HOW PROVINCES SHAPE UP…
CONNACHT
LAST SEASON: Champions. MAJOR SIGNING: Marnitz Boshoff (Lions, right). OPENING GAMES: Saturday v Glasgow (h), Sept 10 v Ospreys (h). THEY SAY: ‘We all want to be back in May but ultimately we know we have got to improve and get better. If we only play the same, we will fall short… there is worry from certain people thinking we’re not going to be as hungry, but I don’t think that is the case’ – John Muldoon. WE SAY: Four home games in the first six rounds promises a decent start, but this squad isn’t as strong as last term and Champions Cup involvement will test their reduced strength in depth.
LEINSTER
LAST SEASON: Beaten finalists. MAJOR SIGNINGS: Robbie Henshaw (Connacht, right), Jamison GibsonPark (Hurricanes). OPENING GAMES: Friday v Treviso (h), Sept 10 v Glasgow (a) THEY SAY: ‘Last year toughened me. You need to be resilient and persevere in coaching. We could definitely be better the way we manage things, but we made some good progress… I’m encouraged. It’s going to be a really tough season but it’s an exciting challenge’ – Leo Cullen. WE SAY: Inconsistent Ireland players let Cullen down in his first season and any repeat will generate fears his rookie stewardship could go pearshaped like Anthony Foley’s tenure at Munster.
MUNSTER
LAST SEASON: Sixth. MAJOR SIGNING: Jean Kleyn (Stormers, right). OPENING GAMES: Saturday v Scarlets (a), Sept 9 v Zebre (h). THEY SAY: ‘The scrum is definitely a focus. There’s a mind shift to get it right… we will have shortcomings (in other areas) but when I take stock in December, I will ask, “Did we fully maximise the potential we have?” If we do, we will win more games than we lose’ – Rassie Erasmus. WE SAY: Something had to change, so battered did Munster become during the Foley era, but Erasmus has work cut out to lift the gloom. Young blood would be a tonic.
ULSTER
LAST SEASON: Beaten semifinalists. MAJOR SIGNINGS: Charles Piutau (Wasps, right), Marcel Coetzee (Sharks). OPENING GAMES: Friday v Dragons (h), Sept 10 v Treviso (a). THEY SAY: ‘We have a clearer vision about how I see it instead of coming in (in November) and moving the chess pieces around on a weekly basis. It’s nice having a clean sheet at the beginning of the season but that doesn’t guarantee anything’ – Les Kiss. WE SAY: No more excuses about a decade-old trophy famine. Having recruited lavishly, the irritation of consistently shooting themselves in the foot at the business end of the league must stop.