Rating the Premiership club’s signings: ‘Clever’ Harlequins, ‘shrewd’ Gloucester and ‘fine’ Leicester lead the way
Guy Pepper, Leigh Halfpenny and Waisea Nayacalevu will all ply their trade in the Premiership this season
The Premiership season is right around the corner, and fans up and down the country will be eager to see their club’s new recruits in action.
There is still a mass exodus across the channel, with the likes of Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola, Courtney Lawes and Jonny May all heading to France this summer, but for the first time in a while there are plenty of incomings across the 10 teams.
But which team has done the best business? Well, with that thought in mind here are our thoughts on the Premiership club’s signings this season.
Grading each Premiership team’s recruitment
Sale Sharks – 5/10
Sale Sharks, unfortunatley, haven’t done the best business this summer. Waisea Nayacalevu is an exceptional signing following his switch from Toulon this summer, and will add some serious quality and experience to their backline this season, but they could do with at least one or two more signings in this department to fully replace Sam James and Manu Tuilagi. Elsewhere, you just feel they need another top name to come into the front-row.
Northampton Saints – 5/10
A couple of nifty additions, but Northampton Saints haven’t quite replaced the calibre of player they lost last season. Josh Kemeny, George Smith and Callum Hunter-Hill are decent signings, particularly with Smith going through the NFL International Player Pathway alongside Louis Rees-Zammit, and Tom West has decent Premiership experience and has been involved in the England squad in the past; but you still feel they haven’t replaced the players that left.
Saracens – 6/10
A mixed bag for Saracens this summer. Fergus Burke, Sam Spink and Rhys Carre are all decent signings, and should slot straight into the starting XV, and Louie Johnson and Phil Brantingham will be ones to watch out for in the future, but like Northampton and Sale they’ve not fully replaced the calibre of player that left. Callum Braley and Fraser Balmain struggled to establish themselves as regulars at Northampton and Gloucester respecitvely, but maybe a change of environment will bring the best out of them. Harry Wilson could easily prove us wrong too, as he has earned glowing reports from within Championship circles.
Bath – 6/10
Johann van Graan is clearly planning for the future with these signings, but as also added a couple more experienced heads within that as well. Guy Pepper from Newcastle Falcons is already proving to be an exceptional talent, and he will add yet more depth to their solid back-row unit alongside the likes of Alfie Barbeary, Miles Reid and Sam Underhill. Elsewhere, Ross Molony will add heaps of experience after his spell at Leinster and importantly brings some more bulk to their second-row, and have bolstered their academy too with some seriously promising players like Tyler Offiah – son of rugby league legend Martin Offiah – and Kepu Tuipolotu.
Bristol Bears – 6/10
It’s been another busy off-season at Ashton Gate, but the Bears yet again look to have some decent business in the market. World class Fijian number eight Viliame Mata is the headline signing, and he should slot straight into the starting XV when he returns from injury. Mata will not only add bags of quality to their back-row, but he will also bring some more experience to go alongside Steven Luatua and Ellis Genge in the pack, which could go a long way if they hope to get into the top four again. Around that, they have plugged some gaps in the front-row, namely powerful tighthead prop Lovejoy Chawatama.
Exeter Chiefs – 6/10
Exeter have made some clever signings this summeras they once again go down the ‘moneyball’ route, but you feel they could do with maybe one or two more top names to really turn up the heat. Don’t get us wrong, the additions they have made are strong; Will Goodrick-Clarke will add plenty of quality and important Premiership experience to the front-row, and fellow props Jimmy Roots – brother of fellow Chief Ethan – and Kwenzo Blose also look to be good additions to an already solid unit in Devon. Elsewhere, Tamati Tua is a good addition to their midfield to compete with Joe Hawkins for that 12 shirt, and reports are also linking Los Pumas star Franco Molina with a switch to the South West; but you still feel they need a world-beater at either scrum-half or fly-half to really take them up a gear.
Newcastle Falcons – 7/10
Context is key, but given what Newcastle Falcons have to deal with in terms of finances they’ve done an exeptional job. Steve Diamond has detonated the squad from last year and brought in a completley fresh, young squad this time around, and it’s the sort of face lift they needed if truth be told. Cameron Neild, Tom Gordon and Luan du Bruin will all add some quality to the pack, but around that promosing youngsters like Jack Metcalf, Conor Doherty and Alex Hearle will be looking to add a new dynamic to the Falcons backline. They’ve also recruited heavily into their academy, which will only benefit them in the long-term. Diamond and the Falcons deserve some serious praise for the job they’ve done this summer.
Gloucester – 8/10
Some very shrewd work from George Skivington this summer, and you feel the Shed faithful will be very pleased with the incomings. Welsh internationals Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe will add some proper quality to their backline this season, and importantly will already know each other’s game from their time together at both Cardiff and Wales. Elsewhere, Christian Wade is also a very good signing, and will add a potent finisher to their new-look attack too. Alfie Petch should also fill some gaps in their front-row, which was exposed at times last season.
Harlequins – 8/10
In a similar vain, Harlequins have made some incredibly clever signings this season, as they look to return to the play-offs. British and Irish Lions and Wales duo Leigh Halfpenny and Wyn Jones add plenty of quality to the wider group by themselves, but will also serve as good mentors for the likes of Tyrone Green, Roma Zheng and Fin Baxter as they look to continue their rapid rise to stardom. Titi Lamositele is also a like-for-like replacement for Will Collier, and should keep the Quins scrum firing. Their latest recruit Rodrigo Isgro is also a brilliant signing, and he will add some serious pace to their outside backs, but increase competition within that unit as well.
Leicester Tigers – 8/10
The biggest new recruit coming to Mattioli Woods Welford Road is Michael Cheika, but he’s brought in some fine additions with him too. Nicky Smith will add so much strength and power to their front-row unit, and could really bring the best out of their scrum this season. Ben Volovola is also a very clever signing, and will add a quality operator to deputise for Handre Pollard as and when needed, and Izaia Perese looks to be a great addition in midfield, and should slot straight into the starting XV. Really good signings all-round to go alongside a stacked squad in the East Midlands.
