Northampton are leading the charge in the Premiership, but history shows that defending their title will be no simple task. The champions, boosted by retaining Henry Pollock, are eager to keep improving, but a revitalised Saracens and Exeter should push them all the way.
Why Defending Is Hard
It used to be simple: win the Premiership once and people would assume it was just the beginning. At various times no one could dethrone Bath, Leicester or Saracens. Now, it is so long since any club defended their English domestic title that “doubling up” feels almost as quaint as reading a physical newspaper.
Phil Dowson, whose side are chasing a third title in four years, is keen to draw a line under last season. The Saints were unplayably good on occasions and deservedly claimed the trophy in June. But the last team to win two in a row were Saracens in 2019, shortly before the salary cap small print intervened.
Three of the past six champions, as highlighted by the stats guru Russ Petty, did so having finished sixth or lower the previous season. Northampton, for example, finished a lowly eighth in 2024-25. Dowson is wary of assuming anything: “We have to be mindful of complacency and saying, ‘We won the league last year doing this, all we need to do is do this again.’ When actually the key is, ‘What do we have to develop?’”
Saints' Prospects and Key Players
Watching Saints train recently was to sense they will be absolutely fine, early-season injuries permitting. Dowson and his coaching partner, Sam Vesty, have been liaising closely with the club’s performance psychologist, Oli Dixon. And there is Henry Pollock, strutting around the paddock like a thoroughbred racehorse and visibly hungry for more.
The truth is that Saints are nicely placed to go back to back, unless the rest can locate another gear. Bath should be right up there, albeit with one or two caveats. The biggest is the departure of Thomas du Toit, their set-piece colossus. Also gone is Alfie Barbeary, who did not start every game but was unfailingly good for squad morale. Nor is it ideal that, if they make the playoffs, they will not be able to host a semi-final at the soon-to-be-redeveloped Rec. They will be reliably competitive but maybe not impregnable.
Saracens and Exeter Ready to Challenge
Behind them are plenty of other rejuvenated contenders, led by Barbeary’s new employers, Saracens. Brendan Venter, back at the helm in place of Mark McCall, knows only one way and it has never been backwards. Add in the power of George Martin and Barbeary, the class of Tomos Williams and some of the most exciting young backs in the land and, even without the departed Tom Willis, Sarries could be rather more than just makeweights.
It is equally hard to imagine Exeter fading quietly away having made last year’s final. On the subject of forceful back-row forwards, how about Greg Fisilau, Ethan Roots and Kane James, potentially among the league’s fastest-rising talents? Not to mention Tom Hooper, the yet-to-arrive Kiwi centre Dallas McLeod and the irresistible Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Keep that lot fit and Rob Baxter’s squad will be top-four material again.
Other Contenders and the Wider Picture
Leicester remain perhaps the trickiest side to assess, not least because Ollie Chessum, Joe Heyes and the rest of the Tigers’ international contingent will have so much on their plates between now and the 2027 Rugby World Cup. If they finish fifth – one place lower than last year – it will be further proof of the league’s increasing depth.
A 10-team Prem without relegation leaves little margin for error, particularly for those who start sluggishly. This makes it a massive season for Sale Sharks, underachievers last year but bolstered by the arrival of Courtney Lawes, Joe Marchant and Alex Lozowski. They will be desperate to improve on last season’s seventh finish but there may be slicker teams out there.
That trend might suit Gloucester, who look better organised and more focused than has mostly been the case in recent seasons. No side with Chris Boyd involved lacks for strategic nous. Again injuries will be crucial but their pre-season form has been positive and the arrival of Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan should deliver the kind of forward dynamism the Shed can get right behind.
It is even possible they could finish ahead of Bristol Bears for the first time since 2022. At their best the Bears attack as slickly as anyone but memories of their sobering 94-33 loss to Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens last year have not entirely faded. Keeping AJ MacGinty and the lock Pedro Rubiolo fit – they won seven of the eight league games in which the latter started last year – will be pivotal.
All of which leaves Newcastle Red Bulls and Harlequins eyeing each other nervously. Both have reshuffled coaching staffs and can be relied upon to be better in a year’s time. As things stand, though, they have a lot to prove, all the more so if they stumble on the season’s opening night. Newcastle are at Franklin’s Gardens while a slightly depleted Quins entertain Bath; start sluggishly and it could be another long, hard winter.
The collective big picture, though, is tantalising. It is entirely possible that, by Christmas, the make-up of Steve Borthwick’s 2027 Rugby World Cup squad will also have altered significantly. While Northampton and their chatty man Pollock are in pole position to defend their crown, the modern-day Prem is rarely that straightforward.
