The best XV of Gallagher PREM signings ahead of the 2026/2027 season

Between now and the end of the year, all (fingers crossed on Fehi Fineanganofo) of these players will be arriving at their new Gallagher PREM clubs, and we feel they will be the best signings ahead of the 2025-2026 season.

Two positions were difficult to fill, so we have gone with Malik Faissal and Zack Henry. This is only based on our opinion.

15- George Furbank (Northampton Saints to Harlequins)
This is a real statement signing from Harlequins, who have been focusing on retaining their big names but have hit the jackpot by luring Furbank away from the Gallagher Prem champions, who will become a second playmaker, easing the burden on Marcus Smith’s shoulders, and he will also bring some more leadership that Quins have lacked.

14 – Malik Faissal (Zebre Parma to Northampton Saints)
Saints have done very well with Italian signings Edoardo Todaro and Danilo Fischetti, and they will be hoping that they have hit the jackpot once again. Faissal, according to Phil Dowson, has got speed and the ability to win the ball in the air, which has become an increasingly vital skill in the last couple of years.

13 – Joe Marchant (Stade Français to Sale Sharks)
Is coming back to stake a claim for the 2027 World Cup and can play on either wing, which is where he scored three tries in his last three appearances for Stade before they were beaten in the Top 14 semi-finals by Montpellier. A Prem winner with Harlequins, he will sprinkle some stardust on the Sharks attack.

12 – Dallas McLeod (Crusaders to Exeter Chiefs)
Brought in by Exeter to replace Len Ikitau and Will Rigg, but the one-cap All Black has played as much at outside centre in recent times, and can play on the wing where Rob Baxter is pretty well covered. He will bring experience and consistency to the party and is likely to be a very astute acquisition.

11 – Fehi Fineanganofo (Hurricanes to Newcastle Red Bulls)
Will he be seen in a Red Bulls jersey next season, or won’t he, after winning his first All Blacks cap on the back of a brilliant record-breaking Super Rugby campaign, scoring 17 tries, including one in the final win over the Chiefs? Potentially could have the impact that Va’aiga Tuigamala had at the club.

10- Zack Henry (Stade Français to Newcastle Red Bulls)
This is not an easy position to select, as there aren’t many fly-halves on the move this summer. Louie Sinclair is moving from the Cornish Pirates to Bristol Bears, and Sam Harris is stepping out of Finn Russell’s shadow at Bath to move to Exeter, being the other options. He has much to prove after only playing four times last season.

9- Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks to Newcastle Red Bulls)
Quirke’s decision to leave his boyhood club came undoubtedly as a shock to the Sharks, but his career has failed to kick on due to injury problems over the last few seasons. If he can stay fit, he will be a massive asset for the Red Bulls’ bid to haul themselves away from the foot of the Prem table.

1 – Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers to Sale Sharks)
Narrowly edges out the old war horse and his replacement at Welford Road, Mako Vunipola, after an outstanding campaign with the Tigers that saw him named in the Prem Team of the Season. His aggressive and highly technical scrummaging has caused the Sharks problems, so Alex Sanderson went out and signed him.

2 – Dewi Lake (Ospreys to Gloucester)
The Wales captain is an explosive ball-carrying leader and is an elite-level signing for Gloucester, and it won’t be long before he is a key defensive enforcer for George Skivington, a key area for them to improve upon next season after finishing fourth in the table of Prem teams conceding the most points last season.

3 – Sampie Swiegers (Pumas to Harlequins)
Not a household name even in South Africa, but impressed Rassie Erasmus enough to secure him an invitation to a Springbok Alignment Camp and in 2025 was named the Pumas Currie Cup Forward of the Year. Jason Gilmore says he is a project player and gets the chance to learn from one of the best tightheads, Adam Jones.

4- Jean Kleyn (Munster to Gloucester)
The World Cup winner who switched back to South Africa after being overlooked by Andy Farrell is a physically imposing player known for his set-piece strength, which is a key focus of current coaching trends. He was highly rated at Munster by Paul O’Connell for his work rate, which is some endorsement.

5- George Martin (Leicester Tigers to Saracens)
Appeared to be heading to Sale Sharks but was tempted to North London. He spent 14 months on the sidelines waiting for nerves in his shoulder to heal. An old-school style enforcer who knows Maro Itoje well from their time with England. Could be one of the signings of the decade if the shoulder holds up.

6 – Max Hicks (Perpignan to Newcastle Red Bulls)
Yes, another Newcastle signing, but they have made 22 so far, and without that this list might not have happened. The Kiwi is coming off a pretty decent season with Perpignan, who were generally a mess, and he can operate anywhere in the back five of the scrum, so is really the Swiss army knife of a signing.

7 – Jac Morgan (Ospreys to Gloucester)
The engine of the Wales team and a genuine world-class back rower known as a “turnover king” who is also a tenacious ball-carrier, and the Cherry and Whites were very quick to take advantage of the financial troubles in Welsh rugby to tempt him and Lake across the Severn Bridge and he is a massive upgrade to the squad.

8 – Aaron Wainwright (Dragons to Leicester Tigers)
It was a very close-run thing between Wainwright and Alfie Barbeary to make this team, and at the end of the campaign either of them could easily be in the team of the season. A latecomer to rugby after being rejected by Cardiff City but has turned into one of the most dynamic players in the modern Welsh era.