PREM INS & OUTS
All the summer transfers ahead of the new season
What with pandemic considerations – not least the financial implications for clubs – and travel difficulties it’s been an odd closed season, a bit short on stellar signings, but it’s been busy nonetheless with team bosses ducking and diving to acquire the players they want.
The biggest movers and shakers – and with good reason after a dismal campaign last season – are probably Worcester who remain determined to finally climb to midtable respectability if not better.
They have aimed big and the arrival of former Gloucester captain Willi Heinz, along with Scottish Lions Duhan van der Merwe and Rory Sutherland, and Premiership winner Scott Baldwin from Harlequins is sending out a big message.
We have been here before with Worcester, hope runs high at the start of a season but just perhaps this could be take off. A lot might depend on how much rugby they actually get out of Van der Merwe and Sutherland who, after the mandatory stand down period for the Lions tour, will also be regulars with Scotland come the Test windows.
One of the most intriguing signings for the season has to be Danny Cipriani’s arrival at Bath whose big-name high octane back division failed to fire on all four cylinders last season.
Cipriani should be well rested after nearly a year out of the game following his abrupt departure from Gloucester and has been working hard on his running technique and fitness as well as his skills. At his best he could be the man to get Jonathan Joseph weaving his magic again and to bring the very best out of Cameron Redpath, Anthony Watson, Joe Cokanasiga and the promising Tom De Glanville.
It’s going to be fun in the Wasps back row this season with the return of former crowd favourite Nizaam Carr form the Bulls and the arrival of the player I am tipping to be the best overseas signing of the season.
Tongan Vaea Fifita was on fire with his destructive running between 2017 and 2019 when he won 12 All Black caps before falling out of favour. If it’s ‘go forward’ you want – and Wasps need it more than most – Fifita is your man. Look out also for Elliott Stooke to add some grunt to their pack which will be missing Will Rowlands who has moved to Dragons.
Bristol have been fairly quiet on the transfer market after a busy couple of seasons although it is intriguing to see Tom Whitley arrive as a back-up scrum-half with Harry Randell expected to be with England, while there are those who feel Andy Uren should be on Eddie Jones’ radar as well. Whitely will be reunited with his old Millfield fly-half Callum Sheedy – they were one of the great schools combos back in the day.
It will also be interesting to see how quickly Bristol absorb the loss
of their two on-loan Sarries – Ben Earl and Max Malins – who return to London after doing Bris proud last season.
Runners-up Exeter are ominously settled with just two significant arrivals – prop Josh Iosefa-Scott from Waikato and Sean O’Brien – no not that one – the Ireland U20 and Connacht centre. Another quiet club in the transfer market after a hectic couple of years has been Sale who have concentrated on the front row. Tommy Taylor returns at hooker, Simon McIntyre arrives from Wasps while Nick Schonert could be a big signing from Worcester. Gloucester boss George Skivington is fairly happy with his developing squad although the arrival of Adam Hastings, looking to find his best form after injuries and regain his place in the Scotland squad, could be timely. Look out also for Kirill Gotovtsev, the Russian prop who was a former freestyle wrestler.
By the end of last season Harlequins had established the core of their Premiership-winning team and the only out and out starter from the squad on the move is Wales hooker Baldwin. Mike Brown, of course, is heading to Newcastle along with Nathan Earle and Quins have augmented their backs with two high qualities additions – Italy’s utility back Tomasso Allen and the talented Huw Jones from Scotland.
You could argue Quins overachieved last season and that this season and next is when you might have expected the side to knit together. We possibly still haven’t seen the best of them which is an exciting thought.
London Irish’ challenge is to reproduce the best performances from last season while eliminating their inconsistencies, so they have been fairly conservative. Leicester scrum-half Ben White is a useful acquisition and South African muscle in centre Bernard Janse van Rensburg and prop Marcel van der Merwe will add some poundage to proceedings.
As for Saracens they did most of the rebuilding last season but as well as welcoming back Earl and Malins – who technically never left – Ruben de Hass and Ivan Zyl are their latest South African arrivals while Italy’s Marco Riccioni could develop into a very good prop indeed.
Steve Borthwick has been very busy at Leicester, but the significant signings are the return of Freddie Burns at fly-half and the arrival from the Bulls of flanker Marco van Staden, who has been involved for the Boks against the Lions.
Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards is a canny operator when he goes to market so expect big seasons from Brown and Earle while George Merrick is another good operator.
After an up and down season Chris Boyd has just tinkered a little at Northampton. Chris Cook is an experienced scrum-half who comes in for Henry Taylor who has retired from the game while just this week Saints have confirmed the signing of Frank Lomami, Melbourne’s Fijian scrum-half.