Premiership Rugby Returns
The Aviva Premiership is back. The top flight of English rugby is one of the biggest and most competitive rugby leagues in the world. While in recent years the table has been dominated by Saracens, every season in the Aviva Premiership it feels as though the majority of the clubs have a good chance of becoming champions and the fight for relegation is always fierce.
We love the Premiership and below you’ll find three reasons why the 2016/17 season is going to be well worth watching.
Every Game Counts
The Aviva Premiership starts this Friday 2nd September. Kicking off the action, Gloucester will take on Leicester in what is sure to be an exciting start to the season. And there is no room for complacency. Each match in the Premiership is crucial for qualifying for the finals and for avoiding relegation.
England Coach, Eddie Jones, even cited relegation as one of the reasons he preferred the Premiership to Super Rugby as the intensity of the fight at the bottom is maintained throughout the season. Last season there ended up only being 15 points between the bottom three teams.
Every single game counts, from the first to the last.
The Pressure is on Saracens
Saracens have been crowned Champions for the last two seasons and were runners-up the year before that. They are the team to beat and every club knows it. After only losing four games in the entire 15/16 season, the pressure will be extremely high for the European Champions to maintain that standard.
The Saracens Director of Rugby believes the team have what it takes to make history and win the Premiership for a 3rd year running and defend the European Champions Cup but believes the real test will come during the Six Nations. Seven Saracens players were part of the Grand Slam winning England team and Sarries will likely have to make do without them again during the tournament. Perhaps the signing of legendary flanker, Schalk Burger, will help take the pressure of the remaining team members.
Last Chance to Impress for the Lions
With the announcement of the 2017 Lions Coach expected any day now, the focus will turn to the actual squad selection. While the final Six Nations before the tour will undoubtedly play a role in the decision making progress, the selectors, whoever they end up being, will be looking for the top performers week in, week out, during this season.
A number of Saracens players will already be in the running after a great season and forming the backbone of the England squad but there is a wealth of talent to choose from in the Aviva Premiership. When the coach is announced, players will know this season is their last chance to get noticed for the tour. Exceptional performances are what get you noticed and exceptional performances make for exciting games. We can’t wait to see what the ultimate rugby prize does to the motivation of players in the Premiership.
Let us know in the comments what players you think might up their game this season to try and get into the famous red jersey.
Will you be watching the Premiership this season? What fixtures are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter or Facebook.
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