Leicester Tigers: Guy Thompson
Matt O’Connor’s side should not have a problem with scoring tries this season. Yet, question marks arise on it comes to the defensive end of their game. Last season they conceded a record high 55 tries, which is more than they had conceded in any of the previous 10 seasons. Thompson’s expertise at the breakdown and mountainous defence will add extra bite to the Tigers back-row and he’ll quickly establish himself as a fan favourite, as he was at Wasps.
Newcastle Falcons: Vereniki Goneva
There is no better try-scorer in the game at this moment than Goneva. The Fijian powerhouse had an impressive campaign for the Falcons last term, ending the season as the Premiership’s top try-scorer with 13. And he will have to pick up right where he left off last season if the club is to have any chance of matching their fourth-place finish last term.
Northampton Saints: Taqele Naiyaravoro
The 26-year-old Fijian born Australian international winger will also be following Dan Biggar to Franklins Gardens. Weighing in at a massive 125kg the Wallaby has got immense pace and, as you might expect, incredible strength. As is the case with this new breed of giant sized pacific island winger, Naiyarvoro is also blessed with incredible hands and a fantastic offloading ability. He should add a lot of bite to Saints attack.
Sale Sharks: Chris Ashton
The 31-year-old, who moved to France from Saracens for the 2017-18 season, broke the Top 14 try-scoring record with 24 tries in 23 appearances last term. He had two years left on his contract, but the French club announced his departure because of “important family problems”. Ashton returns to the Premiership keen to resurrect his England career ahead of the 2019 World Cup, having been dropped from the national side before the 2015 edition. The winger, who has scored 19 tries in 39 appearances for England, last played for his country in 2014.