Aviva Premiership 2016-17 Season Preview Part One

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If you didn’t know I have a degree in Sports Journalism and I was lucky enough to be a BT Sport Rugby Blogger during the 2015/16 Aviva Premiership season, but since then I have been focusing on writing and talking about movies, which I love and continue doing, and after a season away I’m 100% motivated get back into writing and talking about the sport I love.

Now my rugby coverage will include match reports, week by week recaps, news and hopefully interviews.

With the 2016/17 Aviva Premiership kicking off this Friday, let’s begin with a club by club season preview and with 12 clubs this will be split into parts throughout this week. Now this is enough bollocks from me, so let’s start.

Bath Rugby

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Last Season – Ninth

Director of Rugby – Todd Blackadder

Captain – Guy Mercer

Signing In – Luke Charteris (Racing 92); Taulupe Faletau (Dragons); Elliott Stooke (Gloucester); Michael van  Vuuren (Leicester Tigers); Kahn Fotuali’i (Northampton Saints); Harry Davies (Cardiff Blues); Jack Walker (Yorkshire Carnegie).

Signing Out – Ollie Devoto (Exeter Chiefs); Kyle Eastmond (Wasps); Rob Webber (Sale Sharks); Leroy Houston (Queensland Reds); Dominic Day (Toyota Verblitz); Horacio Agulla (Castres); Amanaki Mafi (NTT Shining Arcs); Will Spencer (Worcester Warriors); Jonathan Evans (Scarlets); Luke Arscott (Bristol Rugby) Tom Woolstencroft (Wasps); Max Northcote-Green (London Irish); Brett Herron (Ulster); Stuart Hooper (Retired); Alafoti Fa’osiliva (Released).

Player(s) to Watch – Charlie Ewels & Kahn Fotuali’i – Ewels was one of the positives from a disappointing season so expect the 20-year-old to be included in every match day squad and compete for a starting 15 position at either lock or in the back-row. Fotuali’i will add much-needed experience at scrum-half.

Prediction – Sixth – After a previous terrible season, Bath will be looking to move on from the Sam Burgess circus and hope Blackadder can adapt to the English game quickly but they seriously still need at least two inside centres and a full-back.

Bristol Rugby

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Last Season – Promoted

DoR/Head Coach – Andy Robinson

Captain – Jack Lam

Signing In – Martin Roberts (Ospreys); Rhodri Williams (Scarlets); Luke Arscott (Bath); Tusi Pisi ( Sunwolves); Jordan Williams (Scarlets); Nick Fenton-Wells (Bedford Blues); Jordan Crane ( Leicester Tigers); Thretton Palamo (Saracens); Jon Fisher (Northampton Saints);  Soane Tonga'uiha (Oyonnax); Will Hurrell (Doncaster Knights); Giorgi Nemsadze (Tarbes); Ryan Bevington (Ospreys).

Signing Out – Matthew Morgan (Cardiff Blues); Marco Mama (Worcester Warriors); Dwayne Peel (retired); Craig Hampson (to Wasps); George Watkins (Jersey Reds); Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers); Tommaso Benvenuti  (Benetton Treviso); Josh Ovens (released); Darren Hudson (released); James Stephenson (released).

Player(s) to Watch – Jordan Crane – This could be one of the signings of the season. The number eight will add a lot of experience to the newly promoted side as well as power in the set-piece and rucks.

Prediction – 11th – Staying in the Premiership won’t be easy for Bristol, but after so much financial backing to get back into the Premiership, relegation isn’t an option. With Robinson’s coaching and the inclusion of Crane they should survive.

Exeter Chiefs

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Last Season – Second

DoR/Head Coach – Rob Baxter

Captain – Jack Yeandle

Signing In – Greg Holmes (Queensland Reds); Ollie Devoto (Bath); Dave Dennis (NSW Waratahs); Lachlan Turner (Toulon).

Signing Out – Adam Hughes (Dragons); Josh Jones (Salford Red Devils); Alex Brown (USA Perpignan); Brett Sturgess (Ampthill); Jerry Sexton (London Irish); Lewis Stevenson (to Connacht); Chrysander Botha (released); Byron McGuigan (released).

Player(s) to Watch – Ollie Devoto & Henry Slade – This could be the start of a beautiful centre partnership with Devoto and Slade for both club and country. Devoto can finally shine at inside centre and will be a huge loss to West Country rivals Bath, while this will be a massive year for Slade after the playmaker came back from a broken leg and hopefully stay fit throughout the whole season.

Prediction – Fourth – From Premiership newbies to my stays, Exeter is now one of the Premiership elites. They’ve also kept their top English talent and established stars, so they should be in the playoffs again.