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The 2022-23 Gallagher Premiership season kicks off on Friday with a west country derby between Bristol and Bath at Ashton Gate.
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It is the 26th Premiership campaign, and 11-time champions Leicester will defend the crown they won after a thrilling Twickenham final against Saracens.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the 13 runners and riders, including player signings and departures.
Bath
Ground: Recreation Ground
Head of rugby: Johann van Graan
Last season: 13th
Title odds: 50-1
Players in: Niall Annett (Worcester), Matt Gallagher, Chris Cloete (both Munster), Louis Schreuder (Newcastle), Dave Attwood (Bristol), Piers Francis, JJ Tonks (both Northampton), Wesley White (Jersey), GJ van Velze (Tel Aviv Heat), Quinn Roux (Toulon), Michael Etete (Leeds).
Players out: Taulupe Faletau (Bath), Semesa Rokoduguni (Montauban), Anthony Watson (Leicester), Max Clark (Dragons), Valery Morozov (Worcester), Tian Schoeman (Newcastle), Jacques du Toit (Zebre Parma), Ollie Fox (Ealing), Danny Cipriani, Tom Prydie (both released).
Bristol Bears
Ground: Ashton Gate
Rugby director Pat Lam
Last season: 10th
Title odds: 20-1
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Players in: Ellis Genge (Leicester), AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Gabriel Ibitoye (Tel Aviv Heat), Richard Lane (Bedford).
Players out: Dave Attwood (Bath), John Afoa (Vannes), Antoine Frisch (Munster), Tiff Eden (Zebre Parma), Alapati Leiua (Waikato), Mitch Eadie, Niyi Adeolokun, Nathan Hughes (all released).
Exeter Chiefs
Ground: Sandy Park
Rugby director: Rob Baxter
Last season: 7th
Title odds: 5-1
Players in: Jack Dunne, Rory O’Loughlin (both Leinster), Solomone Kata (Moana Pasifika), Aidon Davis (Cheetahs), Ruben van Heerden (Sharks).
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Players out: Sam Skinner (Edinburgh), Jonny Hill, Tom O’Flaherty (both Sale Sharks), Will Witty (Perpignan), Alfie Petch, Aaron Hinkley (both Northampton), Sean Lonsdale (Dragons), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Benetton), Don Armand (retired).
Gloucester
Ground: Kingsholm
Head coach: George Skivington
Last season: 5th
Title odds: 16-1
Players in: Albert Tuisue (London Irish).
Players out: Jason Woodward (Sale Sharks), Will Britton, Olly Adkins, Seb Nagle-Taylor (all Cornish Pirates), Toby Venner (Jersey), Jack Stanley (released), Ed Slater (retired).
Harlequins
Ground: Twickenham Stoop
Head coach: Tabai Matson
Last season: 3rd
Title odds: 6-1
Players in: Irne Herbst (Benetton), Charlie Matthews (Kamaishi Seawaves).
Players out: Hugh Tizard (Saracens), Huw Jones (Glasgow), Christian Scotland-Williamson (released), Matt Symons, Joe Gray (both retired).
Leicester Tigers
Ground: Mattioli Woods Welford Road
Head coach: Steve Borthwick
Last season: Champions
Title odds: 7-2
Players in: Handre Pollard (Montpellier), Anthony Watson (Bath), Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps), James Cronin (Biarritz), Phil Cokanasiga, Olly Cracknell (both London Irish), Joe Taufete’e (LA Giltinis), Lachlan Shelley (Eastwood), Tom Horton (NSW Waratahs).
Players out: Ellis Genge (Bristol), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Matias Moroni (Newcastle), Marco van Staden (released), Jaco Taute (retired).
London Irish
Ground: Gtech Community Stadium
Rugby director: Declan Kidney
Last season: 8th
Title odds: 33-1
Players in: Api Ratuniyarawa (Northampton), Isaac Miller (Worcester), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma), Luca Morisi (Benetton), Joe Powell (Melbourne Rebels).
Players out: Albert Tuisue (Gloucester), Terrence Hepetema (Grenoble), Steve Mafi (Oyonnax), George Nott (Dragons), Phil Cokanasiga. Olly Cracknell (both Leicester), Allan Dell (Glasgow), Nick Phipps (released), Sean O’Brien (retired).
Newcastle Falcons
Ground: Kingston Park
Head coach: Dave Walder
Last season: 12th
Title odds: 150-1
Players in: Tian Schoeman (Bath), Matias Moroni (Leicester), Josh Thomas (Ospreys), Sebastian de Chaves (Austin Gilgronis).
Players out: Louis Schreuder (Bath), Will Haydon-Wood (Wasps), Marco Fuser (Massy), Joel Hodgson (Glasgow), Mike Brown, Luther Burrell, Kyle Cooper, Ollie Lindsay-Hague (all released).
Northampton Saints
Ground: cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Rugby director: Phil Dowson
Last season: 4th
Title odds: 14-1
Players in: Callum Braley (Benetton), Ethan Waller (Worcester), Angus Scott-Young (Queensland Reds), Aaron Hinkley, Alfie Petch (both Exeter).
Players out: Teimana Harrison (Provence), Piers Francis, JJ Tonks (both Bath), Nick Auterac (Edinburgh), Api Ratuniyarawa (London Irish), Taqele Naiyaravoro (released), Tom Wood (retired).
Sale Sharks
Ground: AJ Bell Stadium
Rugby director: Alex Sanderson
Last season: 6th
Title odds: 17-2
Players in: George Ford (Leicester), Jonny Hill, Tom O’Flaherty (both Exeter), Jason Woodward (Gloucester).
Players out: Faf de Klerk (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Lood de Jager (Saitama Wild Knights), AJ MacGinty (Bristol), JP du Preez (Glasgow), Curtis Langdon, Cameron Neild (both Worcester), Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Sharks, South Africa), Simon Hammersley (retired).
Saracens
Ground: StoneX Stadium
Rugby director: Mark McCall
Last season: Runners-up
Title odds: 15-8
Players in: Hugh Tizard (Harlequins), Christian Judge (Worcester), Eduardo Bello (Zebre Parma), James Flynn (Jersey).
Players out: Vincent Koch (Wasps), Sean Reffell (Ulster), Richard Barrington (Agen), Elliott Obatoyinbo (released), Tim Swinson (retired).
Wasps
Ground: Coventry Building Society Arena
Head coach: Lee Blackett
Last season: 9th
Title odds: 20-1
Players in: Vincent Koch (Saracens), John Ryan (Munster), Will Haydon-Wood (Newcastle), Burger Odendaal (Lions), Kiran McDonald (Glasgow).
Players out: Thomas Young (Cardiff), Vaea Fifita (Scarlets), Malakai Fekitoa (Munster), Jimmy Gopperth (Leicester), Jeff Toomaga-Allen (Ulster), Michael Le Bourgeois (Bedford), Marcus Watson (Benetton), Pieter Scholtz (Bayonne), James Gaskell, Rob Miller (both released).
Worcester Warriors
Ground: Sixways
Rugby director: Steve Diamond
Last season: 11th
Title odds: 200-1
Players in: Curtis Langdon, Cameron Neild (both Sale Sharks), Fergus Lee-Warner, Santiago Medrano (both Western Force), Hame Faiva (Benetton), Valery Morozov (Bath), Renato Giammarioli (Zebre Parma).
Players out: Ethan Waller (Northampton), Niall Annett (Bath), Sione Vailanu (Glasgow), Christian Judge (Saracens), Isaac Miller (London Irish), Melani Nanai (Bay of Plenty), Sam Lewis (released), Matt Garvey (retired).
Comments on RugbyPass
He was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
34 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to comments