Premiership Rugby started after the long summer break, with Tigers traveling down to Exeter for their opening game of the season.
Over the summer there has been more turmoil than usual off the field, even for the Tigers, with Dan McKellar leaving via what seems like a rare genuine case of “mutual agreement”. On the field things are relatively stable, only losing star man Jasper Wiese to Japan & choosing not to retain underrated squad player Matt Scott. They decided to give their player a chance to do bookmaker betting.
Tigers have decided that as Wiese is a one-of-a-kind player, there was no point trying to recruit directly to replace him. Instead, we will likely use Kyle Hatherell, last season’s backup, and the versatility of existing players like Hanro Liebenberg or Olly Cracknell to fill the jersey. As for replacing his impact when carrying the ball? We seem to have decided on replacement by the committee, with the other players stepping up to take their share of the work.
A positive spin is that no one in camp can realistically expect Hatherell or anyone else to replicate Wiese’s results so they all know they must step up to do their part. A negative interpretation is that no one can replicate Wiese’s results and we will struggle while we adapt to life without him.
In the midfield, we have a new signing Izaia Perese from Sydney’s New South Wales Waratahs. Perese is a physical specimen from the top draw, around 6 foot tall and 95kgs with little other than muscle on show. His attacking skills are sharp, we shall see how he settles into life in the Premiership where there is a greater focus on defense than he may be used to in Australia.
Upfront Tigers have spent some of the Wiese savings on Nicky Smith, the 46-times capped Welsh loose head prop from Swansea’s Ospreys. Smith was named in last season’s URC “Team of the Season”, underlining not only his quality but also his form. I strongly expect him to hit the ground running.
As ever in rugby, injuries and availability are likely to have a more telling impact on performances than incoming and outgoings. Tigers have three international second rows in Cameron Henderson (Scotland), George Martin & Ollie Chessum (both England); injuries have meant the trio have only played in the same game once, a win against Saracens in October 2021. Getting those three players into the engine room consistently will have as big an impact in the positive direction as losing Wiese will in the negative.
Looking around the league most clubs are in the same boat losing star names with little coming in the other direction to offset. Saracens have lost Owen Farrell & replaced him with little-known Kiwi Fergus Burke, Quins have lost Andre Esterhuizen & Louis Lynagh with no replacements at all, Saints have lost Alex Waller, Lewis Ludlam & Courtney Lawes among others, and signed Josh Kemeny from Australia as their only big-name replacement.
Sale have replaced their big leaver of Manu Tuilagi in a like-for-like fashion as Fiji’s World Cup captain Waisea Nayacalevu joins the Manchester side, so perhaps expect them to feature strongly along with Bath who are the rare side to suffer no major leavers. Bristol ended last season in red-hot form, winning 9 of their final 11 Premiership games. Usually that suggests a strong season the following year, though their squad is very thin in key areas like fly half, so a feast or famine season may be in store with top as likely as 8th for them depending on injuries.
Newcastle is likely to remain at the bottom, while Gloucester and Exeter are unlikely to make a charge for the playoffs. But in the Premiership, the only thing you can be sure about is to expect the unexpected. No doubt Exeter will be looking for a fast start and giving us another bloody nose down in Devon this weekend.
