Seven's and a pre-season view Part 1

The sun is shining, photos are being tweeted about holidays and the Sevens are back in town. This only means one thing.
We are less than a month from the new Aviva Premiership season! -pauses for excited applause.- Yes, that time of year where the club shirts are shaken from the wardrobe and fondly gazed at nostalgically. And why not? Last season saw one of the most competitive contests since the sport went pro, rightly fought for until the end. Perhaps the true cause for England's issues in the summer against the All Blacks, a long hard season by all involved culminating in a tough contest against the world number 1's as a warm up for the Rugby Championship.
But I digress, this is not a wistful look back to what could have been. More an keen anticipation for the next year, in three parts. Before I start, I feel I should introduce myself. I am Luke, trainee maths teacher, and East Midlands Referee. Long time supporters of Northampton Saints and an ex player of Northampton Old Scouts. I like to look at how the matches are going over the entire of the Premiership and across the world, for rugby is more than a sport. It is a way of life.
The first of my three part series is the sevens, and then a split eye cast over the twelve premiership clubs. This year is a huge one for rugby in England. A World Cup around the corner, 12 teams with players from all nationalities willing to impress themselves into the minds of their national coaches for the World Cup. With transfers abundant, both on and off the pitch, this years premiership could not come sooner.
Our first step into pre-season, though, comes with the first instalment of the Premiership Sevens series, featuring (for the first time ever) the Welsh regions. The renamed BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park (formerly... Cardiff Arms Park) was the host for the first leg of the Sevens and, fair play to the Welsh supporters. They put on a brave face in the light of a civil war fire still burning merrily away behind the scenes and over the road. The record score was set by the Scarlets against the Ospreys, and Cardiff and the Newport Dragons qualify for the final at the Twickenham Stoop in a fortnight. All in all, throughly entertaining rugby played on an artificial pitch. However, and this is a biggy, it perhaps wasn't as anticipated as it should have been. In my opinion, the organisers should have opened the series on the Friday, the night before, because, as will always rightly be the case, the Commonwealth games Sevens overshadowed it. BT and the BBC could have used this opportunity to work together, using the Welsh pool to introduce spectators to 7's before the main event on Saturday and Sunday.
Next week is the turn of Kingsholm, Franklin's Gardens and Darlington to host the fourteen minutes of madness per game. Hopefully learning from last year, the cellars are well stocked with cider for the rugby mad, and generally mad, supporters. With the squads unannounced at the time of writing, I have only previous form and wild speculation to go on. My predictions to join the Dragons and Blues at the Stoop are Gloucester and Bath, Northampton and Harlequins, and Leicester and Sale. These may change once teams are selected but for now, I trust the depths of these six teams and the academy's they run.
Gloucester have so many speedy players, May, Cook, Sharples, and so many young players wanting to make their mark with the new coaching team, it would be hard not to expect big things from the current champions. Bath likewise have a young squad of speedsters. Anthony Watson, as an example, particularly after seeing his brother excell in the Commonwealth and following the departure of Nick Abendanon, will be looking to cement his place in the first XV.
Over on Northampton, expected first team players to take to the shortened form, such as Tom Collins, his namesake Stephenson, and the recent man of the tournament from the Bury St. Edmonds 7's, Cam Dolan, will likely lead the way, the two Tom's using their experience in the Premiership and U20's World Cup. Harlequins are looking at Charlie Walker, Ollie Limdsay-Hague and even maybe Luke Wallace as their go-to men for the tournament, using pace and skill to win over Saracens and Wasps to get a home draw for the final.
Finally, Leicester are the beaten finalists from last year, and desperate to claw back some pride for Welford road. After losing out to Gloucester a year ago, Geordan Murphy will inevitably take command of his troops again to push them one step further. Sale, Newcastle and London Welsh will all contest fiercely, but I feel Sale have a stronger basis for their claim. Their press for the top table of Europe last year is definitive of big things from Sale, and their youngsters will want to take the place of those who left for new pastures.
All in all, next week's sevens promises to be an entertaining few days!