Club: Gloucester
Last season: runners-up
Odds for the title: 10/3
Season opener: away v Leeds, 16 September
Ins
Lesley Vainikolo (Bradford Bulls), Alasdair Strockosch, Chris Paterson, Alasdair Dickinson (all Edinburgh), Andy Titterrell (Sale), Jeremy Paul (ACT Brumbies), Gareth Delve (Bath), Mike Prendergast (Bourgoin), Ali James (Newbury), Leon Lloyd (Leicester), Akapusi Qera (Pertemps Bees), Gareth Cooper (Dragons)
Outs
Terry Sigley (TBC), Mefin Davies (Leicester), Rob Elloway (Cornish Pirates), Adam Eustace (Scarlets), Dean Miller (Cinderford), Jake Boer (TBC), James Merriman (Neath), Brad Davies (Plymouth), Peter Richards (London Irish), Haydn Thomas (Bristol), Rob Thirlby (Redruth), Rudi Keil (Sale), Jon Goodridge (Leeds)
The player preview
Gloucester backrower Peter Buxton explains why there’s so much more for the Kingsholm faithful to look forward to.
How are the wounds healing from last term?
We were disappointed with how last season ended but we’ve got over that now. The guys who were involved will certainly be very happy to get stuck back into the Premiership again. We want to get ourselves in the same situation again so we can rectify what we saw as a poor performance in the final.
A lot of new names to the squad, how they settling in?
The new guys that have come in have fitted in really well – the work ethic from the boys has been really good. It’s good to have big names come into the club but what’s been most impressive is their attitude. Like I said, they’re all winning to work hard and trying to fit into the way we do things at Gloucester.
Lot of pressure on you now though?
I think there’s always a lot of pressure on Gloucester. We get a lot of pressure from the fans, but we’re still a fairly young team and developing. We’re looking to get into the top four just as we have for the last two years.
What’s the plan for the season?
We want to get off to a good start during the World Cup, then reassess after its finished and try to integrate the guys coming back as soon as possible.
A few players were on the fringes of the England squad but were cut late on, is it hard for them to get over that?
They’re disappointed and rightly so for not being included, but they’re professionals and will work even harder now. Players such as Sinbad (James Simpson-Daniel), Andy Hazell, Ryan Lamb, Alex Brown and Anthony Allen have all made a lot of improvements in their conditioning and that will be evident at the start of the season.
It’s going to be a tough year with all the stars coming to England?
The Guinness Premiership is going to be the hardest it’s ever been because there’s a lot of quality signings coming after the World Cup. The key to it will be how the players fit into their respective clubs.
Who do you fancy to challenge?
Wasps and Leicester will be strong as always, Sarries have made some good signings and Newcastle have too. There’s going to be a lot of strong teams this year.
Supporters’ prediction: 2nd. “Dean Ryan has made some clever signings over the summer, bringing in experienced players such as Jeremy Paul, Leon Lloyd, Gareth Cooper and Chris Paterson. However, the majority of fans are eagerly anticipating the impact of Lesley Vainikolo, and hoping he can be as destructive as certain other Pacific Islanders in the Premiership. It's an exciting season in prospect for Gloucester Rugby Club.” Will Coomer, Sheffield
Rucked prediction: Champions. A brilliant young squad just needed a bit of experience and in Paul, Paterson and Lloyd they’ve got exactly that. Chuck in a lot of players with points to prove on the international front and you’ve got a championship-winning side!
