With pre-season well underway for most European sides, and the season proper underway for the Top 14 teams, it’s worth taking a look at the teams who could maybe push on from last season and stake a claim for higher honours, and those who might not reach the dizzy heights of last year.
2015-16 Top 14 Season: Impress or Regress
Three who could impress
Exeter
Exeter have been knocking on the door for a couple of years now, and at this point it almost feels like they deserve to be in the top four as opposed to finishing close. Last year they agonisingly missed out on fourth place to Leicester, despite Rob Baxter’s side playing marginally the better rugby, and that will have hurt. However, it is for that reason they are prime candidates to go one step further this season.
They have also strengthened considerably with some big signings – Italian centre Michele Campagnaro is a class act in the middle of the park, while Moray Low provides some vital experience in the front row and Geoff Parling is a major coup from Leicester and is more than an capable replacement for outgoing captain Dean Mumm.
Leinster
There is one reason that Leinster will improve drastically this season: Jonathan Sexton.
Getting rid of Matt O’Connor is a move that we will not fully be able to analyse until the end of the season, but managing to convince Sexton to return to his native province is possibly the biggest move that Leinster could have had in the off-season, although bringing back Isa Nacewa is huge too.
Spurred on by the pain of finishing outside the top four in the Pro12 last season for the first time since the play-offs were introduced, you would be a brave man to bet against Leinster returning to the semi-finals in May. That sense of inevitability is fortified by their excellent academy, which continues to spew out great players to fill in for their international stars during September and October.
Bordeaux-Begles
Probably not many people’s choice, but Bordeaux are quietly flying below the radar, and have celebrated making the Champions’ Cup this season by splashing the cash and bringing in big names such as Sekope Kepu, Loann Goujon and Adam Ashley-Cooper. Add that to current stars such as Jean-Baptiste Poux, Sofiane Guitoune and Metuisela Talebula and Bordeaux suddenly possess a strong squad.
Champions’ Cup duty may hinder them in their domestic campaign, but with a strong home record and the stars in their ranks to cause upsets across the board, Bordeaux could be underdogs for a big season, with a trip to the play-offs at the end a real possibility.
Three who may digress
Northampton
The Saints are one of England’s best clubs, however based on their dealings over the summer it seems like they haven’t done much strengthening when compared to their rivals. Instead they have lost two of their best stars in Salesi Ma’afu and Samu Manoa, while the likes of Leicester and Exeter have both made big signings ahead of the new season.
Jim Mallinder is one of the top coaches in the Aviva Premiership; every year Northampton’s squad looks like it might not be as strong as their rivals, yet they still manage to finish consistently near the top of the table. But with Exeter looking stronger, and Gloucester improving too, someone may drop out of the top four, and Northampton may be that team.
Glasgow
The defending Pro12 champions are now at the stage where they are so far ahead of their cross-country rivals in Edinburgh that they’re contributing what feels like three-quarters of the Scotland squad on their own. They managed to work their way through the Six Nations last season without too many major hiccups, but this season they’ll have the World Cup to navigate too – can they cover both periods without dropping too many points?
Gregor Townsend still coaches probably the best attacking game in all of the northern hemisphere teams, and when he has a full squad at his disposal then Glasgow are one of the best teams in the Pro12. But teams will become wise to their expansive game, and if they’re playing catch-up from the start then things could get difficult.
Oyonnax
The story of last season saw little Oyonnax upset all the odds and get all the way to the Top14 quarter-finals before losing to Toulouse at the Ernest Wallon.
Let’s just say they probably won’t fare as well this year.
As well as having the Champions’ Cup to navigate this season, Oyonnax have struggled to recruit big names to back up last season’s impressive performances, with only ex-All Black Piri Weepu a name that would stand out on a team sheet. Some sides typically struggle the year after they’ve had a breakout season, and nothing about Oyonnax’s preparation for this year suggests they will be bucking that trend.
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