Another unpredictable Premiership season beckons — and yet the defending champions are favourites. In a league that has produced six different title winners in as many seasons, Bath enter 2025–26 as the team to beat, while a rebrand aims to turn heads and a clutch of clubs reshape both squads and infrastructure.
Bath set the benchmark
In Johan van Graan, Bath have a relentlessly process-driven head coach unlikely to let complacency creep in. Key returns matter: Ollie Lawrence and Jaco Coetzee are back from long-term injuries for the season start, adding punch in midfield and ballast in contact. Elsewhere, Saracens will be buoyed by Owen Farrell’s return, a boost that sharpens their title credentials.
The upshot is a title race that looks familiar and fresh at once: established powers with renewed weapons, and a chasing pack eager to break the trend.
Newcastle’s Red Bull jolt
Few stories match the turbulence — and excitement — at Kingston Park, where Red Bull’s groundbreaking takeover has accelerated change. New signing Joel Grayson, emblematic of the club’s new phase, has embraced the upheaval with good humour, swapping life by the Sydney Harbour Bridge for a future under the Tyne Bridge. The message from the North East is clear: embrace the disruption, and move fast.
Stadium stakes in Bath
Off the field, Bath’s stadium project took a significant step as the council backed the plans. Yet the club’s battle for full planning permission may not be over, and the next stages will determine timelines and scope. It is a crucial development for a champion side seeking facilities to match its ambitions.
The season ahead
Between a reimagined league identity, heavyweight contenders rearming and clubs pursuing long-term transformation, the Premiership’s competitive fabric looks as tight as ever. The margins will be thin; the stories, abundant.
