The boundaries
if Saracens deploy the Rio gold medallist to do more than chase Richard Wigglesworth’s box kicks. If the ex-Crusaders boss can get Bath playing like his old side they will be a treat to watch. No guarantees they will win anything, though – the Kiwi never won the Super Rugby title even with Dan Carter and Richie McCaw in his side. interesting. Promoted under former England coach Andy Robinson, they are financially equipped to make a dent in the Premiership hierarchy.
But past evidence indicates sides who come up need time to settle. It took Exeter six years in the top flight to reach last term’s final.
There has only been one team in Premiership history who have even managed to finish in the top half of the table the season after being promoted: Newcastle, who won The Premiership salary cap has risen to a basic £6.5m but it is hardly a struggle to reach it when you are worth £1.4bn. Guernsey-based, the Bristol owner has the means to shake-up the status quo. the title at the first attempt on the back of Sir John Hall’s money and the stewardship of Rob Andrew in 1997-98. The financial position is very different now for the Falcons, who host Sale tonight. They have added a little glitz to their backline with the arrival of Niki Goneva from Leicester but it remains a work of blind faith to see them competing at the top end of the table. Director of rugby Dean Richards hates the pre-season predictions of struggle but cannot see a Leicester City storyline for his club. He doubts the Foxes’ feat is possible in English rugby.
“Probably not. People reference Exeter Chiefs against Leicester City FC but Exeter these days are within the top five spenders in the Aviva Premiership. I think it would be far more difficult to achieve in rugby,” said Richards.
In one sense, it is easier now to smash the glass ceiling as a side only has to reach the top four to earn a shot at the title through the play-offs.
The record books show a degree of fluidity in this area, with six different winners and eight different clubs making the semi-finals over the past decade. Among them are Gloucester, who last did so in 2011 and who start out at home against Leicester tonight.
With stability the watchword at Kingsholm over the summer, perhaps they could be the bolters from the shadows?
They have a shrewd figure at the helm in David Humphreys and a proven match winner in Jonny May, who returns from injury next month wanting his England place back. Clubs are not forced to settle for mediocrity. To imagine what is possible, the English game’s stragglers only need to take a look over the fence at the Pro12 and see who won that last season. Connacht.