Like an overweight 40-year-old dragging their backside off to the park
for a pre-season after 3 months of indulgence, RuckedOver has finally awoken
from its summer slumber just in time for a new season of Premiership
Rugby. And, to be especially boring and
to sound like everyone else, this season looks like being the tightest one yet,
with at least 6 sides capable of winning the tournament and another four
capable of plunging into the depths of the Championship.
Undeterred, I'll nail my colours to the mast and kick off my predictions
for this season with an outlook for Bath, Exeter and Gloucester for the coming
season. Disclaimer – I am occasionally
almost never wrong.
Bath
Coach: Mike Ford. The ex-England defence coach is a hard task master but he oversaw a welcome transition from a turgid kick-chase gameplan to a much more palatable (and fast-paced) attacking mind-set. All helped by the fact that he had Ford Jnr pulling the strings with aplomb, of course.
Captain: Stuart Hooper. Captaincy seemed to do wonders for the big second row as
he stepped up from being merely dependable, to often dominant. A glowering physical presence, he's the ideal
man to lend to steal to a slick Bath side.
What happened last year? It was another year of last-minute agony for the Rec faithful – in 2013,
they were pipped to a Heineken Cup spot, whilst last year they had a playoff
spot stolen from them by Quins in the last game of the season. A spot they'd occupied for 95% of the
season. But it still represented an
improvement, despite the disappointment, and the expansion of their game plan
left plenty of ground for encouragement looking forward.
How do they look this year? The young side will be all the stronger for the heartbreak of last
season, but it is one arrival in particular which catches the eye – Sam Burgess
from NRL side, the Rabbitohs. Elsewhere,
the team is – in the main – unchanged, with youngsters like Ollie Devoto and
Anthony Watson both stepping up to fill the shoes of departing stalwarts like Nick
Abendanon and Tom Biggs.
Players out: Nick Abendanon (Clermont Auvergne), Charlie Beech (Leeds Carnegie), Tom
Biggs (Worcester Warriors), Ryan Caldwell (Exeter Chiefs), Eusebio Guiñazu (Munster),
Tom Heathcote (Edinburgh), Nick Koster (Bristol), Anthony Perenise (Bristol)
Players in: Luke Arscott (Exeter Chiefs), Nicholas Auterac (Saracens), Sam Burgess
(South Sydney Rabbitohs), Grant Shiells (Newcastle Falcons), Henry Thomas (Sale
Sharks)
Key Player: Dave Attwood. Three years ago we
saw a man bristling with potential, but for two years that talent was largely
unfulfilled. But after a 2013-14 that
saw the powerful second row smash his way back into the England set up, he's
emerged as a real driving force behind the Bath pack. Hugely physical and impressively mobile, he's
always on the front-line and is surely a future club captain.
One to Watch: Sam Burgess. Who else? Slammin' Sammy Burgess is a Rugby League
institution, but there are plenty of great rugby league players who have failed
to adapt to Union. It looks like he'll
be playing inside centre – coincidently the one gaping hole in the England
backline – so it will be fascinating to see how quickly he can find his feet. Long term, I think he could be a helluva
number 8, but with unbelievable power and sublime offloading ability, that huge
Burgess-shaped hole in Bruce Craig's wallet will be worth every last penny – if
he fulfils that potential.
Prediction: 4th
(semi-finals). Another season will see this talented side grow
together, and I can see them rudely barging their way into that 'members-only'
Top 4. There's still some concern over
their set-piece, however…
Exeter Chiefs
Coach: Rob Baxter. Everybody's favourite uncle, Rob Baxter is Chiefs through-and-through, and is one of the few coaches liked and respected by fans of all clubs. Although we are comparing him to pantomime villains such as Richard Cockerill, Jim Mallinder and Steve Diamond. Has the uncanny knack of turning talent into ability, and he will need to wield his magic coaching wand again this year.
Captain: Dean Mumm. The ex-Waratah and Wallaby is another superbly talented second row in the Premiership, and has been one of the most eye-catching performers for the Chiefs with wonderful ball-carrying ability and deft hands for a big man. The Chiefs need him to shake off his injury concerns as soon as possible.
What happened last year? After year-upon-year improvement, it was perhaps inevitable that eventually there was going to be stalling of the Exeter engine. After two seasons of adventure in Europe's Premier Competition, the Chiefs found themselves 'languishing' in the no-man's land of 8th place suffering, surprisingly, from a bout of inconsistency.
How do they look this year? If I was a Chiefs fan, I would be concerned about the Exeter engine going into reverse. Some big names have left the club – Jason Shoemark and Hoani Tui, for example – but not many big names have been bought in; it's not Baxter's style. He wants to trust the youth of Henry Slade and Sam Hill and his other dedicated troops, but teams no longer underestimate Exeter and I do think at some point they will need to inject a little bit of star quality.
Players out: Luke Arscott (Bath), Lloyd Fairbrother (Newport Gwent Dragons), Tom Cowan-Dickie (Plymouth), James Hank (retired), Jason Shoemark (Hawke's Bay), Chris Whitehead (retired), Romana Graham (La Rochelle), Hoani Tui (Lyon), Tom Hayes (retired), Craig Mitchell (Cardiff Blues), James Phillips (London Scottish)
Players in: Chrysander Botha (Golden Lions), Ryan Caldwell (Bath), Adam Hughes (Bristol), Elvis Taione (Jersey), Thomas Waldrom (Leicester Tigers), Mitch Lees (London Welsh), Tomas Francis (London Scottish), Moray Low (Glasgow)
Key Player: Dave Ewers. The young number 8 will be kept on his toes by the arrival of Anglo-Kiwi and England international Thomas Waldrom, but I suspect it will only drive him to greater heights – although he tailed off slightly towards the end of last season. A reassuringly old-school number 8, his ability to smash through tackles in close quarters is what sets the platform for the Chief's attacks.
One to Watch: Henry Slade. Sam Hill, the inside centre, is also in for a big season, but he has the most boring name in the Premiership, so I've picked out Slade. The young fly half slotted in incredibly smoothly when called upon last season and is a ridiculously cool customer – not even ruffled by the prospect of facing up against Jonny Wilkinson in last year's Heineken Cup or the idea of tackling Rene Ranger with his face when turning out for England against the Baa-baas. A good showing this year could see him as a wild-card for the England 10 shirt. Also keep an eye out for the Sireli Naqelevuki experiment – the gargantuan centre may be having a run in the back row this season.
Prediction: 9th. Plenty of people have written off the Chiefs before and been forced to choke on their words, but I can't see them challenging for the top 6 with the squad they have. They have a lot of talented youngsters on their books, of course, but it's asking an awful lot for them to bind the team together and to take it forward at this stage.
Gloucester Rugby
Coach: David Humphreys. Pinched from Ulster, where he turned the province from 'that other Irish side' to Heineken Cup contenders, he is a canny coach who knows how to get sides playing hard, aggressive rugby with a fast attack, which is exactly what Gloucester need. He takes over from Nigel Davies as part of an almost complete coaching overhaul.
Captain: Billy Twelvetrees. The England centre quickly established himself as a leader in the Gloucester ranks as he tried to stem the flow of points that the Cherry and Whites were conceding, but his efforts were largely in vain as the pack were, by and large, marched all over the park on a weekly basis. A wonderfully creative player, he needs to learn consistency to be an effective captain and understand he doesn't need to make the miracle pass every time he has the ball.
What happened last year? Pants would be an understatement. With such wonderfully talented players, few expected to see the West Country outfit languishing towards the bottom of the table and finishing in 9th. They weren't helped by the fact that key-playmaker Freddie Burns had a rotten run of form as he pondered a transfer to Leicester, and that the tight five were largely used as doormats by the opposition fatties.
How do they look this year? Very, very different. Following on from Bath last year, they are the club to take the 'complete overhaul' approach. Their signings looks fantastic – Afoa, Hibbard and Palmer will add plenty of much needed steel and James Hook is like-for-like, but experienced, replacement for Burns at 10. The loss of Qera is disappointing, but Gloucester do have the quality to make up for it. But will they gel in time?
Players out: Johnny Bentley (Jersey), Freddie Burns (Leicester Tigers), Matt Cox (Worcester Warriors), Huia Edmonds (Narbonne), Daniel George (Worcester Warriors), Rupert Harden (Treviso), Andrew Hazell (retired), Tom Heard (Plymouth), Will James (retired), Tavis Knoyle (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Mills (Worcester Warriors), Tim Taylor (retired), Mike Tindall (retired), Thomas Young (Wasps)
Players in: John Afoa (Ulster), Mark Atkinson (Bedford Blues), Mariano Galarza (Worcester Warriors), Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), James Hook (Perpignan), Tom Isaacs (Ospreys), Aleki Lutui (Edinburgh), Steve McColl (Leeds Carnegie), Tom Palmer (London Wasps), Jacob Rowan (Leeds Carnegie), Aled Thomas (Scarlets), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh)
Key Player: Richard Hibbard. He may look like the kind of man who's "come to fix your fridge" in a (very) low budget 70's grumble-flick, but Hibbard is exactly what Gloucester need in the front row. One of the toughest blokes playing the game, he will refuse to take a backward step when faced with the physical stuff and will hopefully become a foundation for the building of the kind of big, nasty pack that the Shed are used to watching.
One to Watch: Elliot Stooke. A rare bright-light of last season and already a favourite amongst 'shed-heads', Stooke strikes me as a classic 'old-school' second row. The kind that thinks side-stepping is for sissies and that any forward who kicks should be dismembered immediately. The youngster has no fear of the physical demands of the Premiership and Gloucester will need him to step up and become a tower in this new-look, physical pack.
Prediction: 6th. Like Bath last season, I can see them pushing very hard for a Top 4 spot, especially with the quality they have available. But they will take time to gel and adapt to each other and a new coach's methods, and so I think they'll fall just short – one thing is for sure though, it will be an improvement on last season.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your views