Premiership: Planet Rugby’s power rankings ahead of the new season

Colin Newboult
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Gallagher Premiership Final Leicester Tigers vs Saracens Leicester Tigers celebrates winning the Gallagher Premiership Final Twickenham Twickenham Stadium Richmond Upon Thames United Kingdom.

Ahead of an exciting new Premiership campaign, Planet Rugby ranks the teams from first to last based on a number of factors.

Leicester Tigers and Saracens will no doubt be the favourites again to reach the final while Wasps’ and Worcester Warriors’ financial struggles will hamper them.

Away from that, however, it is anyone’s game. The final two play-off places could be contested between eight or nine teams, such is the competitiveness of the league.

1) Leicester Tigers

The defending champions, as well as the league leaders from the previous campaign, Steve Borthwick’s men will be up there once again. The loss of Ellis Genge is potentially significant and the departure of George Ford is another blow, but they have at least offset the latter with the addition of South African World Cup winner Handre Pollard. Although the fly-half is currently injured, they have last season’s hero Freddie Burns and new signing Jimmy Gopperth as back-up. That should be enough to cover Pollard’s loss.

They have a strong squad throughout which Borthwick likes to utilise. One of their great strengths is the ability to rotate without having any particular drop-off, which shows that all the players know their jobs. The head coach has implemented an effective game plan that is very difficult to stop due to how efficient they are at the basics. Leicester‘s pack is big, well coached in set-piece and breakdown, and often has too much firepower for the opposition.

2) Saracens

Like Leicester, Saracens have one of the strongest squads on paper and to be honest probably play a more rounded game in comparison to the Tigers. There wasn’t much to choose between the teams in the showpiece event last season and there shouldn’t be again in 2022/23. Sarries’ challenge is managing the squad between the various international periods but, akin to the Midlands outfit, they have a good coaching staff who are clear in what they want the team to achieve.

The depth is strong, despite often being without their England stars, and ultimately we can’t see them finishing outside of the top two. They have four titles since 2014 and, although they haven’t emerged triumphant since 2019 – primarily due to their punishment for salary cap breaches – they will be in the running for yet another.

3) Harlequins

This is where it gets a bit trickier but we still think the Londoners go into this season in better shape than most. After being hooked early on in the third Test of England’s tour to Australia, scrum-half Danny Care’s international career may well be over, but his experience will benefit Quins, especially when playmaking linchpin Marcus Smith is away with the Red Rose.

Joe Marler could also be available for much of the campaign, depending on how he and Eddie Jones sees his Test career, while a fully fit Wilco Louw will be another huge bonus after his injury struggles last season. Behind the props they have a powerful and technically adept back-row and a backline which is simply thrilling to watch. Smith and Andre Esterhuizen will once again be key but there is a plethora of talent out wide, including Cadan Murley, Louis Lynagh and Tyrone Green.

4) Bristol Bears

We like the West Country outfit this season and think they can get back into the play-off places. After finishing top in 2021, they then endured a wretched campaign and a year later ended it in 10th position, well outside the top-four battle. They also missed out on Champions Cup rugby but that could actually be a benefit for the Bears, who suffered badly with injuries in 2021/22. Although Semi Radradra won’t be back until early October, they will hope he and their other stars can remain on the field this season, and the less intense schedule will help that.

If Bristol do steer clear of too many injuries and can have a positive start in the league, that will make them a very dangerous proposition for the rest of the Premiership. Pat Lam’s men, when they have confidence, are the most incisive attacking side, while the addition of Genge should help shore up their set-piece problems. Fly-half AJ MacGinty is another good signing and will give them much more control behind the scrum.

5) Exeter Chiefs

For the first time in several years, the Devonians missed out on the play-offs and eventually finished down in seventh position. They struggled to find their usual rhythm, as well as their dominance up front. Most surprisingly, the Chiefs were rather profligate in the opposition 22 – their superpower during their successful seasons – and they need vast improvements in that area in the new campaign.

The squad is still strong – albeit they are likely to lose a few players during the international periods – and as a result they have the ability to get into the play-offs. But to be honest, it looked like things were starting to go a bit stale and the coaching staff needed a bit of a shake-up. Ali Hepher has been given more responsibility this time around, with Rob Baxter taking more of a back seat, but will it be enough? We’re not so sure.

6) Gloucester

George Skivington did a great job last season, taking them to the cusp of the play-offs, and they will be looking to build on that and this time break into the top-four. He has created a very solid pack and, alongside Leicester Tigers, they have the best maul in the Premiership. Behind the scrum, Louis Rees-Zammit, Ollie Thorley and Jonny May are three of the most exciting wings in the league, but injuries and international call-ups have been an issue in getting them regularly on the park.

If that trio aren’t playing enough then they do perhaps lack that real top-end talent or sheer match-winners to turn games in their favour. The Cherry and Whites will be there or thereabouts but, at the moment, there are a few concerns that need to be answered if they are to put themselves in contention. We can’t wait, however, to see Jake Polledri back in action. Some talent.

7) Sale Sharks

Their best XV is as good as anyone’s but the Sharks don’t have quite the strength in depth of the other top teams. In particular, there is big pressure on Rob du Preez to guide them around the field while star signing Ford is recovering from injury. They have also lost Lood de Jager and Faf de Klerk in the off-season but it shouldn’t be quite as significant as it may seem on paper.

Jonny Hill has come in for De Jager, who to be honest spent most of his time at Sale on the sidelines anyway, and De Klerk has not been the same player since the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Rohan Janse van Rensburg is probably a bigger loss, but again he had his issues with injury, so Alex Sanderson’s task is about getting his younger players and fringe members of the squad to contribute more regularly. Sanderson has worked hard to improve their depth, giving their academy graduates plenty of time on the field, and now is the time they need to step up and produce consistently.

8) Northampton Saints

In terms of individual quality, they are up there with Bristol, Gloucester and Sale, but it is the change in coaching staff where the big questions lie. The influential Chris Boyd, who did a wonderful job in developing all parts of the club, has handed the reins over to former Saints player Phil Dowson.

One of Boyd’s skills was not just improving players but also coaches and the New Zealander invested a lot in helping bring the best out of Dowson (forwards), Sam Vesty (attack) and Matt Ferguson (scrum). The new director of rugby has no doubt had a good grounding thanks to the 64-year-old’s efforts, but this is still a completely new experience for him.

Some fail when handed the extra responsibility and others succeed, so it will be fascinating to see which category Dowson falls into. The squad and set-up is there for the 40-year-old to thrive, but at the moment it isn’t certain that the Saints will hit the ground running in the new season.

9) London Irish

Quite simply, they are the most inconsistent of the potential play-off contenders, which is why they rank so low down. One week, the Exiles will be absolutely majestic, ripping even the best teams apart, while the next – with the same 23-man squad – they will get hammered. Sometimes you can’t quite fathom the performances they put in – both good and bad – and it is that lack of consistency which keeps hampering them.

Part of that is the age of some of their players – they have plenty of young talent still learning their trade – and another factor is the game plan. They look to play a high risk, fast, attacking style and, although it is often wonderful to watch, when the execution isn’t quite right or the decision-making is slightly off, they can be exposed in what is a ruthless league. It is the right approach for the Exiles to take, considering the make-up of their squad, and we want Irish to continue in the same fashion, but they need to find that consistency.

10) Bath

Where to start with the West Country outfit? Having endured a wretched 2021/22 campaign, it was all change on the coaching front as Stuart Hooper was moved upstairs and Johann van Graan came in as head of rugby. The ex-Munster boss has a mammoth task on his hands to turn around this ailing club, who finished the previous season at the bottom of the table. The odd thing is that they actually have a talented set of players but, for whatever reason, it has just not worked for them on the field.

Several have tried but none have succeeded in bringing back the good times to Bath, so it will be fascinating to see what Van Graan can do. The South African was generally well liked and respected in Limerick, but his time in charge did not end on a high note and he ultimately failed to build on what Rassie Erasmus put in place prior to his arrival. They have the squad to challenge for the play-offs but it is going to take time for the culture to change at the Rec.

11) Wasps

Another team that has the squad to compete but there are real concerns over their financial state. The Coventry-based outfit certainly aren’t struggling as much as Worcester, who are teetering on the brink, but owner Derek Richardson hasn’t properly allayed the fears of the supporters. It is certainly a situation which could get worse as the season goes on, especially with crowds dwindling at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Such issues can help galvanise players but they can equally break a squad – and club – apart, so how they react to the situation will determine how they fare this season. Wasps have lost Malakai Fekitoa, Vaea Fifita, and Gopperth, but Vincent Koch arrives from Saracens to strengthen the front-row and Burger Odendaal will add ballast to the midfield. On paper, there isn’t much difference from last season, but the off-field disruption could cause problems.

12) Newcastle Falcons

It was an end of an era on the coaching front for the Falcons with Dean Richards departing as director of rugby after 10 years in the role. Long-time Newcastle coach Dave Walder has taken over in what will be a tough job for the former fly-half. The Tynesiders can’t compete with the other teams financially and, as a result, probably have the worst squad in the competition.

Newcastle consistently punched above their weight under Richards’ stewardship but eventually money tells and they have not finished above 10th place since remarkably making the play-offs in 2018. The Argentinian pairing of Matias Orlando and Matias Moroni will give them solidity in midfield, while Adam Radwan will continue to produce moments of magic on the wing, but it is going to be another tough season for the Falcons.

13) Worcester Warriors

Just surviving will be deemed a success for the Warriors so anything else would be a bonus. With Steve Diamond at the helm, they have the right man to guide them through this perilous situation, but he ultimately needs help from the people at the top. If they do get manage to stay afloat, get news owners in and keep their squad intact then a mid-table finish isn’t out of the equation.

Of course, if they were to go into administration then a points deduction would almost inevitably be forthcoming, making their task of finishing anywhere other than bottom pretty much impossible. But as we have said, this season isn’t about what happens on the field. The fans will simply hope that they still have a club to support by the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

READ MORE: Expert Witness: England legend Ben Kay on possible watershed season for Premiership and his hopes for the 2022/23 campaign

Bath