Gallagher Premiership: Club-by-club guide to the 2022-23 campaign

It is the 26th Premiership campaign, and 11-time champions Leicester will defend the crown they won after a thrilling Twickenham final against Saracens

Thursday 08 September 2022 08:35 BST

The 2022-23 Premiership season begins on Friday (PA Wire)

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The 2022-23 Gallagher Premiership season kicks off on Friday with a west country derby between Bristol and Bath at Ashton Gate.

It is the 26th Premiership campaign, and 11-time champions Leicester will defend the crown they won after a thrilling Twickenham final against Saracens.

Here we look at the 13 runners and riders, including player signings and departures.

Bath

Ground: Recreation Ground

Head of rugby: Johann van Graan

Last season: 13th

Title odds: 50-1

Players in: Niall Annett (Worcester), Matt Gallagher, Chris Cloete (both Munster), Louis Schreuder (Newcastle), Dave Attwood (Bristol), Piers Francis, JJ Tonks (both Northampton), Wesley White (Jersey), GJ van Velze (Tel Aviv Heat), Quinn Roux (Toulon), Michael Etete (Leeds).

Players out: Taulupe Faletau (Bath), Semesa Rokoduguni (Montauban), Anthony Watson (Leicester), Max Clark (Dragons), Valery Morozov (Worcester), Tian Schoeman (Newcastle), Jacques du Toit (Zebre Parma), Ollie Fox (Ealing), Danny Cipriani, Tom Prydie (both released).

Bristol

Ground: Ashton Gate

Rugby director Pat Lam

Last season: 10th

Title odds: 20-1

Players in: Ellis Genge (Leicester), AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Gabriel Ibitoye (Tel Aviv Heat), Richard Lane (Bedford).

Players out: Dave Attwood (Bath), John Afoa (Vannes), Antoine Frisch (Munster), Tiff Eden (Zebre Parma), Alapati Leiua (Waikato), Mitch Eadie, Niyi Adeolokun, Nathan Hughes (all released).

Exeter

Ground: Sandy Park

Rugby director: Rob Baxter

Last season: 7th

Title odds: 5-1

Players in: Jack Dunne, Rory O’Loughlin (both Leinster), Solomone Kata (Moana Pasifika), Aidon Davis (Cheetahs), Ruben van Heerden (Sharks).

Players out: Sam Skinner (Edinburgh), Jonny Hill, Tom O’Flaherty (both Sale Sharks), Will Witty (Perpignan), Alfie Petch, Aaron Hinkley (both Northampton), Sean Lonsdale (Dragons), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Benetton), Don Armand (retired).

Gloucester

Ground: Kingsholm

Head coach: George Skivington

Last season: 5th

Title odds: 16-1

Players in: Albert Tuisue (London Irish).

Players out: Jason Woodward (Sale Sharks), Will Britton, Olly Adkins, Seb Nagle-Taylor (all Cornish Pirates), Toby Venner (Jersey), Jack Stanley (released), Ed Slater (retired).

Harlequins

Ground: Twickenham Stoop

Head coach: Tabai Matson

Last season: 3rd

Title odds: 6-1

Players in: Irne Herbst (Benetton), Charlie Matthews (Kamaishi Seawaves).

Players out: Hugh Tizard (Saracens), Huw Jones (Glasgow), Christian Scotland-Williamson (released), Matt Symons, Joe Gray (both retired).

Leicester

Ground: Mattioli Woods Welford Road

Head coach: Steve Borthwick

Last season: Champions

Title odds: 7-2

Players in: Handre Pollard (Montpellier), Anthony Watson (Bath), Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps), James Cronin (Biarritz), Phil Cokanasiga, Olly Cracknell (both London Irish), Joe Taufete’e (LA Giltinis), Lachlan Shelley (Eastwood), Tom Horton (NSW Waratahs).

Players out: Ellis Genge (Bristol), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Matias Moroni (Newcastle), Marco van Staden (released), Jaco Taute (retired).

London Irish

Ground: Gtech Community Stadium

Rugby director: Declan Kidney

Last season: 8th

Title odds: 33-1

Players in: Api Ratuniyarawa (Northampton), Isaac Miller (Worcester), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma), Luca Morisi (Benetton), Joe Powell (Melbourne Rebels).

Players out: Albert Tuisue (Gloucester), Terrence Hepetema (Grenoble), Steve Mafi (Oyonnax), George Nott (Dragons), Phil Cokanasiga. Olly Cracknell (both Leicester), Allan Dell (Glasgow), Nick Phipps (released), Sean O’Brien (retired).

Newcastle

Ground: Kingston Park

Head coach: Dave Walder

Last season: 12th

Title odds: 150-1

Players in: Tian Schoeman (Bath), Matias Moroni (Leicester), Josh Thomas (Ospreys), Sebastian de Chaves (Austin Gilgronis).

Players out: Louis Schreuder (Bath), Will Haydon-Wood (Wasps), Marco Fuser (Massy), Joel Hodgson (Glasgow), Mike Brown, Luther Burrell, Kyle Cooper, Ollie Lindsay-Hague (all released).

Northampton

Ground: cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens

Rugby director: Phil Dowson

Last season: 4th

Title odds: 14-1

Players in: Callum Braley (Benetton), Ethan Waller (Worcester), Angus Scott-Young (Queensland Reds), Aaron Hinkley, Alfie Petch (both Exeter).

Players out: Teimana Harrison (Provence), Piers Francis, JJ Tonks (both Bath), Nick Auterac (Edinburgh), Api Ratuniyarawa (London Irish), Taqele Naiyaravoro (released), Tom Wood (retired).

Sale Sharks

Ground: AJ Bell Stadium

Rugby director: Alex Sanderson

Last season: 6th

Title odds: 17-2

Players in: George Ford (Leicester), Jonny Hill, Tom O’Flaherty (both Exeter), Jason Woodward (Gloucester).

Players out: Faf de Klerk (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Lood de Jager (Saitama Wild Knights), AJ MacGinty (Bristol), JP du Preez (Glasgow), Curtis Langdon, Cameron Neild (both Worcester), Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Sharks, South Africa), Simon Hammersley (retired).

Saracens

Ground: StoneX Stadium

Rugby director: Mark McCall

Last season: Runners-up

Title odds: 15-8

Players in: Hugh Tizard (Harlequins), Christian Judge (Worcester), Eduardo Bello (Zebre Parma), James Flynn (Jersey).

Players out: Vincent Koch (Wasps), Sean Reffell (Ulster), Richard Barrington (Agen), Elliott Obatoyinbo (released), Tim Swinson (retired).

Wasps

Ground: Coventry Building Society Arena

Head coach: Lee Blackett

Last season: 9th

Title odds: 20-1

Players in: Vincent Koch (Saracens), John Ryan (Munster), Will Haydon-Wood (Newcastle), Burger Odendaal (Lions), Kiran McDonald (Glasgow).

Players out: Thomas Young (Cardiff), Vaea Fifita (Scarlets), Malakai Fekitoa (Munster), Jimmy Gopperth (Leicester), Jeff Toomaga-Allen (Ulster), Michael Le Bourgeois (Bedford), Marcus Watson (Benetton), Pieter Scholtz (Bayonne), James Gaskell, Rob Miller (both released).

Worcester

Ground: Sixways

Rugby director: Steve Diamond

Last season: 11th

Title odds: 200-1

Players in: Curtis Langdon, Cameron Neild (both Sale Sharks), Fergus Lee-Warner, Santiago Medrano (both Western Force), Hame Faiva (Benetton), Valery Morozov (Bath), Renato Giammarioli (Zebre Parma).

Players out: Ethan Waller (Northampton), Niall Annett (Bath), Sione Vailanu (Glasgow), Christian Judge (Saracens), Isaac Miller (London Irish), Melani Nanai (Bay of Plenty), Sam Lewis (released), Matt Garvey (retired).

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