The top six most influential, impactful signings in this season's Gallagher Premiership
As the 2018/19 Gallagher Premiership season begins to wind down, it is a time of reflection for the clubs not preparing for a post-season adventure in the playoffs.
It’s been a season in which a number of promising youngsters have broken out and there have been plenty of highlight performances from players at all 12 clubs, but what about the new additions to the competition?
A raft of new signings were brought in for the season from all corners of the rugby-playing world and many of them have had debut seasons to remember in the Premiership.
We have counted down our top six additions of the 2018/19 season, based on the level of their play and the impact they have had on their new teams.
Honourable Mentions
Before we get into the top six, just a few words for some of the players who were right on the cusp of making it.
Up front, John Afoa, Christian Judge and Zurab Zhvania have all shone, helping anchor their respective scrums, whilst back rowers Alex Dombrandt and Guy Thompson have also been very valuable additions.
Dan Biggar has transitioned well to life at Franklin’s Gardens, Piers O’Conor has thrived at Bristol Bears and Ruaridh McConnochie has been a steal from sevens, with the wing showing his worth when Semesa Rokoduguni, Anthony Watson and Joe Cokanasiga were all unavailable for Bath. Charles Piutau has flashed his unquestioned ability, too, although an injury-plagued season meant he falls short of the top six.
In at six is Springbok international Mostert, whose play alongside Ed Slater this season has never fallen short of superb. He has brought physicality, energy and technical skill to the Gloucester engine room and he has been a pivotal part of the Cherry and Whites becoming a more consistent side.
He arrived late, due to his Super Rugby and international commitments, so it is even further to his credit that he’s been able to get to this level without a proper offseason, nor a full season in the Premiership. He has made himself a lynchpin in this new-look Gloucester side.
Naiyaravoro’s season hasn’t been without its lows, that include some moments in defence that he would want to have back, but his attacking play has been sublime, even bordering on unplayable at times. A general rule of thumb this season for Saints has been that when Naiyaravoro goes well, the rest of the team will go well, with very few opposition wingers having an answer on defence for the Australian.
His physical carrying and refined offloading have not only seen him score plenty of tries himself, they have also opened up the game for Saints and created plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates. If Northampton and Chris Boyd can help him become slightly more consistent in defence, they will be confident he can help spearhead and sustain their charge back up the table.
It’s a shame that injury has curtailed Earle’s campaign, with the rapid wing having been in the mix to top the Premiership try charts this season. The move to Quins has seen Earle thrive as a regular in the starting XV, something which eluded him at Saracens, and the subsequent confidence and form he has gained has helped propel Quins into a dogfight for the final playoff spot.
Alongside Joe Marchant and Marcus Smith in the club’s back line, Earle’s speed has helped make the unit one of the toughest to defend in the competition and he has begun to realise the potential he promised when he came through the England U20s side. Once his rehabilitation is done, Quins will be hoping for even more from their man next season.
How valuable has Weir’s unerring boot been for Worcester and their battle against relegation this season? His level of play for Warriors has been consistently high and he has been the swing factor in a number of matches, not just securing his side important wins, but also picking up the odd bonus point here and there.
His current tally of 188 points is just three less than the league-leading George Ford’s, with two games in the regular season left to go. His impact has not all been with the boot, either, as he has dovetailed nicely with Francois Hougaard in the half-backs and regularly been able to unleash the talents of Bryce Heem and Josh Adams out wide.
- Danny Cipriani, Gloucester
You need no more evidence for this selection than the fact that Gloucester have gone out and renegotiated Cipriani’s contract, handing him a lucrative extension in order to keep him at Kingsholm. Cipriani’s bravery on the gain-line has brought the best out of both Mark Atkinson and Billy Twelvetrees this season in the Gloucester midfield.
He has been unlucky not win an England recall after impressing in South Africa last summer, but that has only maximised his importance to Johan Ackermann and the impact he has been able to have on the playoff-bound side. His playmaking ability as a first receiver has been second to none in the Premiership this season and his almost-languid style should see him continue to thrive in this role for a few more seasons yet.
- Harry Thacker, Bristol Bears
It would have taken a gutsy pundit to bet on this man topping these rankings at the beginning of the season, amid the likes of Piutau, Mostert and Cipriani all setting up with new clubs. The hooker is entirely deserving of this spot, though, as his dynamic play in the loose has been tailormade to what Pat Lam is putting together at Bristol.
It’s not just the play in the loose, where he has obviously thrived, but his lineout work has also been very consistent and whilst the Bristol scrum won’t be held up as one of the top two or three units in the competition, it has certainly held its own. Although Lam recently stated that the All Blacks would look at Thacker if he were a Kiwi, an England call-up doesn’t feel as though it’s on the agenda and that is something which should only see his importance to Bristol grow over the coming seasons.
WATCH: The Academy – Part Three
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
1 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to comments