Aviva Premiership Review 2017-2018
My Prediction - 1st
Review: Another superb season down on the Devon coast which culminated in the Chiefs topping the pile by eight points. Following the comprehensive victory over Newcastle in a manner now synonymous with Exeter, Rob Baxter's charges have succeeded in taking their title defence all the way. This season has once again proved the merits of the coaching and recruitment team at Sandy Park, the semi-final winning side featured only four of the same players to have started the Twickenham final almost a year ago. Players like Johnny Hill, Joe Simmonds, Lachlan Turner, and Sam Simmonds have all been revelations for Exeter. Despite a losing start to the season and a rare fixture that brought no league points (defeat to Newcastle in Week 13) the Chiefs have been far and away the best team in the league and they go into their final game on a streak of ten successive wins and five straight games scoring 30 or more points.
Player of the Season: Sam Simmonds
Highlight: Beating Newcastle 36-5 to make another Twickenham final.
Lowlight: Going down 6-5 to Worcester at home, a rare experience for Chiefs fans these days.
My Prediction - 2nd
Review: Its not often Saracens lose seven games on the trot, but this is exactly what the London club did just before Christmas. Although only three were in the league it left them a challenge to battle back to a home semi-final berth come end of the season. This they did though and the enthralling, and at times exquisite dismantling of Wasps in the semi proved that they were good money for it in the end. In the regular season Saracens scored the most and conceded the fewest points in a season that perhaps might not have seemed as smooth as others but one that oozed class and ruthlessness on plenty of occasions. Just like Exeter, Saracens have finished their season in a free scoring manner, across the last five games they've averaged 54.8 points scored, topping 40 on all five occasions. This weekend will be the club's fourth Premiership final in five years and the opportunity to build a Sarries dynasty is now a very real one.
Player of the Season: Jackson Wray
Highlight: Any game against Northampton. Played: 4 Won: 4 Scored: 237 (twice in Europe)
Lowlight: Beaten and outclassed 28-20 at home against the Tigers, its not often Saracens lose at Allianz Park and even rarer they miss out on any points whatsoever.
My Prediction - 3rd
Review: There will be an overall feeling of disappointment at the Ricoh with the team taking a step back from last season where they reached the final. Once again Wasps' star-studded backline received plenty of plaudits with the likes of Wade, Le Roux and Cipriani mercurial at times but there has been plenty of endeavour from the front eight as well. One such star was Jack Willis who incredibly cruelly has been ruled out for a year with a horrendous knee injury shortly after gaining his first England call-up. Dai Young's team had lost four of their first six games and their downfall was often their porous defence, only seven times did they fail to limit their opponents to twenty points or less. In comparison Exeter have achieved the same statistic thirteen times and Saracens sixteen, this is an area Dai Young will need to improve if he is to topple this year's finalists.
Player of the Season: Willie Le Roux
Highlight: The discovery of Jack Willis as a back-row powerhouse.
Lowlight: Talk of backroom disputes and the convincing defeat to Saracens in the semi.
My Prediction - 9th
Review: Simply magnificent. Very few would have predicted Dean Richards' side could keep pace with the top sides for a Champions Cup spot never mind a playoff berth. Despite a disappointing end at the hands of Exeter this has been the best season of rugby for the Falcons for a very long time. Players like Niki Goneva and Calum Green (both named in BT's league team of the year) put in performances way beyond their pay grades week in week out and set the tone for a side that provided some well overdue excitement for rugby fans in the North. What was most surprising about the playoff run for Newcastle was that they made the top four with a minus points difference (-51). Nine of their fourteen league wins were by one score or less and four of them were by just a solitary point.
Player of the Season: Vereniki Goneva
Highlight: The last-minute winner to beat Leicester and secure a playoff spot.
Lowlight: Difficult to answer although for all the hard work to get there the defeat to Exeter in the semi-final was very underwhelming.
My Prediction - 4th
Review: Overall it was a very poor season for the Tigers, so it didn't come as a massive surprise when they missed out on a playoff position for the first time in fourteen seasons. Leicester lost five home league games proving that the old fortress of Welford Road is now a distant memory. The arrival of Mark Bakewell into the previously vacant forwards coach role did briefly offer the Tigers some momentum as they went on a five-match winning run that helped give them a shot at the top four. Ultimately though their season was let down by two home defeats against Northampton and then decisively Newcastle. Having made the playoffs in the past few years but failed to really challenge finishing outside this year may serve as the ultimate motivation to restore the Tiger's long-lost bite.
Player of the Season: Matt Toomua
Highlight: Greg Bateman's cementing himself into Tiger folklore with a couple of incredible pieces of skill. Manu Tuilagi doing a full eighty minutes has to also be up there.
Lowlight: Defeat to Newcastle in their final home match which all but ended their impressive playoff record.
My Prediction - 5th
Review: Sixth in the table was perhaps the perfect position for a side that spent most of the season deciding whether they wanted to be good or bad. Todd Blackadder failed to lead his side to anymore than two consecutive wins in the league and good performances were rarely followed up. Bath started the season in impressive style, wins against Leicester and Saracens turnt heads from the off but these performances became all too rare in the games that followed. Fortunately for the Rec faithful Bath were able to finish strongly and bonus point wins against fierce rivals Gloucester and then London Irish were enough to sneak them into the Champions Cup. In total Bath won exactly half of their matches, six at home and five away, its this level of mediocrity and inconsistency that runs through most of their statistics. There is no denying that Bath have the quality so with each passing season without silverware or top four finishes the pressure on Blackadder will only keep mounting.
Player of the Season: Beno Obano
Highlight: Away wins at grounds that have previously caused Bath some problems such as Welford Road, Kingsholm and the Ricoh.
Lowlight: Like the Tigers just ahead of them, Bath are another side dropping big points at home, just six wins meant plenty of fans left the Rec this season feeling let down.
My Prediction - 6th
Review: It may still be bottom half for Gloucester but Johan Ackermann's first season in charge has been a hugely successful one. It's the highest points tally and finishing position for the Cherry and Whites since the 2012-13 season when they finished fifth. It was evident that this wasn't going to be a dull season when in their first match they toppled defending champions Exeter 28-21 bagging a bonus point on the way. The swap of Ed Slater for Johnny May proved a masterstroke as he led an exceptional group of forwards starring new discovery Polledri and the boss' son Ruan Ackermann. It was this powerful core that built the foundations for the likes of Atkinson, Woodward and Trinder to light up the league with ball in hand. Gloucester even managed to bag Champions Cup rugby sport following an impressive run to a European final in Bilbao. It has been a long time coming but it finally seems that Gloucester are on an upward trajectory, couple this with the re-brand and the arrival of Cipriani next season and you've got something big brewing at Kingsholm.
Player of the Season: Jason Woodward
Highlight: The best season in a long time at Kingsholm, performances from lesser known players like Polledri are proof of the great things Ackermann has done. Not going through with the 'Lions' tag was also a wise move.
Lowlight: Missing out on the top four following such a competitive season and the loss in Bilbao to Cardiff meant that Gloucester ultimately missed out on two big prizes.
My Prediction - 10th
Review: As always Sale's primary goal you feel is to achieve Champions Cup rugby so failure to do so will leave Steve Diamond regarding this as a failed season. Past success for the Sharks has always been built on a good record at home, this year seven of their ten wins came at the AJ Bell. Not an awful record, better than the likes of Leicester in fifth, but still not their best. Ultimately the Salford side have been let down once more by an abject away record which garnered just three wins. There have been plenty of reasons to smile for Sale fans though, most emanating from a half-back pairing of AJ McGinty and Faf De Klerk who have both been immense. The Sharks haven't been short of forward prowess either with players like Jono Ross bringing a physicality and presence that Sale are renowned for. The Sharks remain a solid side but that is all, a lack of strength in depth holds them back and with another lowly table finish it continues to be hard to see big names seeing the AJ Bell as an attractive prospect. Faf has been a revelation but they need more players like him if they are to break into the top four.
Player of the Season: Faf De Klerk
Highlight: The brilliant comeback win against Wasps in which Yarde scored a 91st minute winner.
Lowlight: Another poor away record and the departure of Will Addison and Mike Haley at the end of the season.
My Prediction - 8th
Review: The lowest points tally since the Saints were relegated in 2007 saw them finish ninth in a position that perhaps flattered them. Northampton conceded the second most amount of points shipping an average of 29.3 in a season which saw Jim Mallinder, long-term coach relieved of his duties. Mallinder's replacement was Alan Gaffney who made little impact on a Saints side that struggled for form throughout the season. With experienced club men like Ben Foden and Steven Myler moving on to pastures new it's going to be a real challenge for the arriving coach Chris Boyd to galvanise this ailing team. Perhaps a fresh start is exactly what's needed and with the A-League side the Northampton Wanderers unstoppable it's not unlikely that plenty more changes are afoot in the starting XV at Franklin's Gardens.
Player of the Season: Jamie Gibson
Highlight: An away win at bitter rivals Leicester to complete a league double over them.
Lowlight: A poor campaign was made even worse with the news Rob Horne had sustained a career ending injury during the game against the Tigers.
My Prediction - 7th
Review: In 2005 Harlequins were relegated with more points than they amassed as the London side broke all the wrong records. They won six of their eleven home fixtures and won just once on the road (impressively against Wasps) in a fixture list that included two defeats to relegation rivals London Irish. They conceded less than twenty points on only four occasions and scored ten or less the same number of times, combine this with the fact they also topped the discipline charts with most yellow and red cards and you are left with a real mess. Like Northampton, Harlequins also did away with the coach that started the season with them and they will welcome Paul Gustard next term who will have his work cut out at the Stoop if he is to restore pride to a fan base that demands so much more.
Player of the Season: Marcus Smith
Highlight: A 20-19 win against Saracens at the Stoop courtesy of Visser's late score.
Lowlight: Giving up two bonus point wins against the side that got relegated really is embarrassing.
My Prediction - 11th
Review: Some will argue that the Warriors' sole aim this season was to stay up but with both Harlequins and Northampton particularly poor there was a real opportunity to finish as high as ninth. A winless first seven games which brought just three points meant that right from the off they were denied the opportunity to be considered as anything other than relegation material. If they want to record single figure finishers again then they need to find the ability to blast out the starting blocks rather than stalling. The ability is there from the Warriors, wins away against Leicester and Exeter are testament to this but too many times they're failing to perform. As with any team towards the foot of the table though they need to be careful that players like Ben Te'o and Josh Adams don't start looking to ply their trades elsewhere. After a strong November, December period Worcester never really looked like relegation was a serious threat but with Bristol coming up who are arguably stronger than London Irish they will need to be prepared for a real battle next year.
Player of the Season: Josh Adams
Highlight: It wasn't pretty but beating the title holders on their own patch 6-5 showed what the Warriors are capable of.
Lowlight: Coming away empty handed and losing to Northampton in the final game of the season which denied them the chance to finish any higher than 11th.
My Prediction - 12th
Review: After an opening season win against Harlequins it seemed for a moment that this could be a season of survival for London Irish. Ultimately though they lacked the precision, accuracy and at times ability to be able to hold their own for the full season. On all sixteen occasions when trailing at the break they were unable to fight back losing all of them as they showcased their inability to hold their nerves. They also conceded the most points and scored the fewest on their way to propping up the table. Despite winning just three games, Irish's 22 points meant that it was the highest tally for a relegated side since London Welsh went down in the 2012-13 season. With Declan Kidney its undeniable that London Irish are in good hands and they will surely be favourites to make an instant return. All of this talk about potential ring-fencing will mean that the stakes are even higher with every season in the Championship given extra peril, expect Irish to meet some very hungry and motivated sides next year.
Player of the Season: Ofisa Treviranus
Highlight: A double over Harlequins including victory in the season opener at Twickenham.
Lowlight: Relegation but also the loss of star winger Alex Lewington to Saracens.
Henry Justice
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