Seven's and a Pre-season view Part 2

Now before you all start, I know the above picture is from last year. And that three of the twelve captains wont be playing in the Premiership next year, but, as this year's snapshot hasn't been taken yet, it'll have to do.
Yes, it's almost time to restart the 9 month cycle of rugby. For those of us who were not interested in the football world cup, it hasn't come soon enough! As I said in my last post, the transfer market has become a busy place in the off season, and now we're opening the books, newspapers and various emails that are supposed to be there and not the spam folder, and casting an eye forward. Easiest way to do that is alphabetically, so here we go. First off, the Rec.
Bath have been the "nearly men" of the last season. A cruel defeat at the Stoop taking away their play off ambitions. The Amlin cup should have been theirs, where it not for the obscure drop down policy within the European competition. I'm not sure yet if the new European Champions cup will have the same concept. In any event Mike Ford's men did a fantastic job last season to get to where they ended up. No small part to his son, George, last years Golden Boot, and a wonderful little try scorer himself, with fleet footwork and an eye for the lines. His form dipped slightly towards the end, but we can chalk that up to his shoulder problems. Hopefully for Bath, and England's, sakes, his form will return in the new season to boost the team in what will be a defining year for the boys in blue.
Their signings show big intentions for this year, with young, English qualified talent coming in to raise the clubs long term ambitions. The cliché thrown for Bath last year was that they are a "young team." Whilst this is true, there were some old heads in the squad that have now left. Tom Biggs, Anthony Perenise and Nick Abendanon have left for pastures new, and are replaced by Luke Arscott, Henry Thomas and, Gary Gold's biggest gamble, Sam Burgess. We aren't even sure where he'll play, be it flanker or inside centre, but he starts in October, pushing for a place in England's squad. It'll be too soon to see him in the November internationals, and maybe by the Six nations, Stuart Lancaster will be fixed in his mind who he wants in the World Cup squad. For his own sake, I hope Burgess can push into the squad and dominate, be the Sonny Bill Williams of English rugby. Add these to the current crop of youngsters, Ford, Kyle Eastmond, Anthony Watson, and Bath is going to be very exciting next year. Stuart Hooper is returning as captain, and with Francois Louw hopefully in for a full season, and Bath will be dangerous, both at home, and in Europe.

 Sandy Park is a buzz of activity for the new season. The team everyone backs (unless they're playing their home club) is getting a big stadium expansion, ready for the World Cup. One of three actual rugby stadiums in the tournament, and a huge honour for the Southern club. The LV cup champions will be longing to refind the form they had during the tournament, where they beat big name clubs Bath and Northampton. The squad hasn't changed much, in terms of their key players, the only big names leaving the club are Jason Shoemark (Hawke's Bay Magpies), Arscott (Bath) and Chris Whitehead (retired). Some of their younger players have found homes across the UK, and I'm sure we'll hear from them in the future. Dean Mumm and Rob Baxter will surely be planning for a big year to get back to Europe's top table, and their biggest signing has to be Thomas Waldrom. A Leicester fan favourite, his signature train whistle salute, he'll feel right at home with the plucky headress wearing fans of Exeter. The stability of the squad, combined with the impact Waldrom is expected to make, will give the proud Chiefs a great push for the World Cup year, drumming up support to draw crowds into the welcoming atmosphere that is a rugby family. I, for one, cannot wait to see how Exeter do next year.

 Oh Gloucester. It was all going so well. Rewind twelve months, we were all saying "top four, definitely." The egg on more than a few faces, including Martin Bayfield and myself. Not this year. This year, Gloucester have rung the changes. The coaching staff is radically different. David Humphreys and Laurie Fisher are coming in, with a whole host of changes to the squad. Most have been signatures caught by Nigel Davis, but it's a very exciting squad. Historically, Gloucester has been a forward dominated power, bullying teams into submission with their set piece. Last season, the Shed saw some incredibly talented backs, Jonny May, Rob Cook, Billy Twelvetrees, and even Freddie Burns, stifled by an unfortunate lack of power in the forwards. Not that it wasn't there. Matt Kvesic and Ben Morgan demonstrated their ability in an England shirt, as did May and Twelvetrees. Burns was one who found himself most out of sorts in Gloucester, for personal reasons regarding his decision to move to Leicester, but he would have really felt the confidence boost from the continued support of Stuart Lancaster. Whilst he found himself benched for Twelvetrees, who is intent of keeping the captains armband for next year, his new stomping ground will surely be a great place for him.
In his place, Gloucester have brought in James Hook, Aled Thomas, and promoted younger brother, Billy, from the academy, after he showed his prowess in the LV cup, made his senior debut, and helped England retain their U20's title. In the forwards division, Lions star, Richard Hibbard, and 36 times capped All Black, John Afoa, are among many who are looking to push the Cherry and Whites in the right direction. The right direction, of course, being the opposition goal line. And with backs like May, Charlie Sharples, the new fly halves, and Scotland's Greg Laidlaw,  Gloucester can certain make that push on for success next year. And with the rugby mad Shed Heads in the stands, our second World Cup hosts will be hoping to impress the world when the Japanese come to town.


 Ah the mighty Quins. A club I personally respect highly, not just for their attitude but for the class the players conduct themselves. For their captain, Chris Robshaw, to agree to sign an autograph for a Saints supporter minutes after the Amlin semi final defeat is worthy of the respect. Ditto for Connor O'Shea, a man who has brought this club back from the stained times of his predecessor. The club ethos has always been for the support of the youth, bringing players from the academy, rather than making big name signings like other clubs do. Seven new names in the senior squad list, five of them are Academy promotions, and the other two are Fijian Asaeli Tikoirotuma and England star Marland Yarde. Good luck to the BT pundits in pronouncing the former, and good luck to the later. So the upcoming season for Harlequins is going to be a challenge. With Bath and Sale now chasing them for the fourth place slot, the biggest worry, as it always is with the big clubs, is the international selection, Danny Care, Robshaw, Mike Brown, Joe Marler, and now Yarde will be certainly picked up to cross the road to Twickenham, and in their place, the younger players need to step up again. They always do, of course, but losing players of their class is never going to be easy. The reintegration of those players before Christmas and then again at the end of March is tricky, but Harlequins are very capable. I don't doubt we'll see the Quins pushing hard this season, and the double header opening at Twickenham is a great day out in anyone's book.

Leicester is a delicate subject for me. A long term Northampton supporter, who took his university education to Leicester for three years. Enduring the torment of a long streak of defeats before finally, this year, that famous win. I felt for Tigers that day. Seriously, stop laughing.  I spoke to Richard Cockerill and Toby Flood pre-match and wished them well in the game. I spoke to supporters from both clubs and shook hands after the final whistle (once I stopped cheering.) The rivalry goes deep, and it is the fiercest in club rugby. No disrespect to Bath and Gloucester, but there is no match that two sets of fans ring in big red felt tip on their calendars. This year, the gods of organisation decided to square up the East Midland giants together three times, the weekend before Christmas, a month later in the LV cup, and the last game of the regular season. Mind you, the Southern Derby is taking place the same weekends. What a weekend that will be!
Interestingly, Leicester seem to have gone Italian for their signings. Four from Benetton Treviso in Leonardo Ghiraldini, Michele Rizzo, Robert Barbieri and ultimate utility player Christian Loamanu. A player so versatile, he brings new meaning to "Wing forward." As mentioned before, Freddie Burns  is on his way, and probably on a bit of a buzz from his relative England success. His fight for the starting shirt with Owen Williams, who impressed so much last season, but for an act of indiscretion would have been on the Wales tour, will be a source of many a pub conversation. Burns has a short window to impress, during the preseason, to see how he does with Ben Youngs and David Mele, whilst Williams serves his suspension. If Burns can impress Cockerill in that time, he will have it much easier at Leicester.
Leicester's season last year was poor by their high standards, and a few former Leicester players are calling for his head. A tad much, in my opinion. Yes, they had a below standard season. They still got to the top four, lost by a point in the semifinal in an epic clash. The best news the Tigers will have had all year was the recapture of Niki Goneva after much speculation the Fijian superstar would be setting off to Castre at the end of the year. Fortunately, (or unfortunately for the rest of the Premiership) Goneva is staying put. Next season they will hopefully have their stars back at full fitness. Tom Croft, Geoff Parling, Manu Tuilangi, Dan Cole, all spent a long portion of the season in the injured pile for selectors. But with the first three making returns at the end of season, and Cole expected back before the new year, expect the roar of the Tigers to be louder this year.

 Lastly in this section, the first of our Exiles. The contradictory named London Irish. The Exiles always seem to have a bad luck streak when it comes to their best home grown players. Alex Corbisiero, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson, and now Marland Yarde, all developed in Reading, and now playing for other clubs. Now though, with an influx of funds from the new ownership, London Irish are starting to revert to the old ways, where the term "Exiles" meant something. Last year, they even found a home for an Exile from Australia, and boy, did they benefit? James O'Connor was a fantastic signing, and it's a real shame to see him off in Toulon next year. The big names for this year, the Irish Tom Court and Eoin Griffin (Ulster and Connacht), and the English Luke Narraway and Tom Guest (Perpingan and Harlequins). The scrum will be a very different beast this year, and with the stable hand of Shane Geraghty as playmaker, rule the Exiles out at your own peril. That being said, they have a tough time of it this year to avoid the relegation battle they had this year. What with Newcastle's new recruits, and London Welsh's determination not to be sent back down, it will be a tough challenge for London Irish to avoid the drop this year. There are no easy games in the Premiership, and the Exiles will certainly be hoping for a little bit of the luck of the Irish to help them on their way.