Written by Matt Brown
📸 @premrugby
Friday night marks the return of Gallagher PREM rugby as the new season kicks off.
There is plenty of new talent around the league, as well as a plethora of experienced players, all of whom will be determined to lift the title at Allianz Stadium in June.
It all kicks off with Harlequins hosting Bath at Twickenham Stoop, while defending champions Northampton Saints welcome Newcastle Red Bulls to Franklin’s Gardens. Both games kick off at 19:45 on Friday night.
Saturday sees Exeter face Gloucester at Sandy Park before Bristol Bears travel north to take on Sale Sharks. The weekend finishes with Leicester Tigers playing host to Saracens at Welford Road.
So, how are the clubs shaping up?
Bath
Bath have lost prop Thomas du Toit, but they welcome back Jamie Bhatti, who had a stint with the club a few years ago. Dan du Preez also signs from Sale Sharks.
Most importantly, they’ve still got maverick Finn Russell, who can control a game with ease, as well as several other key players across the pitch.
Bath lost to Exeter in the play-offs last season and they’ll be desperate to get back to the top seat once again.
Bristol Bears
It is somewhat of a strange time to be a Bears fan. The club haven’t necessarily strengthened too much in the off-season, but they’ve also not really become weaker either.
The biggest loss for Pat Lam’s side is probably James Dun, with the second row moving to Harlequins. However, they still have Joe Batley, as well as Josh Caulfield, who rejoins the club following a period away with Ealing Trailfinders.
Bears are a side that could find themselves pushing for the top four, but could also be a side struggling down towards the bottom of the table. They’ll be reliant on some of their key names, such as Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit.
Exeter Chiefs
Times are changing in Devon. Tony Rowe is still on the board, but ‘Black Knight’ are now the owners.
Rob Baxter’s side reached the final last season, losing to Northampton Saints, and they’ll be keen to make a swift return to Allianz Stadium in June.
Len Ikitau and Josh Hodge have left the club, as have Scott Sio and Christ Tshiunza, but overall the Chiefs squad remains a fairly strong one.
Centre Henry Slade will likely have a new partner in Dallas McLeod, who has signed from the Crusaders in New Zealand, while Manny Feyi-Waboso will surely continue to impress on the wing.
The pressure may be slightly ramped up on Rob Baxter under the new ownership, who will be expecting big things. However, given his history with the club, there are very few DORs you’d trust more to get the job done.
Gloucester
The Cherry and Whites have done a brilliant recruitment job ahead of the new season.
Scrum-half Dan Robson signs from French side Pau, while Welsh duo Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan move across from Ospreys. They’ve also added 6ft 8in second row Jean Kleyn from Munster.
Tomos Williams has departed for Saracens, which is a real loss for Gloucester given just how integral he’d been for them in recent seasons. However, the signing of former Wasp Robson will be sure to soften the blow, especially as he’s already a well-known figure at the club, having spent time there previously at the start of his career.
There are still questions about whether George Skivington is the right head coach and, with Gloucester being amongst the longest odds for the title, it seems many have already made their minds up that the Kingsholm side will be towards the bottom end of the table.
However, if things click, Gloucester could be serious dark horses for the top four, especially if Robson and Charlie Atkinson can link up in the way they previously did for Wasps.
Harlequins
Quins are arguably one of the hardest teams to predict ahead of the new season. They finished ninth last season, picking up six wins and 12 defeats from their 18 games.
They’ve signed George Furbank from Northampton, but other than that they’ve not done too much to strengthen the side. Twenty-two-year-old Zimbabwe international Ed Siguake has also added some potential firepower to the back line; however, overall, it’s not a particularly strong squad in terms of depth.
Marcus Smith will be an integral part of the side once again, but he’ll certainly need some help if Quins are to avoid being dragged into a basement battle.
Leicester Tigers
Tigers reached the play-offs last season to the surprise of many, and it’s hard to see them being outside the top six come the end of the upcoming season.
They’ve lost a few big names, including George Martin and Hanro Liebenberg, who have moved to Saracens and the Bulls respectively. Prop Nicky Smith has also left the club, moving to Sale Sharks.
But Leicester have recruited well and recruited smartly by bringing in some experienced players. Aaron Wainwright has signed from Dragons to fill the gap left by Liebenberg, while Elliott Stooke will bring added depth and quality to the second row to replace Martin.
Mako Vunipola also returns to the Premiership following a stint in France and he will prove to be an adequate replacement for Smith in the front row.
In other good news for Tigers fans, fly-half Billy Searle has extended his stay at Welford Road following a brilliant season in which he scored 109 points, putting him ahead of Finn Russell and Saracens’ Fergus Burke.
Tigers have serious potential and could certainly challenge for a play-off place once again. It’s just a case of whether they can go that step further than last time out.
Newcastle Red Bull
The regular basement club are a fascinating one to look at going into the new campaign. They had a mass clear-out but have since gone on a real recruitment drive.
Multi-cap All Black Hoskins Sotutu and former British & Irish Lion Chris Harris have joined, as have props Tom West and Elliot Millar-Mills, plus Rus Tuima in the back row and scrum-half Raffi Quirke.
But the best signing the Red Bulls have made has to be former South Africa Sevens star Werner Kok, with the winger signing from Irish club Ulster. The 33-year-old brings experience and pace to a side that already boasts Christian Wade in its squad.
Newcastle are widely tipped to be at the bottom of the table again, but given the recruitment they’ve done, it would be no real shock if they managed to find their way higher up the table. Don’t expect them to be a top-four club just yet, though.
Northampton Saints
Top of the table and overall winners, Saints had a brilliant 2025/26 season and it was no less than they deserved due to the superb brand of rugby they consistently displayed.
Fly-half Fin Smith is still young, but he’s already showing just how good he is, while Tommy Freeman has extended his stay at Franklin’s Gardens and remains a vital part of the team.
Alex Mitchell remains a superb scrum-half, but he’s now got competition through Archie McParland, who was nominated for Breakthrough Player of the Year back in May.
In the biggest ‘will they, won’t they?’ since Ross and Rachel (ask your parents), Northampton and Henry Pollock are staying united. The 21-year-old has signed a new deal after months of speculation, with the deal supposedly worth upwards of £400k – all after his agency manager, Eddie Hearn, suggested Pollock could eventually be on a deal worth around £1 million.
Saints haven’t done too much business in terms of players coming in, but in truth, they haven’t really needed to.
It’s clear to many that they’ll be in the top four once again this season. The question is: can they retain their crown?
Sale Sharks
The North West’s finest: northern grit with a tough defence.
Alex Sanderson’s side finished sixth in the league last year, with fewer wins than ninth-placed Harlequins but more points scored than third-placed Exeter Chiefs, and they’ll be looking to do better this time around.
Raffi Quirke has moved on, as have Dan and Rob du Preez, but Sale have made some high-quality signings.
Joe Marchant has signed from Stade Français as he looks for a potential England call-up ahead of the World Cup next year. Alex Lozowski has moved north from Saracens and is joined by Welsh trio Nicky Smith (prop, Leicester Tigers), Tomas Francis (prop, Provence) and Christ Tshiunza (back row, Exeter Chiefs).
The biggest signing, however, is former England international and ex-Northampton Saint Courtney Lawes, who returns to the Gallagher PREM after a stint in France with Brive.
On paper, this Sale squad is nasty and in your face, but there’s also a real element of skill and genius from the likes of George Ford.
If they can keep players fit and make home a fortress, there’s no reason they can’t upset the apple cart and force their way into the top four. They’re certainly ones to keep a close eye on.
Saracens
Every good story needs its villain, and that’s where Sarries come in.
The ‘original club of north London’ are the club everyone loves to hate and, quite frankly, these boys absolutely thrive off that. Even their social media team love adding a bit of fuel to the fire now and then.
But times are changing at Saracens. Mark McCall is no longer in charge; it’s now South African Brendan Venter, who led the club between 2009 and 2011 – including a memorable post-match interview where he offered very few answers other than to give three cheers for Sireli Bobo.
The Londoners have seen a few players leave the club following the end of last season, including the huge loss of England’s Tom Willis, who has opted to return to Bordeaux-Bègles in France.
But they’ve also signed well. George Martin joins from Leicester Tigers to fill the gap left by Samoan Theo McFarland, who has joined La Rochelle. Tomos Williams signs to add extra quality at scrum-half, while Willis is replaced by his former Wasps teammate Alfie Barbeary, who leaves Bath in search of regular game time.
Saracens should be in the top four and realistically should be comfortably in there, but it remains to be seen just how high they can go, especially when competing with the likes of Northampton and Bath, who have won the last two Premiership titles.
However, they boast a squad full of exciting talent, such as Noah Caluori, as well as a plethora of experience through the likes of Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje, to name just two.
Matt’s predicted table
1. Bath
2. Northampton Saints
3. Saracens
4. Sale Sharks
5. Leicester Tigers
6. Exeter Chiefs
7. Gloucester
8. Newcastle Red Bulls
9. Harlequins
Matt’s predicted final: Bath v Saracens
Matt’s predicted winner: Bath
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