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https://www.606v2.com/t3644-fantasy-aviva-premiership-season-4

QUINS ANNOUNCE OFF SEASON PLANS

Harlequins boss has reflected on a very disappointing domestic season by announcing that there is likely yo be a major reshuffle at Harlequins this season.

' We will be letting a few players go. This season was one of twists and turns and in the end we came well below our target of the playoffs. We have struggled to maintain any sort of continuity with the internationals and injuries so a squad restructure is in order. We pride ourselves on some of the best young players in the league and will be looking to use them and add to that group of players '

Rumour has it that players such as Martin Castrogiovani, Tom Donnelly, Julien Bonnaire, Ryan Kankowski and Francois Houghard as well as squad men such as Neil Briggs, Ceri Jones, Rob Vickers, Junior Polu, Gareth Steenson, Shaun Berne, Seb Stegmann and Nick Macleod have been given permission to speak to other clubs.

Saracens head coach LDCPete spoke to The Rugby Paper today about the disappointment of losing theplay off final, and the clubs aims for the coming season.

"Firstly I want to say all credit to Newcastle for the way they played on the day, they were the better team over 80 minutes and thoroughly deserved their win. It was tough to take, as I do feel we underperformed slightly and didn't give ourselves the best chance to win, but I take pride in the effort the guys have put in, not just on the day, but through the entire season.

Three years ago when I took over we put a 3 year plan in place in which we wanted to make sure that we made the final this season, so the fact that we have made the last 3 finals on the trot speaks volumes for the players and staff at the club, and we are in a position now where we have to try to keep raising the bar, as other teams will be looking to do that as well and we don't want to be overtaken as one of the top sides in the country.

To that end planning for next season has begun and that brings it's own unique challenges with the World Cup having a huge impact on player availabilty. As a result of that we have already made a number of changes and have seen Courtney Lawes, Rhys Priestland, Joe Worsley, Noah Cato and Julien Pierre leave the club. We wish them all well in the next chapters of their careers and hope to see them back at Vicarage Road, albeit on the losing side, during the coming season. We have also managed to bring in some players including Iain Humphreys, Graham Kitchener, Owen Farrell, Iain Balshaw and Olly Barkley, and they will all bring good experience and stability to the team during the first couple of monthsof the season.

Our aims next season are clear, win back our Premiership title, and win the Heineken Cup."

LEICESTER TIGERS STATS 2010/11:

The statisticians have been hard at work, and have come up with some telling numbers to paint a picture of Leicester Tigers' season.

Tigers played a total of 35 games in the Aviva Premiership, LV Cup, and Amlin Cup this year.

They finished in 6th place in the league, tied on points with Sale in 5th.
Tigers home record proved key as they won 10 out of the 11 home league games, drawing only once against Premiership finalists Saracens.

However their away record was not as good, winning only 2 of their 11 away games, drawing a further 2, and losing a total of 7.

Tigers scored a total of 573 points in the league, at an average 26 points per game. They conceded 516 points , at an average of 23.4 points per game.

Tigers form in Europe was extremely impressive all year, where they went on to win the Amlin Cup. Of the 13 games played, they only lost once, away to Exeter in the LV Cup, and missed out on the semi final spot by one point after winning their 3 other group games. In all European games, Tigers won 11 of the 13 games, scoring a massive 486 points, which is an average of 38.4 points a game. The conceded just 199 points in 13 games in Europe, at an average of just 15.3 a game.

Leicester Tigers overall stats are:

Played: 35
Won: 23
Drawn: 3
Lost: 9

QUINS BEGIN SQUAD RECONSTRUCTION FOR NEXT SEASON

Steven Sharks has today announced the signings of Tony Woodcock, Byron Kellaher, Felipe Contepomi, Rob Kearney, John Hart and Phil Dowson. These are believed to only be the first of many with regards to new players at Quins.

'We have signed some quality players with great experience in key areas. Woodcock, Kellaher, Contepomi and Kearney have a huge amount of international experience between them to add to the young exciting talent we are trying to bring through at Quins. We are also adding two very talented English backrowers to our squad who will both prove vitally important next season.

EXILES CONTINUE SUMMER RECRUITMENT

London Irish have bolstered their ranks for next season with the signings of Martin Castrogiovani, Neil Briggs and Andy Powell. Irish confirmed the deal with Quins yesterday for Castro and Briggs, which saw Tony Woodcock and John Hart move the other way. Fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing a front row of Tonga'uhia, Mealamu and Castrogiovani. Exiles boss stnick has always prided himself on having a strong setpiece, and the arrival of Castrogiovani will further improve their front row resources.

It is rumoured that Irish are on the look out for a couple more signings and have been in contact with the likes of Pierre Spies, Mouritz Botha and Ernst Joubert.

Northampton Saints begin Recruitment Drive

Northampton Saints are delighted to announce the signings of internationals Andrew Sheridan, Courtney Lawes, Mike Phillips, Simon Taylor and Ryan Kankowski ahead of the 2011/2012 Aviva Premiership season.

Dammit Chris stated 'at some stages during the season I just felt that there were a few players who were in the squad who didn't quite match our style of play and we wanted to reshape our squad early on so we could really make a strong push for silverware next season.

Of course we are still reeling from losing the European final, and we wanted to improve our front row, bring in a scrum half that really compliments Joe (Simpson) and have a physical presence at the back of the scrum. We now have an excellent pack, with some very good options throughout and I am delighted to have captured Andrew Sheridan and Courtney Lawes for the season ahead.

We have also again looked to invest in youth and have captured James Craig and Joe Launchbury on very good deals - we have really high hopes for both players and am sure that they will both benefit from being involved with our Academy and 'A' Team set up.

It is expected that Saints will continue to invest and strengthen their backline for the forthcoming season.

TIGERS SIGNAL INTENT

Leicester Tigers have announced two signings that will send shivers down the spines of the AP rivals.

John Eales Medal Winner, Australia's Choice Wallaby of the Year Award and IRB Player of the Year Nominee David Pocock has signed for the Amlin Cup Winners, and is joined by New Zealand's world class wing/full back Cory Jane.

Manager LukeLovesLuka said "to announce the signings of David and Cory really sends out a message not only to our rivals, but to our fans; we are looking to win more trophies. We had a very successful year what with qualifying for the Heineken Cup, and winning the Amiln Cup.

To have added to our squad in such a way proves that we mean business, and this is the sort of top class player we are looking to bring into our squad.

Losing Thierry and Isaia is sad, but we feel we have improved our team significantly. We wish both players all the best in the future.

Two words to our Aviva Premiership rivals - watch out!"

IRISH UNVEIL SPIES AND MARTY

London Irish have continued their summer changes by announcing the signings of Pierre Spies and David Marty. Springbok number 8 Spies arrives from Bath, with Georgian prop Davit Zirakashvilli and English winger Tom Varndell going in the opposite direction.
French outside centre David Marty signs from Exeter in a straight swap deal for Regan King.

'We're delighted to carry on our recruitment with two excellent internationals. Pierre is an immense ball carrier and will thrive on the hard grounds. David is an intelligent and powerful player who will work well outside Sonny Bill. We have great options in the centre's now with Sonny, Seilala, Daniel Bowden, Matthew Tait, Big Bast and now David Marty.
It's always a shame to lose players, but Tom Varndell felt he needed to move on to get more regular rugby. He didnt hit the heights he has the potential for here so we wish him all the best at Bath. Likewise with Davit, who we couldnt promise first team rugby for after signing Martin Castrogiovani. '

Exeter Chiefs warm up for Summer cup with win over Pumas.

Exeter Chiefs took on Argentinian currie cup side Pumas in a 60 minute game during the teams pre-season tour to South Africa. Chiefs ran in a host of trys with Andresa Masi bagging a brace along with Mark Wilson , Steve Mafi and Rudi Brits also scoring.

Chiefs coach Driver had this to say 'It was good to have a run out before we fly home tomorrow , the lads worked hard all week and this was a just result for there efforts and we want to hit the ground running in the RFU championship with a win over Wasps at Twickenham'.

Rumors are circulating that Rudi Brits will start at tighthead in the game as Driver accesses his options ahead of the RWC with Scott Armstrong expected to don the 15 jersey.

Chiefs rumored team for Wasps.

1.Efion Lewis-Roberts
2.Benjiman Kayser
3.Rudi Brits
4.Simon Shaw
5.Juilian Pierre
6.Declan Danahar
7.Shane Jennings
8.Mark Wilson (U21)

9.Haydn Thomas
10.Steven Myler
11.Matt Smith
12.Eliota Sapolu
13.Regan King
14.Luke Arscott
15.Scott Armstrong

Tigers to Showcase New Signigns at HQ.


Only a couple of weeks after beating Sale in the Amlin Cup Final in Cardiff, Leciester Tigers face SJE's team once again in the first round of the RFU Summer Championship at Twickenham next week.

Tigers are expected to name all five of the signings thay have made thus far in the close season. David Pocock, Jordan Crane and Ernst Joubert are expected to form an all new back row, whilst winger Cory Jane and hooker Matt Thompson are also expected to feature.


Expeected team to play Sale:

1. Clarke Dermody
2. Matt Thompson
3. Cencus Johnston
4. Chris Jack (c)
5. Alex Brown
6. Jordan Crane
7. David Pocock
8. Ernst Joubert

9. Micky Young
10. Dave Walder (k)
11. Tom Biggs
12. Florian Fritz
13. Tim Molenaar
14. Cory Jane
15. Clement Poitrenaud

16. Jonny Harris
17. Tom Youngs
18. Jason Hobson
19. Tom Denton
20. Magnus Lund
21. Joe Srokowski
22. David Skrela
23. Alex Lewington

SARACENS ANNOUNCE VICTOR MATFIELD SIGNING

Saracens today announced that Victor Matfield has signed a contract which will see him join the club after the World Cup. Matfield has previously spoken of retiring after the tournament in New Zealand, and it is believed that Saracens have offered him a player/coach role. Head coach LDCPete had this to say.

"At present Victor is undecided on his future. He will definitely come to Saracens after the World Cup, but whether that is in a playing role or in a coaching role is as yet undecided. Only Victor will decide on that as he has spoken earlier this season about retiring from the playing side of things. We will respect his decision if he decides to hang up the boots, but he will then bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our coaching set up, and I am sure will be a very valuable acquisition for the club.

As a result of needing to remain under the player number cap, and with a few other targets in minds form abroad, we have had to release James Hudson, Iain Balshaw and George Pisi. All have joined Exeter Chiefs and we wish them every success in the next stage of their rugby careers."

SARACENS Make FURTHER TRANSFER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Saracens have today revealed on the club website that Francois Hougaard has joined the squad from Harlequins with Matthew Rees moving in the opposite direction. Head coach LDCPete had this to say.

"Francois is a player that I have had an eye on for a while now, and I am very pleased to be able to add him to the Saracens squad. It is a shame that it has meant that Matthew Rees has left the club and he has been an excellent servant for us, but we just felt that moving forward having Francois would be of more benefit.

We can also confirm that Jake White has now officially left his role as assistant head coach at the club to take up his post at the Brumbies, and we wish him every success in Super Rugby."

WASPS ADD JOHNSON AND CATO TO RANKS

London Wasps today revealed that London Irish duo Tom Johnson and Noah Cato joined the club with England flanker Hendre Fourie heading in the opposite direction. Wasps head coach 'Arry had this to say.

"Tom and Noah are two very exciting, young English prospects who we are delighted to have signed. It's a shame to have to lose someone like Hendre, however London Irish were determined to get him and were willing to offer us two very talented players in return."

"We feel our squad is shaping up fantastically and I can't wait to get to work with Tom and Noah, both are hungry and eager for success and those are the kind of players we want here at Wasps. Both of them played really well last season and hopefully they can improve us as a team and become even better players."

IRISH TO GIVE DEBUT TO NEW RECRUITS

London Irish will give debuts to new signings Martin Castrogiovani, Neil Briggs, David Marty and Pierre Spies in a friendly against Connacht tomorrow. The squad was announced in a press conference and stnick also unveiled new signing Hendrie Fourie. The English flanker moves to the Madejski stadium with Tom Johnson and Noah Cato moving to Wasps.

1 Tonga Lea'toea
2 Neil Briggs
3 Martin Castrogiovani
4 Matt Garvey
5 Isaac Ross
6 Jacques Botes
7 Hendrie Fourie
8 Pierre Spies
9 Neal De Kock
10 Dan Bowden
11 J.P Pieterson
12 Mathieu Bastereaud
13 David Marty
14 Matthew Tait
15 Zane Kirchner

EVANS TO EXETER

Exeter Chiefs today unveiled the signing of Scotland utility back Max Evans. Evans joins the Devon based club on a rolling contract from Glasgow for a fee rumored to be in the £20 - £25m margin.

Evans joins new recruit Regan King , Andrea Masi , Horace Aguella, Iain Balshaw and George Pisi in the back line which has welcomed a lot of new faces over the off season.

Evans is expected to take on Munster next week in the Chiefs friendly.

Harlequins have began their preparations for next season by giving their potential world cup team a run about against London Scottish. New to the Championship, London Scottish proofed a good test against a side which will be vital to Quins success next season.

1. Matias Aguero
2. Schalk Brits (c)
3. Brian Mujati
4. Jerome Thion
5. Erik Lund
6. James Gaskell
7. Phil Dowson
8. Chris Henry
9. Byron Kellaher
10. Freddie Burns
11. George Lowe
12. James Downey
13. Jon Clarke
14. Jonathan Joseph
15. Ben Blair (k)

16. Rob Vickers
17. Joe Marler
18. Leo Halavatau
19. Craig Gillies
20. John Hart
21. Lee Dickson
22. Gareth Steenson
23. Nick Macleod

Harlequins ran out comfortable winners and Steven Sharks was said to be very pleased with his sides commitment and how the blend of youth and experience had worked together.

SARACENS ANNOUNCE FURTHER SIGNINGS

Saracens today announced the signings of South African lock Rynhardt Elstadt and Wallabies legend George Smith. The 110 times capped Smith arrives from Exeter in a deal that sees former All Black Marty Holah leave the club for Sandy Park, and 21 year old Elstadt joins from the Cape Town based Stormers after impressing in the Super XV so far this season. Head coach LDCPete had this to say.

"I am absolutely delighted to have signed two players of this calibre. George's record speaks for itself and at 31 years of age he has at least 3 years at the absolute top level. He will bring a wealth of experience to the squad, and will also be available during the World Cup which is a huge bonus for us. Rynhardt is at the other end of the spectrum and just making his way in the game, but has shown enough for most South African pundits to suggest that he will Bakkies Botha's long term replacement at international level. Both are likely to be involved in some way in our RFU Summer Championship fixture next week."

Tigers Open Window With a Growl

Leicester Tigers spent £30m today with the opening of the transfer window.

Isa Nacewa was the name in everyone's lips as Tigers unveiled the Fijian at Welford Road. Nacewa was recently rewarded for a stand out season with the Irish Rugby Union Players' Association Players' Player of the Year award, after a fine year with European Champions Leinster.

Manager LukeLovesLuka said "Isa is someone I have been desperate to bring to the club for a while and he has been superb his season. He brings a great versatility, and certainly won't look out of place lining up alongside any of our current team."

Scott Mathie also arrived from Saracens to add competition to the scrum half battle.

This comes just days after the club announced the signing of French duo Yannick Jauzion and Damien Traille. It is expected that Tigers will be pushing on all fronts next year.

Saints plunder the Pirates

A young Northampton Saints team ran out 37 - 28 winners against an adventurous Cornish Pirate side when Jim Mallinder took control of the squad for a game against Matt Hopper's former club.

Mallinder "I was delighted with the rugby played by some of the boys today, I think Jake Abbott, Calum Clark, Liam Gill were stand outs in the pack and I thought Tyler Bleydendaal controlled the game superbly at 10. I was pleased to see how effective Caucau was this afternoon and his second try was a piece of great individual skill, power and speed - I really hope we can get him back to his best next season as he still has so much ability.

Saints Team:

1. Mako Vunipola
2. Rob Webber
3. Henry Thomas
4. James Craig
5. Calum Clark
6. Jake Abbott
7. Liam Gill (c)
8. Jackson Wray
9. Sam Harisson
10. Tyler Bleydendaal
11. Julian Savea
12. Luke Eves
13. Tomasso Benvenuti
14. Caucau Benica
15. Jack Wallace

16. Bob Baker
17. Ben Moon
18. Chris Whitehead
19. Joe Launchbury
20. Sione Kalamafoni
21. Charlie Davies
22. George Ford
23. Elliot Daly

NEL JOINS EXILES AFTER FRIENDLY TRIUMPH

South African tighthead prop W.P Nel has joined London Irish from the Cheetahs, it was announced after the Exiles defeated Connacht 42-22 in a pre-season friendly. The prop was in the stands watching the victory at Sunbury and could make his debut in the Summer Championship next week.

Irish gave debuts to Pierre Spies, David Marty, Hendrie Fourie, Neil Briggs and Martin Castrogiovani in the friendly. Springbok number 8 Spies wasted no time in making an impact, driving off the back off a solid scrum just outside of the 22, eventually being stopped a metre short. The ball was quickly recycled by De Kock and the ball found it's way to Zane Kirchner to dot down. Connacht hit back immediately with two penalties, but a close range Hendrie Fourie try pulled Irish further ahead. The backrow trio of Botes, Fourie and Spies was dominating and De Kock and Bowden a perfect platform to attack off. Kiwi Bowden scored the third try, dummying his way to the line for a great solo effort. After the break, J.P Pieterson grabbed two quick tries, showing great pace to outstrip the covering Connact defence. The final try for Irish was scored by forgotten England man Matthew Tait, who stepped inside the full back after being fed an inside ball from Bowden.

Sounds like a good game Nick

it was awesome mate, you missed out.
(slow day at work)

Luckily i'v sky+ it lol

I remember doing the first season of this game and either Pete (i think) or chewy did a match report of every game!!

wonder if all the people who left this game, i.e chewy, sam sharks, london irish ollie still check up on it and see how its going. i guess not now were on 606v2.

I remember doing the match reports, it was a nightmare. After a couple of weeks of doing them, I started to cheat and would find a real game on the AP/Magners League website or scrum.com and use that, just changing the names of the players in the real match report for the corresponding player in the game. Worked quite well apart from the fact that it was hard to find games as the scores were always very close and actually very few games finish with teams only seperated by 1 or 2 points.

Northampton Saints Sign Big Willie

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Northampton Saints can today confirm that they have beaten a string of French clubs to the signing of Willie Mason, one of the best rugby league players of all time.

'We are delighted to bring in Willie to the club' stated Dammit Chris 'I think everyone saw what a fantastic offloading game he had when he came on against a very strong Welsh side at the weekend, setting up two tries and looking very strong in both attack and defence. I'm a huge fan of his and will look to give him a lot of rugby over the Summer and see what we can do with him'.

It is rumoured that Northampton Saints are looking to bring in an additional 3-4 players before the start of the new season, but today announced that Matt Giteau, Siti Siviatu and Dave Attwood have all signed new long term deals - whilst Ben Jacobs, Satala and James Phillips have all been given permission to leave the club by mutual consent.

Youngs Signs New Deal

Leicester Tigers have announced that Ben Youngs has signed a new deal keeping him at the club till 2014. Youngs has been the subject of much transfer speculation of late, with league champions Newcastle openly keen on signing the scrum half.

Manaher LukeLovesLuka said "I am delighted that Ben has comitted his future to the club. I see him as a key component to our plans, and he is the sort of player every team in the league would want. It is another signal of our intentions to return this great club to the top of the league."

This will be welcome news to the club's fans, who were also delighted with another big money signing this week, with All Black prop Wyatt Crockett signing from Crusaders for £19m.

Exeter hammer Munster

Exeter Chiefs ran away with victory in a 56 - 8 win over Irish province Munster. Exeter handed debuts to new signings Gary Botha , Steve Mafi , Declan Danahar , Raphaël Lakafia and Andrea Masi.

1.Cian Healy
2.Benjiman Kayser (Gary Botha)
3.Rudi Brits
4.Steve Mafi (James Phillips)
5.Juillian Pierre (Greg Rawlinson)
6.Declan Danahar
7.Shane Jennings (Marty Holah)
8.Raphaël Lakafia

9.Tomas O'Leary (Rob Coote)
10.Ronan O'Gara
11.Ian Balshaw
12.Andrea Masi (Gordan D'Arcy)
13.Adam Powell (Max Evans)
14.Matt Smith (Chris Wyles)
15.George Pisi

EXETER NAME HUDSON AS SKIPPER

Exeter Chiefs today named lock forward James Hudson as club captain for the remainder of the RFU summer championship with a view to carry over into the new season.

Hudson had this to say on recieving the captains armband 'I'm delighted to be given the role at a time when we as a club are on a massive rolen and are all pushing in the right direction , this season is going to be the finest in the history of Exeter Chiefs , we've got the players and depth and everyone is fighting for a match day jersey'

Gareth Delve and Ronan O'Gara will act as vice's during the season.

Hudson is expected to be in the frame for the captains armband post RWC but faces stern compition from John Smit , Dave Wallace , Tomas O'Leary.

BOTHA AND NAQALEVUKI JOIN EXILES

England Saxons lock Mouritz Botha and Fijian flyer Sireli Naqalevuki have joined London Irish from Saracens. The additions have come at a cost for Irish, with experienced lock Dean Schofield and powerful Samoan centre Seilala Mapusua joining Saracens.
Botha, who recently made his Saxons debut in the win over USA, had an impressive season for Saracens and has been on many teams radar recently. Naqalevuki will provide Irish with similar options to that of the departing Mapusua, with his ability to play 12 and 13, along with his powerful running style and strong defence.

Irish Ins and Outs 2011

In
- Martin Castrogiovanni
- Neil Briggs
- Hendrie Fourie
- Pierre Spies
- WP Nel
- Bjorn Basson
- Mouritz Botha
- Sireli Naqalevuki
- David Marty
- Andy Powell

Outs
- Tony Woodcock
- John Hart
- Seilala Mapusua
- Davit Zirakashvilli
- Tom Varndell
- Ian Balshaw
- James Lightfoot-Brown
- Tom Johnson
- Regan King

'ARRY KEEN TO ADD MORE FACES TO SQUAD

London Wasps head coach 'Arry spoke today of his desire to sign more players over the summer.

"We've already signed some really talented players who will fit in really well here at Wasps. I feel as though we still need a few more new faces to be 100% ready for the start of the season. The World Cup is obviously going to deprive us of the services of certain players, and it is important that we have the strength in depth to cover for them. A big issue for us last season was depth. We were hit hard with injuries during the Six Nations period, which left our squad on its knees and I don't want the same situation occuring again this season."

"I'm really pleased with the additions we have made so far. All the players we have signed are talented and hungry for success. They are the kind of players we want here at Wasps, and I am keen to add more players who are similar to them. I feel that our squad has a good blend of youth and experience which will serve us well during the course of the season. It is important that the younger players learn from the older and wiser heads in this squad to ensure that they are improving each time they train with them."

Tigers travelled to Scotland this weeek to play 2 friendlies, one against Glasgow Warriors and the other against Edinburgh Rugby.

In a one-off day of top class rugby, Leicester fielded 2 teams, one against each of the Scottish sides, in matches that took place back to back. The Tigers will be delighted that both of their teams were on the winning side, as the preperation for the new season continues.


Leicester Tigers XV 26 - 21 Glasgow Warriors

01. Ben Franks	09. Dimitri Yachvili
02. Stephen Moore	10. Toby Flood (k)
03. Cencus Johnston
04. Chris Jack (c)	11. Rupeni Caucaunibuca
05. Alex Brown	12. Clement Poitrenaud
06. Tom Croft	13. Yannick Jauzion
07. David Pocock	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Clarke Dermody 17. Marc Jones 18. Dan Cole 19. Tom Denton 20. John Barclay 21. Ben Youngs 22. Rob Miller 23. Tom Biggs


Leicester Tigers XV 22 - 15 Edinburgh Rugby

01. Wyatt Crockett	09. Micky Young
02. Sebastian Bruno	10. Dave Walder (k)
03. Faan Rautenbach
04. Brad Thorn	11. Cory Jane
05. James Horwill	12. Florian Fritz
06. Jordan Crane	13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
07. Magnus Lund	14. Aurelien Rougerie
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Damien Traille

16. Gethin Jenkins 17. Matt Thompson 18. Jonny Harris 19. Nathan Hines 20. Nick Easter 21. Scott Mathie 22. David Skrela 23. 23. Tim Molenaar

NEW PLAYERS JOIN QUINS

Steven Sharks is pleased to unveil the signings of Luke Morahan, Francois Louw, Anthony Faainga and youngster Sam Jones who all joined Quins for the 2011/12 Aviva Premiership Season.

Morahan and Faainga have previously played together at the Queensland Reds and join other Reds Old Boys in Quade Cooper and Peter Hynes and they both bring a lot to a young yet talented Harlequins backs division.

Louw and Jones join a squad which already includes numerous internationals including England captain Lewis Moody and it looks like there will be huge competition for places in the Quins back row.

' We are delighted to be able to announce these signings and with the announcement of the season's fixtures it is all beginning to seem more real. We have deliberately set out to improve our back row options so to be very competitive in this important area of the game. All our focus is now upon beating London Irish at HQ on the opening day of the season'

Tigers Fans Treated to More Southern Hemisphere Talent.

As Leicester Tigers and their manager LukeLovesLuka continue to build for the coming season, another Southern Hemisphere player was confirmed at Welford Road this week. Jarrad Hoeata, who has had a wonderful season for the Highlanders, playing at both lock and blindside flanker, was bought for £18m.

Hoeata joins Wyatt Crockett, Isa Nacewa, Rupeni Caucaunibuca and Scott Mathie on the list of players bought in the close season by the Tigers, with only hooker Sebastian Bruno coming in from Europe.

Manager LukeLovesLuka said "Jarrad is someone we have been trying to bring in for a while, and along with Wyatt (Crockett) has been a revelation this season in Super Rugby. To be able to bring these guys in shows the ambition we have for this coming season. Now we have to hope Mr. Henry ignores them both when picking his World Cup squad, as we would love to have both available during that period.

Our pre-season games are going very well so far, with us having beaten Sale, Saracens and Wasps twice. We are aiming to give the new guys as much time to blend with the team as possible, and looking to trial possible combo's for the World Cup period. I am also trying to make sure everyone gets game time - so it can be quite a juggling act. With the team I have named for this week's game against London Irish, only 3 of our 53 man squad have yet to get any game time."

BOOKIES RELEASE ODDS TO WIN NEXT SEASONS FANTASY AVIVA PREMIERSHIP

Leicester Tigers 3/1fav
Gloucester 4/1
Newcastle Falcons 4/1
Sale Sharks 9/2
London Irish 6/1
Harlequins 15/2
Bath Rugby 15/2
Saracens 8/1
London Wasps 10/1
Northampton Saints 14/1
Exeter Chiefs 20/1
Worcester Warriors 33/1

A spokesman for the bookmakers said "the quoted odds are open to change, but we have looked at new signings over the summer as well players that teams will be missing during the extended international periods this season and we feel this is a fair reflection on how the table might finish. Leicester have strengthened well and are early favourites, but one or two signings from the other teams could see things change round very quickly."

Leicester Tigers manager LukeLovesLuka has played down his side's tag of favourites for the Aviva Premiership next year, and warned his players complacency will get them nowhere.

He said "we all are delighted by the news of the confidence shown in our squad at this time, but to actually go on and win the AP is a massive ask. Yes, come May I would expect us to be there or thereabouts, but with teams like Gloucester and Newcastle having such good squads, it is going to be a massive challenge.

We feel over the duration of my tenure here, just over a year now, we have improved considerably, but we will not get complacent. We will always be looking to improve and improve, and as I have said to the players this morning, it is all well and good being tagged favourites, but nothing changes your mindest from that game against Exeter at Welford Road on September 3rd.

The start of the season is what we are working towards, and I demand the highest intensity from every single player in my squad."

SARACENS SUMMER RECRUITMENT CONTINUES

Saracens today unveiled South African hooker Gary Botha as their latest signing and confirmed that they are in negotiations with the Stormers for tighthead prop Brok Harris. The arrival of 12 times capped 29 year old Botha has meant the departures of Tom Mercey, Alex Grove and Josh Matavesi to Exeter Chiefs and head coach LDCPete had this to say about the coming and goings at the club.

"It is dissappointing to lose good young talent, however all three of those players need gametime to progress their careers and we have struggled to give it to them durign their time here. We also needed to increase the depth of our resources at hooker and I am delighted to bring a player of Gary's calibre to the club. He has a wealth of top flight experince both in England and in Super Rugby, and barring injuries to others will be available to us during the World Cup. He does the basics very well and is used to the conditions in an English winter and will be a fantastic acquisition for us. Hopefully we will also tie up negotiations with the Stormers for Brok Harris in the next 24-48 hours and as soon as we have any news on that we will keep the fans updated."

‘ARRY DELIGHTED WITH ARRIVAL OF EXPERIENCED TRIO

London Wasps head coach 'Arry spoke at a press conference today about how pleased he was with the signings of Stirling Mortlock, Matt Banahan and Marco Wentzel.

'I’m very happy with the fact that we have signed three very talented and vastly experienced players. This deal has helped us in several ways, not only has it added to quality of the players we have and the strength in depth we possess, it will also benefit the younger guys we have at this club, who will learn and improve their games from training and playing alongside them. It’s never nice to have to say goodbye to players, and it was a tough decision to let Olly (Morgan), Jim (Hamilton) and Jon (Clarke) go but we felt the deal was right for us, I’m sure those three will do very well under the management of Prop at Worcester.'

'We have been trying to sign Stirling (Mortlock), Matt (Banahan) and Marco (Wentzel) for a long time and to have finally managed to complete a deal it’s very pleasing indeed. All three of them are very talented rugby players who will only improve the squad we have. Marco and Stirling are very experienced and fantastically talented players, both of which will be an asset to us. Matt is a very exciting player who everyone wants to watch. He is a powerful and threatening runner and will add another dimension to the way we want to play rugby this season.’

'The new season isn't far away and I along with everyone here at Wasps feels that we have a very good chance of challenging for silverware. I honestly feel that we have plenty of strength in depth which is crucial. It's something we haven't had the past few seasons. Obviously we will have several players who will be missing during the international periods, however we have plenty of quality players who will step up to the plate to cover for them. The guys who have just missed out on going to the World Cup will want to show the coaches of their national sides just what they're missing when they pull on the Wasps shirt, and go out and give it their all in the Aviva Premiership and other competitions.'

WASPS TO HOLD OPEN TRAINING SESSION

London Wasps head coach 'Arry confirmed today that the club will be holding an open training session ahead of the new Aviva Premiership campaign.

'We are delighted to confirm that the club will be holding an open training session ahead of the new 2011/12 season. It will give the fans a chance to come and see the squad being put through their paces and also the oppurtunity to meet the players. The fans deserve this after the fantastic support they gave us last season. It's a chance for everyone to see the squad training and also getting the oppurtunity to meet the guys in a photo and autograph session which will take place once the training has concluded. There will be lots of fun and exciting things going on around the ground such as face painting, bouncy castles and barbeques. So really we want whole familys coming down and making the most of what we have on offer. The club shop will have all the new replica shirts in stock along with the training kit and club merchandise which will all be available at a discount for this training day only. We really want as many people down here as possible.'

Horwill Appointed Leicester Captain
O'Driscoll Appointed Vice-Captain

Leicester Tigers have announced second-row James Horwill as their new captain for the 2011/12 season, with Brian O'Driscoll as vice-captain.

Horwill joined Tigers on July 30, 2010 from Wasps, and was manager LukeLovesLuka's first signing for the club in a deal that saw Geoff Parling go in the other direction. Horwill was an integral part of the Tigers side last season, and played more games than any other forward.

The 26 year old has 25 caps for Australia has previously captained the Queensland Reds to Super Rugby glory, and has been a mainstay in the Wallaby side when fit.

Manager LukeLovesLuka said "James was always my favoured choice for the captaincy after Thierry (Dusautoir) left. He’s the kind of player that always fronts up, plays hard and with his style of play encourages his teammates to play tough. He’s 26, in his prime and is someone I see as a long-term leader at Leicester.

Off the field James is great at managing the pressures that will come with the role. He is great with the media, understands the context of the game and more than anything, exudes confidence.

With the likes of Nick Easter, Brad Thorn, Yannick Jauzion, Aurelien Rougerie, Nathan Hines, Dimitri Yachvilli, Ernst Joubert, Clarke Dermody and Chris Jack, we have leaders all over the field.

Brian (O'Driscoll) will be a great vice to back James up - he has a wealth of experience and has excelled when captaining his national side."

DRIVER PRAISES CHIEFS PRE-SEASON AND NAMES SMIT AS SKIPPER
By Will Greenwood in the Gaurdian

Last year before even the first players had arrived at there clubs for pre-season the premiership new boys had been up at 5am , 5 days a week for 3 weeks prior to when most teams started and come the end of the season it had payed off.

This pre-season according to fitness director Barney Allen , Performance director David Nucifora and Skills coach Rob Howley has been the hardest they have ever come across and Driver is pleased by it. 'The boys have worked really hard over the last 8 weeks with everybody pushing for a jersey in the starting 15. Prior to pre-season we lost some big players in Ersnt (Joubert) , Jaques (Burger) and TJ (Tom Johnson) who all moved on to other clubs whilst we lost Hugh Vyvyan to the armchair and tv''

But in there places the Chiefs have recruited well with the signings of Juilian Pierre , Simon Shaw , George Skivington , Kelly Brown , Marty Holah , Shane Jennings , Nick Phipps , Max Evans , Steve Myler , Andrea Masi , Gordan D'Arcy and George Pisi who all improve the side massively in there own right.

In other news down at Sandy Park John Smit will take the captains arm band after the RWC where he has already confirmed his retirement from international rugby after the tournament where he will look to lead South Africa to glory. He will backed up by the experienced Ronan O'Gara , Dave Wallace, Juilian Pierre aswell as James Hudson.

Speaking to Planet Rugby highly decorated coach anonmattyt had this to say

" This season should be a cracker. everybody has improved there squads and the WC brings with it pitfalls and opportunities.

Obvioulsy having so many international super stars means we lose a lot to the WC but we have some great players and youth to plug the gaps. Gloucester also have more depth than ever with people like Kahui, barnes, outshuizen,Bonnaire etc all joining the club recently. We are also excited by Joe Gray and Jamie johnstone who we think have big futures with the club and who will all develop here.

Bakkies Botha giving up international rugby also means we will have a top player available all year round.

i think getting the balance right in rotation and keeping all the players happy is my biggest challenge.

Look at our backrow we have Fasivalu, Bonnaire, Alberts, Ferris, Hari, Saull, burger, hazell, Deacon and Roussouw. Keeping all of them happy and in top condition is going to be the key. We will be using different competitions to take a look at certain emerging players also. We see May and Sharples as being 2 players to watch

Tigers Ready for New Season

Leicester Tigers manager LukeLovesLuka speaks of the new season ahead, a long pre-season campaign and the World Cup period.

"The whole squad is geared up for next week - it has been a long journey over the summer getting the boys in top shape for the Exeter game, and now we are in the final week, the boys are chomping at the bit.

We had a bit of an up and down pre-season in terms of results - winning seven and losing five of our games. But the results were never the important factor - the main objective was getting everyone in the right shape for the long season ahead.

It was important to find a balance between getting game-time and looking after everyone because we have a long season ahead of us - we've blooded in the new guys into the team, and they are all looking very sharp.

Now we can plan and prepare for that opening game against Exeter and the six massive games during the World Cup period - having the likes of Wyatt (Crockett) and Jarrad (Hoeata) available after they missed out on All Black selection has given the squad a real boost - although everyone has been sympathetic with both the boys.

The team can't wait to run out at Welford Road in front of the fans again, and we will be doing everything we can to maintain the home form we showed last season."

Tigers Complete Last Business Before Season Opener

Leicester Tigers today announced the signing of two loan players as they reveal their business is now complete for the 2011 summer season.

In comes France and former Toulouse centre Yann David from Sale, who will link up with ex-teammates Yannick Jauzion, Florian Fritz and Clement Poitreanud. He replaces Tim Molenaar who will play at Gloucester for the World Cup period

Also in on loan comes experienced ex-International Andy Hazell from Gloucester, who will compete with the likes of Thomas Waldrom, Magnus Lund, Ernst Joubert and Jonathan Poff for a spot in Tigers' back row for the World Cup period. Jordan Crane joins Sale for the same period.

Quins boss excited for start

Steven Sharks has today has let the media know as to the excitement he and his team are feeling ahead of the new season.

' We are all excited, we are very prepared for this fixture and the boys now know the starting side and subs and naturally there are some disappointed players I am confident that I have picked the best side for the job. We only have 4 new players in our 23 man squad so we don't see any issues when it comes down to having our side settling in'

Sharks was very quiet when asked who had made the cut for his side and didn't get drawn into questions about Schalk Brits' possible positional switch.

LDCPete turns up the heat on Wasps

At a press conference this morning Saracens head coach LDCPete turned up the heat on rivals London Wasps prior to this weekends meeting of the two sides. When asked about the opening day clash between the two LDCPete commented that there must be some unsettled players within the Wasps ranks with Australian international Drew Mitchell having been shown the door so close to the start of the season.

"I find it strange that transfer dealings have been left so late as you want to be settled and hit the ground running when the season starts. They've signed Luke McAlister who will take time to settle in, and Drew (Mitchell) being shown the door having been fully involved in plans for the season ahead must worry other players who will be wondering if they are next to go. They've also lost Dan Ward-Smith who has sadly had to call it a day and that must be a huge blow for them, as it further depletes their back row options. (Wasps manager) Arry has done well over the summer bringing players in, but should have had his squad settled by now really, but he has been in touch with a number of clubs this week asking about centres which must cast doubt over his confidence in the players in his squad."

A journalist asked LDCPete if his comments were an attempt at gaining a mental edge over his rivals and responded,

"You can take it that way if you like, all I'll say is I've not said anything that isn't fact, and if that causes some mental uncertainty amongst the players and coaching Staff at Wasps then they potentially have some real problems at the club."

Asked what he expected in terms of performance and result from his own side he simply said,

"I expect us to be at our best every time we step onto the field. We know we have talent and if we perform we are a match for anyone, and as long as our performance is where it should be then we don't need to focus on the result. If we play at our best and the opposition play better then the odds are they'll win, and fair play to them, all we can control is our own performance and that is what we will be focusing on."

LDCPete then left to oversee some training drills with his forwards who looked sharp and ready for the battle ahead.

'ARRY RESPONDS

London Wasps head coach ‘Arry spoke this morning at a press conference ahead of his side’s game with Saracens.

‘First of all, yes I did hear LDCPete’s interview on the radio this morning and listening to him I have to say I’m unimpressed and unaffected by his claims. I feel that having listened to him, it sounds as though he has been focusing on us more than his own side’s affairs, which is quite worrying. I know mind games when I see them and clearly he is trying to get a reaction out of us. Well all I can say to him is we are unimpressed and unaffected by him. We have had a fantastic pre-season and have trained superbly this week with a real buzz, all the guys are raring to go and can’t wait to take on Saracens.’

‘Drew (Mitchell) has been fantastic for us over the time he has been here, as soon as we knew that Newcastle were interested we knew we had a battle on our hands to keep hold of him. We have to respect his decision and we wish him all the best. We have bolstered our options at centre with the arrival of Luke (McAlister) who is a fantastic and experienced player who we are delighted to have here at Wasps. Deals are part and parcel of this league and when you get the chance to improve your squad, most coaches will do this.’

‘I’ve spoken with Dan (Ward-Smith) and thanked him for his commitment and effort he put in during his time with us. He was a very good player and always gave it his all out on the rugby field. To lose someone like him is very frustrating, you just have to accept that injuries like this happen in such a physically demanding sport. I wish him all the best and once again would like to thank him for everything.’

Grove to start out on the wing?

Speculation is rife in Devon this Morning that former Scotland center Alex Grove is set to start on the wing? Grove has played 12 , 13 and wing at an international standard and is being looked at as a option by Exeter outwide. Grove being played on the wing could lead to Adam Thompstone shifting into the centre.

Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver

01.Brett Sturgess	09.Tomas O‘Leary
02.Ben Kayser	10.Steven Myler
03.Juan Orlandi
04.James Hudson ©	11.Alex Grove
05.George Skivington	12.Regan King
06.Ben Skirving	13.Adam Thompstone
07.Carl Fearns	14.Matt Smith
08.Gareth Delve	15.Luke Fitzgerald

16.Neil Clark 17.Efion Lewis Roberts 18.Tom Mercy 19.Tommy Hayes 20.Declan Danahar 21.Chris Pilgrim 22.Josh Matavista 23.Iain Balshaw

Matt Dawson looks forward to the weekends fixtures on Radio 5 Live.

With the start of the new Aviva Premiership season upon us England World Cup winner Matt Dawson looked ahead to some of the games on his BBC Radio 5 Live show today. He in particular picked up on the war of words brewing between LDCPete and Arry ahead of Saracens clash with Wasps this weekend. Dawson had this to say….

"I'm not sure what LDCPete was trying to achieve in commenting on his opponents, but if he was after a reaction he has got one. Arry was keen to stress there are no problems at Wasps, but if there are no problems then why bother reacting at all. The Mitchell situation is strange as it all happened so quickly and Arry was keen to defend the decision and praise his new signing Luke McAlister, but through some great investigative journalism we have managed to get hold of an e mail conversation between Arry and Newcastle Falcons manager Pooly yesterday after noon which I will read out...

Sgt_Pooly wrote:McAlister for Mitchell?

'Arry wrote:Think McAlister might have had it mate, he's too hot and cold for my liking. Would you do Mitchell for Barritt?

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Had it?!?! Lol...he's 27 off the back off a top season for the Blues and he's signed for the biggest club in the NH to be their starting 12!!!!

'Arry wrote:Hmmm when you put it like that lol

Would you add anything else in at your end, just that Mitchell is still an international.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:No mate, see them similar quality really just Mc is behind 2 of the best 12's in the world in Nonu and SBW.

'Arry wrote:Ok mate I'll deal

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Stick it confirms fella. Gives you a lovely WC midfield

"


Dawson then continued…

"Doesn't sound from that as if Arry really has much faith in Mac and he appears to have wanted Brad Barritt for Mitchell but settled McAlister despite saying that he 'might have had it' and he was 'too hot and cold' for Arry's liking. That can't inspire the player or the rest of the squad with confidence, and I am sure that we haven't heard the last from either manager in the build up this match."