It’s fair to day that I had my fair share of transfers when I was playing professional rugby across England and France. And while rumours of who is going where remains one of the most fascinating parts of the rugby off-season, the confirmed transfers – a month our from the new season – allow us to set the tone of where each club is ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
What is clear, however, across the board is the apparent penny pinching that is taking place in the Gallagher Premiership.
Lots of players are being released and smaller numbers are coming into each rugby club, as are the financial restrictions on the sport in England at the moment.
Rugby recruitment
I still think Bath and Northampton are the teams to beat this season but there are some super singings coming into the Premiership which could see the dial shift in favour of one of the other eight teams.
Bath Rugby have recruited smart, but light. Two locks and a Premiership standard prop join the party with Bath continuing their tradition of bringing in exciting players. Last season it was Regan Grace, this year a GB 7s player.
They look strong and are a side players would want to play for, including Guy Pepper – who I think is an England international in waiting.
Bristol Bears have had one almighty clear out across the summer. They’ve ditched the likes of Virimi Vakatawa and Callum Sheedy and have recruited the likes of Viliame Mata to bring some power in the forwards.
Bristol massively underachieved last season and it looks as though they’re beginning to turn to the future and the academy, rather than trying to build England’s Galacticos.
Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs have launched a mini raid on London rugby club Ealing Trailfinders, stealing Jimmy Roots and Will Goodrick-Clarke.
They did much of their rebuild last season after their mass exodus and are clearly just tinkering. Their big bit of business in the last 12 months was holding onto Henry Slade and they’re building a new team around the England international.
I’m not too sure why Ollie Devoto has moved down three leagues to Taunton in National 2, but I wish him luck.
Fascinating
Gloucester are fascinating this season. They’ve recruited light but smart in Wales out halves Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, as well as Premiership legend Christian Wade.
They’ve also rewarded academy players they have relied on in the past 12 months, including the hugely impressive hooker Seb Blake and fellow forward Arthur Clark.
I always look at a Cherry and Whites rugby squad and think they can challenge for the title, but history shows us that’s just not always the case with Gloucester. They deserve a good run, but will they get one?
Londoners Harlequins have signed well in the likes of Wyn Jones and have added to their depth with the likes of Leigh Halfpenny.
But I am not sure they have been able to replace the talent that they’ve lost, including the star back Louis Lynagh and Will Collier and Andre Esterhuizen.
The same goes for Leicester. They have gotten rid of so much talent and I worry that have not been able to replace it.
Their best signing of the year is Michael Cheika, who becomes their new boss. I worked under him a little bit and I know he will be able to help turn around their fortunes.
Man at the helm
So many people would swerve Newcastle because they’d expect them to be whipping boys, but I don’t think that’ll be the case this year. It is a shame they lost Guy Pepper to Bath but, like Leicester, their boss Steve Diamond is the singing of the year.
Though he came in in the middle of last year, this season is his first full campaign at Kingston park and he will have gotten rid of a lot of the players he doesn’t think fits his style of play. They’re ones to watch.
Northampton are my favourites to win the Premiership and in doing so they’d win back-to-back titles.
They’ve lost an awful lot of talent with the likes of Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam heading across the Channel but they always recruit well from the lower leagues and abroad and I think their backs staying largely the same can help them motor.
Transfer of the year
I think Sale signing Waisea Nayacalevu might just be the best transfer this summer. He is going to light up the Premiership and become one of those cult Pacific Island players fans love on these shores.
Elsewhere they’ve replaced bulk with bulk and it’s clear Alex Sanderson is now trying to fine tune his squad. They’ll be an interesting watch this season.
Saracens have had a monumental overhaul this summer, losing the likes of Mako and Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell to France.
And while the club will miss those personalities, I think they could suffer from the lack of the likes of Alex Lewington and Sean Maitland – who have been epic for the north Londoners for years.
They’ve recruited smart, largely bringing in players who will do a job for them – such as Fraser Balmain – while they find long-term transfer replacements, but also allowed younger players such as Fergus Burke to go straight into main character roles.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11