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The one overwhelming hope as Prem 2022/23 kicks off - Andy Goode

(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The plight of Worcester has dominated a pre-season in England that has seen less transfer activity than I can remember for a long time but the Gallagher Premiership remains as intriguing and competitive as ever. The Warriors have been the ones in the limelight but we all know the whole league is feeling the pinch and just a handful of clubs have made splashy signings.

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Leicester, Bristol and Sale have been the big hitters in that regard and that will raise hopes that the Bears and Sharks can right the wrongs of the last campaign and return to the Premiership playoffs after a season away.

Sale have a real chance with Alex Sanderson having even more time to get his feet under the table and George Ford, Jonny Hill and Tom O’Flaherty all significant acquisitions. Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager are among a quartet of South African departures but they look well-placed for a tilt at the top four.

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Bristol are bringing the noise with Ellis Genge as stirring a signing as you can get given his local roots and playing style. Add in AJ MacGinty, Magnus Bradbury and Gabriel Ibitoye and they certainly look a stronger proposition.

Last season was such a fall from grace for the Bears, though, with issues off the field adding to a major hangover from the manner of their semi-final defeat to Harlequins in the previous campaign, and I just can’t see them going from tenth to challenging for the title.

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The champions have made the most high-profile signing in World Cup-winning fly-half Handre Pollard, with England international Anthony Watson fairly high up on that list, too. They are shoo-ins for the top four again.

In the capital, Saracens and Harlequins have been very quiet in terms of recruitment but both still look very strong on paper and I can’t see them missing out on the end-of-season shake-up either.

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Gloucester exceeded everyone’s expectations last season and I may or may not have tipped them for a lowly finish before the season began before falling away in the final rounds of the regular season – I think it will be them or Sale to round off the top four.

The recent news of Ed Slater’s MND diagnosis shocked the rugby world, not just Gloucester, but that might just galvanise an already united group that bit more. George Skivington worked wonders last season and they could go one better this time around.

The transfer activity may have been understated and the squads may be trimmed down but the truism that anyone can beat anyone else on any given day still remains. Over the course of a long, arduous domestic campaign, though, I do think the Premiership has become something of a two-tier league in recent times.

I can’t see Bath, Newcastle, Worcester or Wasps breaking out of that bottom five and London Irish may be the ones to drop out of the top eight if Bristol pull themselves together. Exeter are the elephant in the room. A humbling seventh-place finish after six consecutive seasons finishing in the top two but it’s hard to make the case for a return to the playoffs.

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If you’d back anyone to turn it around it would be Rob Baxter but Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner, Don Armand, Will Witty, Sean Lonsdale and Tom O’Flaherty is a lengthy list of talented departures.

With no relegation still, all the focus is on the fight for the top four and there is more than enough quality across the league to ensure that battle goes down to the wire and we won’t lack for entertainment again.

The one intrigue we could do without is whether we will still have 13 clubs standing come May – or come October for that matter. The Premiership is here to entertain and I have no doubt it will deliver in spades once more but the overwhelming hope and aim as the 2022/23 season kicks off has to be simply that everyone makes it through to the end.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

86 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 3 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

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Regards.

28 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 3 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

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28 Go to comments
J
JW 3 hours ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

JJ and DMac shows how little attention you actually pay to the substance of the articles.

What do you mean by that? For lack of an answer from you I’d suggest yuo need to look at the game again and then read your article. Because although I’m not going to again but I did quickly review the videos and they all match correctly with my perception.

JTPL is shifting towards overseas players being JQP in future

No they’re not, thats a flatout lie Nick. You can find an article on here with their CEO where they want more out of their deals but it’s standard professional sports fair, nothing underhand like the NH does. I find that quite foul that you would share such a view.


I suppose the new World Club League thats starting would die for the best ABs even for just a year, and probably set them up even better. Mo’unga hadn’t done enough to earn a sabbatical though. This is where NZR needs to start questioning itself. You can’t blame the player if the NZR are not even interesting in offering you a contract. In situations where say NZR aren’t able to reach 70% of the offer I think a great starting point would be for them to be treated differently than someone who just left for money. NZR could say make that player immediately eligible if NZR decide to make a fair offer and they sign to return, with players putting in their overseas contracts a right to leave early if they resign back with NZR.


Even with Japans fading desire for sabbaticals I still think NZ can make it a good destination and have many reciprocal agreements with JRFU and the JRLO teams. The situation still very much favours NZ and Australia but it’s upto them to make the most of it or the JRFU won’t see any reason to be the ones always giving the favours.

86 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Where is the new breed of All Black 10? Where is the new breed of All Black 10?
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