that will not change this year. Aaron Mauger has added excitement to their backline and now they have some genuinely world class players, especially in JP Pietersen who will finish off plenty of chances. They've gambled in that they don't have as big a squad as before (to pay for Toomua and Pietersen) but it will still be big enough and they will retain their southern hemisphere players during the international period so I think they'll be fine then. I don't see them taking teams apart week in, week out, but they'll win the tight games with what is still an abrasive pack and they'll win big games. They should comfortably make the play-offs and make a serious title challenge.
2nd: Wasps
So. Many. Signings. Wasps have made a hell of a lot of signings, with the loss of a fair few to. 13 of their Champions Cup Squad have left, and 13 have arrived. It will unsettle them, but you have to say, they have brought in some truly brilliant names. Kurtley Beale (on £775,000) per year and Willie Le Roux will add plenty of flair to their back three and Danny Cipriani and Kyle Eastmond will help to get those players going. It is such an exciting team, and if coach Dai Young can get them going, they will be a team that will run in a hell of a lot of tries. The other thing is, these four players will not be picked during the Six Nations, with the former two playing in the southern hemisphere and the latter two not in Eddie Jones' plans, so they will be able to keep their team consistently. A hugely exciting team, who will come very close this year, but will be unstoppable next year.
1st: Saracens
Not easy to put this lot top, being a Quins fan. But it's hard to see Sarries' dominance stopping. They've worked hard to start the winning process again in the summer, and keep their players highly motivated, and I can't see them dropping off. Schalk Burger replaces Jacques Burger and will add yet more brutality and experience to an unplayable forward back. Owen Farrell is in red hot form, and will deliver to finish things off for the backs, and lets not forget his kicking game, which will kill teams, pinning them back into awkward and difficult positions and even when he goes away they still have a lot of brilliant players in reserve such as Alex Lokowski. It's also important to note that they, like Exeter have a lot of class players who won't play internationally. Wasps will put up a real challenge, but Sarries will nick top spot. The question is will they win the play-offs? Not a question I can answer at this stage, but Sarries fans should expect more brutal, brilliant performances from the best drilled team I've ever seen.
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