Let The Rugby Commence - Aviva Premiership Round 1 Preview

Full Aviva Premiership Round 1 Team News --> Here

Happy New Season!! It is here, we have made it through the worst part of the year, the domestic off season and now real life Aviva Premiership Rugby is just a few days away. The pre-season fixtures gave us a taster of what's to come, an aperitif if you like, however they didn't quite replicate the real thing. Now, it is time for Round 1; 

There is only one way that we can appropriately begin the year and that is at the home of the current Aviva Premiership Champions, the Northampton Saints. Underneath the Friday Night Lights the atmosphere will be spine-tingling, the noise deafening and the rugby electric. The last time that these two met at Franklin’s Gardens in the Aviva Premiership was on the 1st March and the Northampton Saints ran out comfortable 39 – 13 winners. Now, as we all know a lot has changed at Gloucester Rugby over the past four months so I am going to take that result with a pinch of salt.  It will be a brutally physical game, up front the duals between Hartley and Hibbard and Afoa and Corbisiero, as long as they are all selected, will be colossal. Saints have the larger of the big ball carriers with Lawes, Wood and Manoa however Gloucester’s Ben Morgan will certainly be aiming to raise their games in order to impress their new management and indeed Stuart Lancaster. In the backs both sides scream class and any back from either side has the ability to single-handedly change the game. The Hook Laidlaw combination will be fascinating to watch whilst the Myler and Dickson pairing always delights.  Facing the Champions at home is a huge test for David Humphreys and his new side, the last time the Saints lost their opening fixture of the season was back in 2005 and Gloucester haven’t beaten won at Franklin’s Gardens since 2011. However times are changing at Gloucester and if they can gain a win on the road it will be one of the most dramatic starts to any Aviva Premiership season.

On Saturday afternoon the Sale Sharks kick off their campaign against Bath Rugby. The Sharks’ season last year surprised many however it did tail off towards the back end as they lost three of their last four Aviva Premiership fixtures however after a refreshing summer with some new faces in their ranks that losing streak isn't likely to continue. Bath Rugby are a side that aren’t afraid of playing away from home, indeed their Semi Final against Harlequins was their only away loss in 2014, bar the Amlin Challenge Cup Final. Exactly like Friday night’s game this will be one almighty match, Bath’s back row, even without the injured Matt Garvey, are ferocious and Sale also house a number of units in their ranks with Hines, Cobilas, Lund and of course captain Braid. My eyes again will be focused on the half backs; Cipriani and Cusiter versus Stringer and Ford, both should orchestrate proceedings with poise for their sides and the two talented fly halves are certain add individual breathtaking moments. It is a tough one to call, which is why I’m not going to!!!! Both have strong set pieces and exciting backlines and both have a huge desire to kick on and go one better than last season and that starts by gaining a win in Round 1.

In London Saracens and Wasps have the honour of opening the 2014 London Double Header at Twickenham. It is always a fantastic day that starts the year with a bang when thousands of rugby fans descend on HQ and enjoy 160 minutes of competitive rugby. Saracens have looked strong throughout their pre-season campaign and the vast majority of McCall's squad selected for the Double Header were part of the 23 that lost the final. Wasps are a side that have recruited extremely well over the summer, Gaskell and Miller have been outstanding already and with Christian Wade, Joe Simpson and Elliot Daly they have one of the quickest back lines in the entire Premiership. The clash of the back rows will be tremendous with Nathan Hughes, Billy Vuniola, a fit again Will Fraser and James Haskell on the pitch the rugby in the loose will be ferocious. On paper Saracens have more experience and firepower however Wasps should give their London rivals a huge run around and do have the potential to cause an upset on that beautiful Twickenham turf!

The Leicester Tigers' home Welford Road opens its doors for the first time to this season to the Newcastle Falcons and in the Midlands it will be the battle of the Tuilagi’s with one in each squad. Leicester’s dominance at Welford Road is mighty; they have been defeated just once at home in the Aviva Premiership since February 2013 and you expect Saturday’s game won’t be their second. That expectation isn’t disrespecting Dean Richards or his side in the slightest, I believe that they will be competitive and will showcase some great rugby during the course of the 80 minutes however the Tigers’ experience and manpower overrules them. For Tigers Burns' contribution will be extremely important and he must continue where he left off in New Zealand and of course Niki Goneva’s impact will be as prolific as ever, there is no question about that! For Newcastle the pace of Sinoti Sintoi, Noah Cato and their Tuilagi, should take their performance level up a notch from last year. Leicester’s injury list is much larger than they would like with Miles Benjamin, Gonzalo Camacho, Dan Cole, Scott Hamilton, Pablo Matera, Geoff Parling, Laurence Pearce, Michele Rizzo, Adam Thompstone and Brad Thorn all unavailable.If the Falcons do prevail at Welford Road it would, without a doubt, be the headline/shock of the rugby century...

The second of the Double Header fixtures is the more potent of the two London Derbies between Harlequins and London Irish; two sides that known each other very well and have traded personnel over the summer. London Irish don’t have the best record at Twickenham, with just one win in nine matches whereas Harlequins have won all of their past five visits. In fairness to both sides prior wins will matter little when it comes down to it on Saturday afternoon, instead it will be about controlling their emotions and imposing themselves on the game at hand. As always Harlequins’ England contingent will set all of our rugby pulses racing, Joe Marler’s side, that’s strange to type, is a vastly experienced and strong one. London Irish must not shy away from their opponents instead they must front up from minute one, believe in their own abilities and see where that takes them. I fully expect Yarde and Guest to both put in show stopping performances against their former clubs, however it will be a game that is won by the collective and not by individuals.

The final fixture of the weekend is at the Kassam Stadium where London Welsh welcome the Exeter Chiefs. Our Premiership new boys will have had a tough time waiting to start their Aviva Premiership Campaign however keeping their excitement and indeed nerves in check will be vital. Rob Baxter’s Chiefs arrive in Oxford off the back of a very strong pre-season campaign. During the summer they’ve focused heavily on closing out matches as opposed to letting them slip in the final twenty minutes and the proof will be in the Round 1 pudding. The Chiefs and Welsh both are hard working sides and on the pitch it will be a relentless battle of wills; Exeter have the greater level of Premiership experience however their injury list, like Leicester's, is slightly worrying already; Dean Mumm, Jack Nowell, Phil Dollman, Dave Lewis and Luke Cowan-Dickie. For London Welsh it is time to test themselves, they have expressed a desire to impose their own game plan on Exeter instead of simply reacting and that starts from the very first kick off and the very first touch of the ball. Their backline is an exciting one with Weepu and Barkley pulling the strings, May and Molenaar in the centre and Nick Scott, Seb Stegmann and Seb Jewell outside of them. It would be an almighty feat if Welsh could start the year with a win however Exeter will arrive all guns blazing and ready to show that they are streaks ahead of their old Championship rivals.

So there you have it, the full Aviva Premiership Round 1 Preview, as Round 1’s go it is pretty damn good isn’t it!!? Last year’s Aviva Premiership Competition was stupendous, it captivated us all from the very first whistle to the very last and I can guarantee you all that this year’s will be better. I, like you, am more than ready for the season to start, after weeks of talking it is time to stop and watch a spot of Aviva Premiership action... let the rugby commence!