- Premiership season kicks off next Friday night
- Reigning champions Saracens make only four additions over the summer
- Newly promoted Worcester add 18 players to their senior squad as they attempt to avoid the drop
With the Premiership kicking off in just over a week, we here at RUCK thought it timely to get updated with all the ingoings and outgoings by the 12 clubs during the summer.
Saracens were the least busy with just four new faces while newly-promoted Worcester have recruited an incredible 18 new players to their senior squad as they attempt bravely to beat the drop.
Tell us below who you think has done the best business!
Bath
Players in
Nikola Matawalu from 
Glasgow Warriors
Rhys Priestland from Scarlets
Tom Dunn promoted from Academy- Charlie Ewels promoted from Academy
- Tom Homer from London Irish
- Jonathan Evans from Newport Gwent Dragons
- Jeff Williams from England Sevens
Players out
- Paul James to Ospreys
- Gavin Henson to Bristol Rugby
- Olly Woodburn to Exeter Chiefs
- Micky Young to Newcastle Falcons
- Dave Sisi to London Irish (season-loan)
- Will Skuse to London Welsh
- Richard Lane to Jersey
Peter Stringer to Sale Sharks- Carl Fearns to
Lyon - Ben Williams retired
Transfer Review
Bath have added exciting Fiji scrum-half Nikola Matawalu to their squad and they will be thrilled with his performances during the Rugby World Cup as he has demonstrated on the grandest stage his precise passing and dynamic running. Wales’ fly-half Rhys Priestland may also prove to be an excellent addition with the number 10 giving George Ford real competition for the number 10 shirt.
Rating: Progressive 7/10
Exeter Chiefs
Players in
- Geoff Parling from Leicester Tigers
- Olly Woodburn from Bath Rugby
Michele Campagnaro from Benetton Treviso- Ollie Atkins from Edinburgh Rugby
Shaun Malton from Nottingham- Will Hooley from Northampton Saints
- Harry Williams from Jersey
Julian Salvi from Leicester Tigers- Josh Jones from St Helens
- Jonny Hill from Gloucester Rugby
- James Short from London Irish
Players out
- Tom James to Cardiff Blues
- Greg Bateman to Leicester Tigers
- Dean Mumm to NSW Waratahs
- Kieran Davies to Nottingham
Fetu’u Vainikolo to Oyonnax- Joel Conlon to Saracens
- Ceri Sweeney to Pontypridd RFC
- James Scaysbrook retired
- Will Carrick-Smith to London Scottish
Transfer Review
The additions of England and Lions lock Geoff Parling as well as Italy’s star centre Michele Campagnaro will significantly strengthen Exeter’s squad ahead of the upcoming Premiership season as they look to build upon their fifth-place finish last term. The signing of 22-year-old Josh Jones from St Helens will also be an interesting move as the back-row becomes the latest cross-code star.
Rating: Well thought out 8/10
Gloucester
Players in
Tom Marshall from Chiefs- Henry Purdy promoted from Academy
- Jeremy Thrush from Hurricanes
- Bill Meakes promoted from Academy
- Paul Doran-Jones from Harlequins
- Paddy McAllister from Aurillac
- Nicky Thomas from Ospreys
- Willi Heinz from Crusaders
- Tom Lindsay from Wasps
- Tom Hicks promoted from Academy
- Matt Protheroe from Hartpury College R.F.C.
- Callum Braley promoted from Academy
- Steph Reynolds promoted from Academy
Players out
- Dan Robson to Wasps
- Aled Thomas to Scarlets
- Aleki Lutui to Ampthill
- Tom Palmer to Benetton Treviso
- Rory Bartle to London Scottish
- Jonny Hill to Exeter Chiefs
- Shaun Knight to Newport Gwent Dragons
- Shane Monahan to Munster
- Sila Puafisi to Glasgow Warriors
Transfer Review
Gloucester has failed to attract any big name signings but will have been pleased to have held onto many of their major stars such as Jonny May and Greig Laidlaw following a disappointing ninth-place finish last term. The addition of 6ft 6in lock Jeremy Thrush, who has won 11 caps for the All Blacks is probably their best and most exciting signing.
Rating: Underwhelming 4/10
Harlequins
Players in
- James Horwill from Queensland Reds
- Matt Shields from Darlington Mowden Park
- Adam Jones from Cardiff Blues
- Tim Visser from Edinburgh Rugby
- Owen Evans from Newport Gwent Dragons
- Tim Swiel from Sharks
Winston Stanley from Highlanders- Jamie Roberts from Racing 92
- Mat Luamanu from Benetton Treviso
Players out
- Paul Doran-Jones to Gloucester Rugby
- Joe Trayfoot to London Irish
- George Robson to Oyonnax
- Ugo Monye retired
- Asaeli Tikoirotuma to London Irish
- Darryl Marfo to London Welsh
- Tom Williams retired
- Tom Casson to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Jordan Burns to Bedford Blues
- Jordan Turner-Hall retired
Transfer Review
Quins significant moves saw them recruit mature heads in Jame Roberts and Tim Visser. Roberts, who is a Wales and British Lions international will add steel to their midfield while Scotlands’s speedster Visser, who scored 345 points in 130 games for Edinburgh, will guarantee them tries. This will be crucial after Quins were only able to touch down 45 last season with the bottom of the pile London Welsh being the only club to cross the whitewash less. The two are without a doubt fantastic additions and should help them end up higher than their eighth-place finish last season.
Rating: Fantastic 9/10
Leicester Tigers
Players in
- Opeti Fonua from London Welsh
Mike Williams from Worcester Warriors- Brendon O’Connor from Blues
- Peter Betham from NSW Waratahs
- Michael Fitzgerald from Chiefs
- Lachlan McCaffrey from London Welsh
- Jono Kitto from Chiefs
- Greg Bateman from Exeter Chiefs
- Dominic Barrow from Newcastle Falcons
- George Catchpole promoted from Academy
- Aniseko Sio promoted from Academy
Players out
- Jamie Gibson to Northampton Saints
- Geoff Parling to Exeter Chiefs
- Neil Briggs to Sale Sharks
Pablo Matera to Pampas XV- Louis Deacon retired
Blaine Scully to Cardiff Blues- Tom Price to Scarlets
- Brad Thorn retired
- Javiah Pohe to US Carcassonne
- Scott Hamilton to Coventry RFC
- Robert Barbieri to Benetton Treviso
- Greg Peterson to Glasgow Warriors
- Julian Salvi to Exeter Chiefs
- Tom Bristow to Wasps
- Jack Whetton to US Nevers
- David Mele to Toulouse
- Rhys Williams to Moseley
- Anthony Allen retired
- Terrence Hepetema to Bay of Plenty
Transfer Review
Leicester haven’t followed up their third place finish last season with many significant additions but have lost 19 senior players, which includes England international Geoff Parling, over the summer with only 11 new faces joining their senior squad. Tigers fans should though be excited by the signing of pacey winger Peter Betham, who scored 11 tries in 33 games for the Waratahs during his time with the Super Rugby side.
Rating: Up and down 6/10
London Irish
Players in
- Ben Franks from Hurricanes
- Sean Maitland from Glasgow Warrior
- Brendan McKibbin from NSW Waratahs
- Joe Trayfoot from Harlequins
- Dominic Waldouck from Northampton Saints
- Dave Sisi from Bath Rugby (season-loan)
- Matt Symons from Chiefs
- Tom Cruse from Rotherham Titans
- Eoin Sheriff from Saracens
- Asaeli Tikoirotuma from Harlequins
- Gerard Ellis promoted from Acad
- Richard Palframan promoted from Academy
- Tom Fowlie promoted from Academy
- Tom Smallbone promoted from Academy
- Rob McCusker from Scarlets
Players out
- Tomas O’Leary to Munster
- Tom Homer to Bath Rugby
- Kieran Low to Glasgow Warriors
- Eamonn Sheridan to Oyonnax
- Sean Cox retired
- Myles Dorrian to Bedford Blues
- Guy Armitage to London Welsh
- Harry Allen to London Welsh
- Daniel Leo to London Welsh
- Jamie Hagan to Melbourne Rebels
- James Short to Exeter Chiefs
- Michael Mayhew to Waikato
- Matt Parr released
Transfer Review
The Exiles were spectacularly unspectacular last season, scoring just 45 tries, so will be hoping Scotland and British Lions international Sean Maitland can hit the ground running after the wing joined this summer from Glasgow Warriors. The addition of scrum-half Brendan McKibbin from the Waratahs will also be key to them hopefully increasing the number of tries they score this season with his ability to recycle the ball quickly at the breakdown.
Rating: Radical 7/10
Newcastle Falcons
Players in
- Chris Harris promoted from Academy
- Micky Young from Bath Rugby
- Mike Delany from Clermont Auvergne
- Marcus Watson from England Sevens
- Sonatane Takulua from Northland
- Simon Hammersley promoted from Academy
- Ben Harris from Yorkshire Carnegie
- Taione Vea from London Welsh
- Jon Welsh from Glasgow Warriors
- Nili Latu from
NEC Green Rockets - Giovanbattista Venditti from Zebre
- Paddy Ryan from Libournes
- Mouritz Botha from Sharks
- Sean Robinson promoted from Academy
- Todd Clever from Old Mission Beach Athletic Club
Players out
- Kieran Brookes to Northampton Saints
- Mike Blair to Glasgow Warriors
- Andy Saull to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Ben Morris to Nottingham
- Phil Godman retired
- Chris York to Ealing Trailfinders
- Danny Barnes to Ealing Trailfinders
- Dominic Barrow to Leicester Tigers
- Andy Davies to Rotherham Titans
- Mark Irving to Viadana
- Rory Clegg to Glasgow Warriors
- Lee Smith to Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
- Oliver Tomaszczyk to Ospreys
- Noah Cato released
- Jamie Helleur released
- Warren Fury released
- Sean Brown released
- James Christie released
- Uili Kolo’ofai released
Transfer Review
Dean Richards would have been disappointed to lose England international prop Kieran Brookes but swiftly replaced him with the experienced Scotland international Jon Welsh. The signings of Samoa Captain Nili Latu and England Sevens star Marcus Watson also brings a new dimension to the Falcons squad. Newcastle fans will have also been thrilled to see young stars Chris Harris and Simon Hammersley commit their futures to the club.
Rating: Progressive 7/10
Northampton Saints
Players in
- JJ Hanrahan from Munster
- Kieran Brookes from Newcastle Falcons
- Jamie Gibson from Leicester Tigers
- Michael Paterson from Sale Sharks
- Tom Kessell from Cornish Pirates
- Pat Howard from Stormers
- Paul Hill from Yorkshire Carnegie
- Sion Bennett from Scarlets
- Victor Matfield from Bulls
Players out
- Salesi Ma’afu to Toulon
- Samu Manoa to Toulon
- Phil Dowson to Worcester Warriors
- Dominic Waldouck to London Irish
- Will Hooley to Exeter Chiefs
- Alex Day to Cornish Pirates
- Joel Hodgson to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Tom Ryder to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Cam Dolan to Cardiff Blues
- Tom Mercey released
- Josh Skelcey released
Transfer Review
Saints will have been disappointed to lose Salesi Ma’afu and Samu Manoa to big-spenders Toulon but will be reasonably pleased with their recruitment over the summer. The addition of talismanic Springbok lock Victor Matfield as well as England prop Kieran Brookes will add an extra gear to their already dominant pack. The signing of fly-half JJ Hanrahan amongst others also means the Northampton squad looks stronger than ever with competition for places being hellish across all positions.
Rating: Purposeful 8/10
Sale Sharks
Players in
- Neil Briggs from Leicester Tigers
- Peter Stringer from Bath Rugby
- Bryn Evans from Biarritz Olympique
- James Mitchell promoted from Academy
- George Nott promoted from Academy
- Ciaran Parker promoted from Academy
- Brian Mujati from Racing 92
- Nev Edwards from Rosslyn Park
Players out
- Marc Jones to Bristol Rugby
- Mark Cueto retired
- Michael Paterson to Northampton Saints
- Will Cliff to Bristol Rugby
- Nathan Fowles to Edinburgh Rugby
- Nathan Hines retired
- Andy Forsyth to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Alberto De Marchi to Benetton Treviso
- Luke McLean to Benetton Treviso
- Darren Fearn to Darlington Mowden Park
Transfer Review
Sale Sharks will look to build upon their successful season last term by on the main sticking with the group that served them so well over the last year. They have though added some much-needed steel to the front row with the addition of veteran prop Brian Mujati from Racing 92.
Rating: Reserved 5/10
Saracens
Players in
- Samuela Vunisa from Zebre
- Michael Rhodes from Stormers
- Maro Itoje promoted from Academy
- Joel Conlon from Exeter Chiefs
Players out
- Eoin Sheriff to London Irish
- David Strettle to Clermont Auvergne
- James Johnston to Wasps
- Thretton Palamo to London Welsh (season-loan)
- Nick de Jager to Blue Bulls
Transfer Review
After winning the 2015 Premiership final Saracens have been muted with very few incomings and outgoings. Fans will be excited to see Maro Itoje, who has stepped up to the senior squad, again after the young lock starred in the back end of last season. The signing of Italian number 8 Samuela Vunisa is also an ingenious addition due to the combination of his speed, ball-carrying ability, physical strength and ability at the breakdown.
Rating: Muted 5/10
Wasps
Players in
- Jimmy Gopperth from Leinster
- Dan Robson from Gloucester Rugby
- Frank Halai from Blues
- Brendan Macken from Leinster
- Tom Bristow from Leicester Tigers
- Jamie Stevenson from London Scottish
- James Downey from Glasgow Warriors
- George Smith from Lyon
- James Johnston from Saracens
- Alex Rieder from Rotherham Titans
- Alex Lundberg promoted from Academy
- Tom Howe promoted from Academy
- Charles Piutau from Blues
Players out
- Tom Varndell to Bristol Rugby
- William Helu to Edinburgh Rugby
- Ed Jackson to Newport Gwent Dragons
- Charlie Davies to Newport Gwent Dragons
- Tom Lindsay to Gloucester Rugby
- Will Taylor to Scarlets
- Jack Moates to Jersey
- Oli Evans to Jersey
- Tom Bliss to Ealing Trailfinders (season-loan)
- Sam James to Bedford Blues
- Martyn Thomas to London Welsh
- Gus Jones to London Welsh
- Glyn Hughes to Moseley
- Buster Lawrence to Moseley
- John Yapp retired
- Chris Bell retired
- Andy Goode retired
Transfer Review
It’s been a very busy summer for Wasps, with the main addition being of experienced fly-half Jimmy Gopperth, who joins from Leinster to battle with Alex Lozowski and Scotland international Ruaridh Jackson for the number 10 shirt following fan favourite Andy Goode’s retirement. Supporters would have been also been disappointed with the departure of 29-year-old wing Tom Vandell, who made 125 appearances for the Premiership outfit, scoring 350 points. They will be hoping a fit again Christian Wade can fill that void and then some.
Rating: Transition period 6/10
Worcester
Players in
- Andy Short from Bristol Rugby
- Derrick Appiah from Mogliano
- Phil Dowson from Northampton Saints
- Carl Kirwan from London Welsh
- Tom Heathcote from Edinburgh Rugby
- Luke Baldwin from Bristol Rugby
- Sam Lewis from Ospreys
- Cooper Vuna from Toshiba Brave Lupus
- Na’ama Leleimalefaga from Montpellier
- Darren Barry from Cornish Pirates
- Bryce Heem from Chiefs
- Mike Daniels promoted from Academy
- Tiff Eden promoted from Academy
- Christian Scotland-Williamson promoted from Academy
- Marco Mama from Bristol Rugby (season-loan)
- Donncha O’Callaghan from Munster
- Tevita Cavubati from Ospreys
- Wynand Olivier from Montpellier
Players out
- Andries Pretorius retired
- Mike Williams to Leicester Tigers
Alex Gordas to CSM București- Sam Windsor to Ulster
- Agustin Creevy to Argentina (Super Rugby)
- Leonardo Senatore released
- Jack Cosgrove to Edinburgh Rugby
- Josh Drauniniu to London Welsh
- George Porter to Ealing Trailfinders
- Rob O’Donnell to Yorkshire Carnegie
- Richard de Carpentier to England Sevens
- Josh Watkins to England Sevens
- James Percival to Grenoble
- Shay Kerry to Oyonnax
- Ofa Fainga’anuku to Bayonne
- James Stephenson to Ealing Trailfinders
- Ignacio Mieres to US Dax
- Jonathan Thomas retired
Transfer Review
It’s been a busy summer for Dean Ryan at Worcester as he tries to get his newly promoted team ready for the start of the Premiership season. They know the key to competing in the top flight is a solid scrum, therefore they have recruited props Na’ama Leleimalefaga and Derrick Appiah to widen their front row options. The signing of experienced Premiership player Phil Dowson, as well as the addition of former Springbok centre Wynand Olivier, may also be key to their possible survival.
Rating: Resourceful 7.5/10