Premiership rugby signings: From Chris Ashton to Danny Cipriani - all the summer ins and outs

A full guide to how each squad has changed over the summer

(Getty)

The new Premiership season is upon as the annual launch took place at Twickenham on Thursday, with all 12 director of rugby and head coaches meeting before battle commences next Friday.

The landscape of the league looks very different from just four months ago, with London Irish gone, Bristol now renamed the Bears and back in the top flight and the likes of Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks challenging where not so long ago Harlequins and Northampton Saints were.

There are new bosses, too. John Kingston and Jim Mallinder, stalwarts of the English game, have been moved on with former England defence coach Paul Gustard and New Zealand Chris Boyd named in their place at Quins and Saints respectively.

But there’s also been plenty of upheaval among the squads. For instance, Matt Banahan can no longer be found at The Rec, but at nearby rivals Gloucester following his Bath exit, while Danny Cipriani and James Haskell have both flown the nest to leave Wasps for pastures new – the former with Gloucester, the latter at Saints.

Here's a full guide to the ins and out at all 12 Premiership clubs this season.

Bath Rugby

IN: Will Chudley (Exeter Chiefs), Joe Cokanasiga (London Irish), Alex Davies (Yorkshire Carnegie), Victor Delmas (Colomiers), Ruaridh McConnochie (England Sevens), Lucas Noguera (Jaguares), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins), Jacques van Rooyen (Lions), Jackson Willison (Worcester Warriors)

Joe Cokanasiga has been signed from London Irish (Getty)

OUT: Nick Auterac (Harlequins), Matt Banahan (Gloucester Rugby), Nathan Charles (Melbourne Rebels), Will Homer (Jersey Reds), Rory Jennings (London Scottish), Shaun Knight (Rouen), Josh Lewis (Dragons), Guy Mercer (released), Kane Palma-Newport (Colomiers), James Phillips (Sale Sharks), Ben Tapuai (Harlequins), Jeff Williams (released), James Wilson (Southland)

Bristol Bears

IN: John Afoa (Gloucester Rugby), Jake Armstrong (Jersey Reds), Luke Daniels (Ealing Trailfinders), Ollie Dawe (Academy), Tiff Eden (Nottingham), Jake Heenan (Connacht), Ed Holmes (Exeter Chiefs), James Lay (Bay of Plenty), Jordan Lay (Edinburgh), Tom Lindsay (Bedford Blues), Shaun Malton (Exeter Chiefs), Aly Muldowney (Grenoble), Piers O’Conor (Ealing Trailfinders), Tom Pincus (Jersey Reds), Charles Piutau (Ulster), Harry Randall, (Gloucester Rugby), George Smith (Queensland Reds), Nic Stirzaker (Melbourne Rebels), Harry Thacker (Leicester Tigers), Lewis Thiede (Ealing Trailfinders), Yann Thomas (Rouen), Jake Woolmore (Jersey Reds)

Charles Piutau returns to the Premiership with Wasps (Getty)

OUT: Ryan Bevington (Dragons), Gaston Cortes (Leicester Tigers), Max Crumpton (Harlequins), Tyler Gendall (Cornish Pirates), Alex Giltrow (released), Ryan Glynn (released), Ben Gompels (released), Jason Harris-Wright (released), David Lemi (released), Jordan Liney (released), Ross McMillan (released), Giorgi Nemsadze (Ospreys), James Newey (released), Jack O’Connell (Ealing Trailfinders), Thretton Palamo (released), Olly Robinson (Cardiff Blues), Billy Searle (Wasps), Soane Tonga’uiha (Ampthill), Dan Tuohy (Vannes), Jack Wallace (Richmond), Jordan Williams (Dragons), Rhodri Williams (Dragons)

Exeter Chiefs

IN: Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues)

Alex Cuthbert is Exeter's only signing this season (Getty)

OUT: Will Chudley (Bath Rugby), Harrison Cully (Brixham RFC), Ed Holmes (Bristol Bears), Kai Horstmann (retired), Shaun Malton (Bristol Bears), Carl Rimmer (retired), Julian Salvi (retired), Lachlan Turner (retired), Thomas Waldrom (Wellington Lions)

Gloucester Rugby

IN: Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby), Danny Cipriani (Wasps), Ruan Dreyer (Lions), Todd Gleave (London Irish), Gerbrandt Grobler (Munster), Tom Hudson (Academy), Jaco Kriel (Lions), Franco Marais (Lions), Franco Mostert (Lions), Will Safe (Academy)

Danny Cipriani has already caused a stir at Gloucester (Getty)

OUT: John Afoa (Bristol Bears), Billy Burns (Ulster), Tom Denton (Ealing Trailfinders), David Halaifonua (Coventry), Richard Hibbard (Dragons), Motu Matu’u (London Irish), Ross Moriarty (Dragons), Cameron Orr (Western Force), Jacob Rowan (released), Andy Symons (Northampton Saints), Jeremy Thrush (Western Force)

Harlequins

IN: Nick Auterac (Bath Rugby), Max Crumpton (Bristol Bears), Alex Dombrandt (Cardiff Met), Nathan Earle (Saracens), Paul Lasike (Utah Warriors), Matt Symons (Wasps), Ben Tapuai (Bath Rugby)

Nathan Earle gets his chance to impress with Harlequins (Getty)

OUT: Sam Aspland-Robinson (Leicester Tigers), Joe Gray (released), Jake Hennessey (released), Cameron Holenstein (Jersey Reds), Adam Jones (retired, Harlequins’ Scrum Coach), Charlie Matthews (Wasps), John Okafor (Yorkshire Carnegie), Charlie Piper (released), Jamie Roberts (Bath Rugby), Harry Sloan (Ealing Trailfinders), Winston Stanley (retired), Sam Twomey (London Irish)

Leicester Tigers

IN: Sam Aspland-Robinson (Harlequins), Gaston Cortes (Bristol Bears), David Denton (Worcester Warriors), Kyle Eastmond (Wasps), David Feao (Narbonne), Campese Ma’afu (Northampton Saints), Will Spencer (Worcester Warriors), Jimmy Stevens (Nottingham Rugby), Guy Thompson (Wasps)

Will Spencer plugs the gap in the second-row at Leicester (Getty)

OUT: Chris Baumann (released), Ben Betts (Ealing Trailfinders), Tom Brady (released), George Catchpole (retired), Luke Hamilton (Edinburgh), Joe Maksymiw (Connacht), Nick Malouf (Australia Sevens), George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons), Logovi’i Mulipola (Newcastle Falcons), Afa Pakalani (released), Michele Rizzo (Petrarca), Dominic Ryan (released), Harry Thacker (Bristol Bears), Kyle Traynor (released)

Newcastle Falcons

IN: Tom Arscott (Rouen), Pedro Bettencourt (Carcassonne), Connor Collett (North Harbour), Rob Farrar (Academy), Guy Graham, (Hawick), Josh Hodge (Academy), Tom Marshall (Academy), Will Montgomery (Academy), George McGuigan (Leicester Tigers), Logovi’i Mulipola (Leicester Tigers), Paul Mullen, Nemani Nagusa (Aurillac), Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti (Academy), Morgan Passman (Academy), Johnny Williams (London Irish)

George McGuigan moves north to Newcastle (Getty)

OUT: Nick Civetta (Doncaster), Max Davies (released), Ally Hogg (retired), Jake Ilnicki (Yorkshire Carnegie), Nili Latu (Hino Red Dolphins), Scott Lawson (retired), Maxime Mermoz (Toulouse), Evan Olmstead (released), Juan Pablo Socino (Edinburgh), Ben Sowrey (released), Rob Vickers (released), Craig Willis (Ealing Trailfinders)

Northampton Saints

IN: Dom Barrow (Leicester Tigers), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Charlie Davies (Dragons), Will Davis (Ealing Trailfinders), Ben Franks (London Irish), Joe Gray (Harlequins), James Haskell (Wasps), Andrew Kellaway (NSW Waratahs), Taqele Naiyaravoro (NSW Waratahs), Andy Symons (Gloucester Rugby)

Dan Biggar arrives at Northampton Saints from Ospreys (Getty)

OUT: Will Allman (released), Matt Beesley (Ealing Trailfinders), Kieran Brookes (Wasps), Charlie Clare (Bedford Blues), Christian Day (retired), Jamie Elliott (Bedford Blues), Juan Pablo Estelles (Rosario), Ben Foden (Rugby United, New York), Nic Groom (Lions), Rob Horne (retired), Tom Kessell (Coventry), Campese Ma’afu (Leicester Tigers), Stephen Myler (London Irish), George North (Ospreys), Ben Nutley (Coventry), Jordan Onojaife (Ealing Trailfinders), Michael Paterson (released), Tom Stephenson (London Irish)

Sale Sharks

IN: Ewan Ashman (Academy), Chris Ashton (Toulon), Rouban Birch (Academy), Ciaran Booth (Academy), Connor Doherty (Academy), Sam Dugdale (Academy), Cal Ford (Academy), Rohan Janse Van Rensburg (Lions), Joe Jones (Perpignan), Teddy Leatherbarrow (Academy), James Phillips (Bath Rugby), Cameron Redpath (Academy), Bevan Rodd (Academy), Gus Warr (Academy), Kieran Wilkinson (Academy)

Chris Ashton left Toulon early to join Sale Sharks (Getty)

OUT: Will Addison (Ulster), Halani Aulika (Grenoble), Mike Haley (Munster), TJ Ioane (London Irish)

Saracens

IN: Alex Lewington (London Irish), David Strettle (Clermont), Tom Woolstencroft (London Irish)

Alex Lewington is one of three new signings at champions Saracens (Getty)

OUT: Schalk Brits (retired), Danny Cutmore (Cornish Pirates), Nathan Earle (Harlequins), Mike Ellery (England Sevens), Mark Flanagan (Bedford Blues), Matt Hankin (retired), Kieran Longbottom (Western Force), Tadgh McElroy (Bedford Blues, loan), Jack Nay (Bedford Blues, loan) Chris Wyles (retired)

Wasps

IN: Joe Atkinson (London Scottish), Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints), Nizaam Carr (Stormers), Ambrose Curtis (Manawatu), Antonio ‘TJ’ Harris (Academy), Michael Le Bourgeois (Bedford Blues), Charlie Matthews (Harlequins), Ben Morris (Nottingham), Ross Neal (London Scottish), Billy Searle (Bristol Bears), Brad Shields (Hurricanes), Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders), Will Stuart (Academy), Tom West (Academy), Zurabi Zhvania (Stade Francais)

Lima Sopoaga replaces Cipriani at Wasps (Getty)

OUT: Guy Armitage (Ealing Trailfinders), Danny Cipriani (Gloucester Rugby), Paul Doran Jones (released), Kyle Eastmond (Leicester Tigers), James Haskell (Northampton Saints), Sam Jones (retired), Alex Lundberg (Ealing Trailfinders), Brendan Macken (released), Marty Moore (Ulster), Guy Thompson (Leicester Tigers), Matt Symons (Harlequins)

Worcester Warriors

IN: Ashley Beck (Ospreys), Callum Black (Ulster), Cornell du Preez (Edinburgh), Michael Fatialofa (Hurricanes), Michael Heaney (Doncaster Knights), Jono Lance (Queensland Reds), Isaac Miller (London Scottish), Farai Mudariki (Stado Tarbes Pyrenees), Scott van Breda (Jersey Reds), Francois Venter (Cheetahs), Duncan Weir (Edinburgh)

Michael Fatialofa arrives at Worcester as a Super Rugby winner (Getty)

OUT: Biyi Alo (Soyaux Angouleme), David Denton (Leicester Tigers), Michael Dowsett (Canon Eagles), Andrew Durutalo (Ealing Trailfinders), Grayson Hart (London Scottish), Kurt Haupt (SWD Eagles), Tom Heathcote (released), Ben Howard (released), Donncha O’Callaghan (retired), Sam Olver (Ealing Trailfinders), Will Spencer (Leicester Tigers), Max Stelling (Hino Red Dolphins), Peter Stringer (retired), Huw Taylor (Dragons), Jackson Willison (Bath Rugby)