Credit: Getty Images/Mike Hewitt
After an unprecedented season of heartbreak that cost three clubs, the Premier League has been under fire from the police. But the path to redemption has to start somewhere.
Last week's approval of a sports commission to optimize management, which will include former English rower Tom Wood, seemed like a step in the right direction. And while it may seem tactless, with the London Irishman suspended, such a rough, 10-team league would do the trick; even if it happens faster than we expected and under grim circumstances.
In theory, fewer Test match collisions allow clubs to field their best players more often. Steve Borthwick should be able to track more frequent competition between positional rivals for the same England shirt. Some players have gone to the pastures new, yes, but others have come and gone from overseas, and defeats to the Worcester Warriors, Wasps and Irish have spread talent around a competition that should be more competitive and unpredictable as a result.
The depth of the squad will always be a decisive aspect, not least in a World Cup year, but the strength of the first team is also informative. Here's a rundown of what they might look like across clubs. Keep in mind that people will exceed expectations, and before the start of the 2023-2024 season. more staff will be recruited.
Players in bold are selected for England
+ new signing for next season
^ pending signing not yet confirmed
To go directly to each club, click on the links below:
Bath
15. Matt Gallagher
14. Joe Kokanashiga
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Cameron Redpath
11. Will Muir
10. Finn Russell+
9. Ben Spencer
1. Beno Obano
2. Tom Dunn
3. Thomas du Toit+
4. Charlie Ewels
5. Quinn Roo
6. Ted Hill
7. Sam Underhill
8. Josh Bayliss
Substitutions
16. Niall Annette, 17. Juan Schuman, 18. Will Stewart, 19. Fergus Lee-Warner, 20. Miles Reid, 21. Louis Schroeder, >22. Orlando Bailey,23. Max Ojomo
The big-money acquisition of Finn Russell is headline here, and Thomas du Toit's backing of Springbok should prove to be another significant coup. Bath has been an opportunistic recruiter of late, recruiting Ted Hill, Ollie Lawrence and Alfie Barbiri from the Worcester Warriors and Wasps. A couple of years ago, after the salary cap scandal, Ben Spencer from Saracens joined us.
Barbary's absence from the team above due to his injury struggle reflects the impressive depth of the back five. The Premier League will be richer if the 22-year-old can play a series of games. Tom de Glanville and Josh McNally are two other players that are overlooked. They are sure to feature prominently, especially once Fergus Lee-Warner moves to Super Rugby after the first few months of the season.
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Bristol Bears
15. Max Malins+
14. Gabriel Ibitoy
13. Pierce O'Conor
12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg+
11. Ratu Naulago
10. AJ McGinty
9. Harry Randall
1. Ellis Genge
2. Harry Tucker
3. Kyle Sinclair
4. Chris Wui
5. Joe Batley
6. Steven Luatua
7. Jake Heenan
8. Magnus Bradbury
Substitutions
16. Gabriel Ogre, 17 years old. Jake Woolmore, 18 years old. Max Lahiff, 19. Ed Holmes, 20. Fitz Harding, 21. Kieran Marmion, 22. Callum Sheedy, 23 years old. Kalaveti Ravuvu+
In the life after Charles Piuto and Seven Raddradr, Max Malins will spend a lot of time at full back, having a lot of firepower around him. An excellent move from the London Irish, Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been one of the most consistent centers in the Premier League over the past two years. Kalaveti Ravuvu is the consummate tackle breaker who should hit Ashton Gate.
Magnus Bradbury will continue to progress in the last row and former prostitute «Os» Gabriel Ogre has gained fans in France during his tenure with Union Bordeaux Bègles. Barking-born Kieran Marmion, the Republic of Ireland midfielder, is eligible to represent England in November. This is a situation to keep an eye on.
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Exeter Chiefs
15. Josh Hodge
14. Tom Wyatt
13. Henry Slade
12. Joe Hawkins+
11. Ollie Woodburn
10. Harvey Skinner
9. Stu Townsend
1. Scott Sio
2. Dan Frost
3. Eren Painter
4. Johnny Grey
5. Dafydd Jenkins
6. Christ Junza
7. Jacques Vermeulin
8. Richard Capstick
Substitutions
16. Jack Yendl 17. Alec Hepburn, 18. Marcus Street, 19. Jack Dunn, 20. Ethan Roots, 21. Will Backconsoll, 22. Will Haydon-Wood+, 23 years old. Immanuel Fahey-Waboso
Only Newcastle Falcons will face a more tangible transition than Exeter, but Rob Baxter and Ali Hefer have the makings of an effective team. High hopes are being pinned on Eren Painter, who signed from Northampton Saints three months ago midway through the season.
Ollie Devoto will be back on track after a disappointing absence and beware of the explosive Immanuel Fahey-Waboso. Like Greg Fisilau, another talented youngster, he came from Wasp and has a bright future.
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Gloucester
15. Santiago Carreras
14. Louis Rees-Zammit
13. Chris Harris
12. Seb Atkinson
11. Ollie Thorley
10. Adam Hastings
9. Charlie Chapman
1. Val Rapava-Raskin
2. George McGuigan
3. Fraser Balmain
4. Freddie Clark
5. Matthias Alemanno
6. Ruan Ackermann
7. Lewis Ludlow
8. Zach Mercer
Substitutions
16. Jack Singleton, aged 17. Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 years old. Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 years old. Cameron Jordan, 20 years old. Albert Tuisyu, 21 years old. Stephen Varney, 22 years old. Mark Atkinson, 23 years old. Johnny May
Seb Atkinson is preferred over Mark due to the latter's long hiatus last season and how the former shone after trading the Worcester Warriors for Kingsolm. Max Llewelyn, from Cardiff, is another central option. In truth, George Skivington will just be desperate to keep his leaders on the field, especially those in the tight five. Santiago Sochino, complementing George McGuigan and Jack Singleton, gives him three fine prostitutes. All of them were excluded due to long transitions last season.
Zach Mercer may not show up for Gloucester until after the World Cup, depending on how he impresses Steve Borthwick in the coming weeks. When he does, it will be good for him to have a bopper like Ruan Ackermann in the company. Elsewhere, Skivington is believed to be on the lookout for another half of the fight when Ben Meehan left.
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Harlequins
15. Nick David
14. Louis Lainach
13. Will Joseph^
12. André Esterhuizen
11. Kadan Merli
10. Marcus Smith
9. Danny Care
1. Joe Marler
2. Jack Walker
3. Will Collier
4. Joe Launchbury+
5. Stephen Lewis
6. Jack Kenningham
7. Will Evans
8. Alex Dombrandt
Substitutions
16. Sam Riley, 17. Simon Kerrod, 18. Dillon Lewis, 19. Irne Herbst, 20 years old. James Chisholm, 21 Will Porter+, 22 years old. Jarrod Evans+, 23. Luke Northmore
Kadan Merli was called up by Steve Borthwick earlier this year. Photo: Getty Images/Steve Bardens
Tyrone Green, like Burbary of Bath, is a player who raises his team's ceiling when he's ready and shoots. However, due to the quarterback's derailed 2022–23 campaign, Nick David was selected here. Will Joseph, formerly a London Irishman, would have thrived in midfield with Marcus Smith and Andre Esterhuizen.
Indeed, the Harlequins have capitalized on difficult circumstances elsewhere. Joe Launchbury and Will Porter, a pair of former wasps, as well as former Cardiff duo Jarrod Evans and Dillon Lewis, will all come close to their strongest side.
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Leicester Tigers
15. Freddie Steward
14. Anthony Watson
13. Matt Scott
12. Dan Kelly
11. Olly Hassel-Collins+
10. Moody Pollard
9. Jack van Purtvliet
1. James Cronin
2. Julian Montoya
3. Dan Cole
4. George Martin
5. Olly Chessum
6. Hanro Liebenberg
7. Tommy Reffell
8. Jasper Wiese
Replacements
16. Nick Dolly, 17 years old. James Whitcomb, 18 years old. Joe Hayes, 19 years. Sam Carter, 20 years old. Kyle Hatherell, 21 years old. Ollie Cracknell, 22 years old. Ben Youngs, 23 years old. Charlie Atkinson
Charlie Clare, Harry Wells, Cameron Henderson, Guy Porter, Solomon Kata, Josh Bassett and Mike Brown are only seven players who are not in this lineup, which says that Leicester would be well protected against injury.
< p>In addition to Kata and Bassett, Ollie Hassel-Collins, Sam Carter and Kyle Hatherell were signed to strengthen the Tigers. And for now, Anthony Watson seems to be staying. McKellar has a lot of work to do. Aside from last season's behind-the-scenes turmoil, reaching the playoffs should be his goal.
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Newcastle Falcons
15. Elliot Obatoinbo
14. Adam Radwan
13. Matthias Moroni
12. Matthias Orlando
11. Mateo Carreras
10. Brett Connon
9. Sam Stewart
1. Adam Brocklebank
2. Jamie Blamir
3. Eduardo Bello+
4. Tim Cardall+
5. Kieran MacDonald+
6. Pedro Rubiolo
7. Guy Pepper
8. Callum Cheek
Substitutions
16. Brian Byrne, 17 years old. Murray McCallum, 18 years old. Richard Palframan, 19 years old. Sebastian de Chavez, aged 20. Freddie Lockwood, 21 years old. Hugh O'Sullivan+, 22.Louis Johnson,23 years old. Cammy Hutchison+
Pre-season training has begun at Newcastle this week and no one will be under any illusions about the scope of their task after the turmoil of the summer. Alex Codling, who had just helped Oyonnax rise to France's top tier, promised to bring tactical clarity.
Playing forward is his strength, which is handy given the number of new faces in the Falcon pack. The forward rear division seems to be relatively stable despite the loss of Tian Schuman this week. Jamie Blamire and Callum Cheek, who have re-signed in about six months, are clearly setting the tone for the leaders.
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Northampton Saints
15 . George Furbank
14. James Ramm
13. Frazer Dingwall
12. Burger Odendal+
11. Tommy Freeman
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Alex Waller
2. Curtis Langdon
3. Trevor Davison
4. Courtney Lowes
5. Temo Mayanavanua+
6. Lewis Ludlum
7. Tom Pearson+
8. Juarno August
Replacements
16. Sam Matavesi, 17 years old Ethan Waller, 18. Paul Hill, 19 years old. Chunya Munga+, 20 years old. Sam Graham, 21 years old. Tom James, 22 years old. Rory Hutchinson, 23 years old. Ollie Slateholme
Coming from London, Ireland, Tom Pearson adds depth to Northampton. Getty Images/David Rogers
In 12 months, we may look back on Lucan Salakai-Lotto's hasty departure as a moment of sliding doors for the Saints. They had already tied up Temo Mayanawanua, a fit Fijian from Lyon, but this departure freed Northampton to bring in three London Irish assets.
Tom Pearson and Chunya Munga give them some serious depth in the back five. Alex Moon and Angus Scott-Young will also be important figures. The former is very hardworking defensively and could have kept Courtney Lowes in his preferred role as a blind winger. Tarek Haffar, a dynamic slacker, is the third exile to find a home in the East Midlands and should see the time in the game. Elsewhere, Curtis Langdon and Burger Odendal are shrewdly signing contracts at key positions. The Saints are actively developing.
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Sales sharks
15. Joe Carpenter
14. Tom Roebuck
13. Sam James
12. Manu Tuilagi
11. Tom O'Flaherty
10. George Ford
9. Gus Warr
1. Simon McIntyre
2. Acker van der Merwe
3. Nick Schonert
4. Jean-Luc du Pre
5. Johnny Hill
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Curry
8. Dan du Prez
Replacements
16. Luke Cowan Dickey^, 17. Bevan Rodd, 18. James Harper, 19 years old. Cobus Wiese, 20. Sam Dugdale, 21 years old. Raffi Quirk, 22 years old. Rob du Preez, 23 years old. Arron Reed
There are tricky decisions in the back line as Alex Sanderson suggests getting even better. Rob du Preez was moved to the center and paired with Manu Tuilagi to accommodate George Ford. Will the South African stay there or drop to the bench? Can Luke James return to action? Can Telusa Waynu get back to the splendid form of his days at Leicester Tigers? Sam Bedloe, former Bristol Bear player, supports midfield.
Ahead of this campaign could be a breakthrough for James Harper as a hard guard, while Josh Beaumont and Tom Ellis offer something different in the back line. Alex Sanderson is open about the fact that Luke Cowan-Dickey would be the perfect replacement for Ewan Ashman, and Telegraph Sport understands the movement is still going strong.
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Saracens
15. Alex Good
14. Sean Maitland
13. Alex Lozovsky
12. Nick Tompkins
11. Elliot Daley
10. Owen Farrell
9. Ivan van Zyl
1. Mako Vunipol
2. Jamie George
3. Marco Riccioni
4. Maro Itoye
5. Theo McFarland
6. Tom Willis+
7. Ben Earle
8. Billy Wunipole
Substitutions
16. Theo Dan, 17 years old. Eroni Mavi, 18 years old. Christian Judge, 19 years old. Hugh Tizard, 20 years old. Nick Izikwe, 21 years old Andy Christie, 22 years old. Gareth Simpson+, 23 years old. Alex Lewington
The versatility of defensemen like Elliot Daly and Alex Good would allow Mark McCall to load six forwards on the bench if he's happy with Theo McFarland moving to lockdown. The prospect of Tom Willis and Billy Vunipole in tandem, with Ben Earle buzzing around and Andy Christie coming in later teasing. Nick Izikwe was outstanding in the Premier League decider and Hugh Tizard will only get better.
Gareth Simpson, a fast-paced and skilled scrum-half, is a tricky addition that fits into the attacking evolution of the Saracens. Tom West, besides this team, was another smart champion signing, and they still have clumsy operators like Tom Woolstencroft. Josh Hallett and Ollie Hartley, the last former Wasp, are centers with a lot of responsibility.
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