Premiership preview (2 days to go): Northampton, Exeter, Sale

With the start of the Aviva Premiership only two days away, we take a look at what lies ahead for the 12 teams. Today, Northampton, Exeter and Sale
Northampton
Nearly men no more! That has to be the message sent to their squad by the Saints coaching duo of Jim Mallinder and Dorian West, who must be as sick of being bridesmaids as the fans at Franklin’s Gardens. The only surprise is that with Tom Wood only just on his way back from injury, and Courtney Lawes still sidelined, there were no major signings to give the Saints pack a revamp – because it is in the forwards that the mighty knock-out battles of the last few seasons have ultimately been lost.
Last season there were signs that Saone Tonga’uhia and Brian Mujati could only shift so many mountains, and with Dylan Hartley and Calum Clark falling out with the disciplinary men once again, the Saints reserve strength was not quite up to the job. The upside is that Northampton have discovered a gem in the American back five forward, Samu Manoa, and if he and Lawes are ever unleashed together they should carry a government health warning.
There is also the unwanted distraction of potential legal wrangle over the club’s decision to withdraw from signing former Wallaby flyer, Cameron Shepherd, following medical advice. But with Jamie Elliott, Noah Cato and new signing Ken Pisi waiting in the wings, replacing Chris Ashton should be no great hardship. Nor, when Ryan Lamb or Stephen Myler move the ball wide, should there be any lack of penetration with the powerful George Pisi in tandem with former Wasp Dom Waldouck in the centres.

Player to watch – Ben Foden, full-back
The Northampton fullback says that his club will be English champions at the end of this season, which is a pretty upbeat prediction when you take into account that his double act with Ashton is over – at least, at club level – and he will have to find counter-attacking telepathy elsewhere in the Saints backline. Foden was not quite as ebullient or confident on the counter once it became clear that Ashton was on his way, but he still has the flair and class to spark Northampton, and England, by attacking from the back.
SQUAD: Dylan Hartley, Mike Haywood, Brett Sharman, Chris Biller, Paul Doran-Jones, Danny Herriott, Tom Mercey, Brian Mujati, James Palmer, Adam Parkins, Soane Tonga’uiha, Alex Waller, Ethan Waller, Tom Warren, James Craig, Christian Day, Darrell Dyer, Tom Hicks, Courtney Lawes, Samu Manoa, Mark Sorenson, Alex Woolford, Calum Clark, Phil Dowson, Sam Farmer, Ben Nutley, Jamie Warr, Tom Wood, Sam Dickinson, James Ingle, Gerrit-Jan van Velze, Stuart Commins, Alex Day, Lee Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Martin Roberts, Glyn Hughes, Ryan Lamb, Stephen Myler, Luther Burrell, Jamie Elliott, Tom May, George Pisi, Dominic Waldouck, James Wilson, Scott Armstrong, Vasily Artemyev, Noah Cato, Paul Diggin, Anders Mogensen, Ken Pisi, Tom Collins, Ben Foden, Charlie Sadler, César Sempere.
VERDICT: 4th
Exeter
Exeter broke the second-season mould last campaign, when, instead of being embroiled in a relegation scrap they were pitching for a play-off place after only 24 months in the Premiership. In the end Rob Baxter’s crew had to make do with Heineken Cup qualification, which was a triumph in itself, confirming the canny Baxter as the best young English coach in the country.
Baxter has talked about desperation as being an essential ingredient in the Chiefs making such impressive inroads in so short a time, and the high standards he has set were rewarded when flanker Tom Johnson forced himself into the England reckoning, starting all three tests in South Africa over the summer.
Johnson is typical of the unsung but talented grafters on which the Exeter team is built, and there are no signs of the formidable pack that Baxter has assembled going backwards. Australian 33-test blindside Dean Mumm has the potential to be the signing of the season, and it is a mystery why Robbie Deans did not fight harder to keep the abrasive, versatile 27-year-old. The Exeter front row has also been strengthened by the arrival of Carl Rimmer from the Cornish Pirates, a prop who can pack on either side of the scrum and carries strongly.
Off that solid launchpad the underrated multi-cultural Chiefs backs are capable of creating plenty of chances, with game-breakers Gonzalo Camacho and Sireli Naqelevuki leading the charge.

Player to Watch – Sireli Naqelevuki, centre
When you are 6ft 4in and almost 18st and can move as fast as a wing then you are going give most of your opponents a headache of migraine proportions, and the big Fijian has not disappointed since he arrived at Sandy Park after a stint in South Africa with the Stormers. Naqelevuki’s world-class combination of size, power and quick feet at centre is usually unstoppable if he gets within sight of the try-line, and he is one of the Premiership’s prize draw cards.
SQUAD: Simon Alcott, Neil Clark, Tom Cowan-Dickie, Chris Whitehead, Jack Yeandle, Alex Brown, Chris Budgen, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Lloyd Fairbrother, Craig Mitchell, Ben Moon, Carl Rimmer, Brett Sturgess, Hoani Tui, Will Carrick-Smith, James Hanks, Tommy Hayes, Aly Muldowney, Dean Mumm, Damien Welch, Dave Ewers, Tom Johnson, James Phillips, James Scaysbrook, Ben White, Richard Baxter, Kai Horstmann, Kevin Barrett, Will Chudley, Junior Poluleuligaga, Haydn Thomas, Myles Dorrian, Ignacio Mieres, Henry Slade, Gareth Steenson, Sam Hill, Sireli Naqelevuki, Nic Sestaret, Jason Shoemark, Ian Whitten, Gonzalo Camacho, Mark Foster, Matt Jess, Josh Tatupu, Luke Arscott, Phil Dollman, Jack Nowell.
VERDICT: 6th
Sale
Steve Diamond, Sale’s chief executive and all-round ‘Mister Fix-it’, has never been scared of ruffling a few feathers, and he’s hoping to produce a side in that image. Diamond is a competitor first and foremost, and that’s why he probably sees any accusations of sharp practice over the acquisition of Bryan Redpath from Gloucester as a badge of pride if it helps put the north-western club back at the top of the pile.
The former Sale hooker’s judgement has proved pretty sound so far when it comes to the transfer market, and, with the club securing Heineken Cup qualification after last season’s mid-table finish, he was dabbling again this summer. The biggest of his signings is the galloping Glasgow watchtower, Richie Gray, who says he is coming south to put himself in a tougher environment. The arrival of the giant Scottish lock, alongside the return of the hefty Welsh prop Eifion Lewis-Roberts after a season at Toulon, suggests that the Sale pack, with promising tighthead Henry Thomas already on the books, will take some shifting.
Ever the opportunist, Diamond has also picked up a couple of backline movers from Down Under, with Danny Cipriani and Saints reject Cameron Shepherd given a chance to shine. However, even if Cipriani cannot get his defensive act together, or Shepherd regain full fitness, Sale have fly-half cover in Nick MacLeod and young flyers Tom Brady and Rob Miller in the back three. It is that depth, allied to the gritty leadership provided by former All Black centre Sam Tuitupou last season, and promised by No.7 David Seymour this campaign, that makes Sale an increasingly formidable proposition.

Player to Watch – Sam Tuitupou, centre
The appointment of the nuggety former All Black midfielder as captain last season was a Diamond masterstroke, because, given responsibility, he rose to the challenge in a way that he was never able to in his injury-hit stint with Worcester. Although Tuitupou has handed the captaincy baton over to Seymour, he will still be central in setting standards and making sure that Sale are as strong in defence as they are bold in attack.
SQUAD: Marc Jones, Tommy Taylor, Joe Ward, Tony Buckley, Vadim Cobîlaş, Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Harrison, Lee Imiolek, Eifion Lewis-Roberts, Henry Thomas, Richie Gray, Tom Holmes, Fraser McKenzie, Kearnan Myall, Andrei Ostrikov, Mark Easter, Hendre Fourie, James Gaskell, David Seymour, Andy Powell, Richie Vernon, Will Cliff, Dwayne Peel, Cillian Willis, Danny Cipriani, Nick Macleod, Johnny Leota, Sam Tuitupou, Will Addison, Charlie Amesbury, Tom Brady, Mark Cueto, Rob Miller.
VERDICT: 5th