CHRIS FOY: The Premiership's renewed title race makes it worth the wait

It has been a long and tedious wait, but the Premiership finally bursts back into life this week, with a classic title race in prospect.

Exeter will resume this season top of the table but, even though Saracens will not be breathing down their necks, their name isn’t on the trophy just yet.

There is fresh feel to the tussle for supremacy with the principle challenge to the Devon club coming from Sale and Bristol, although a host of other clubs are also in the hunt. Certainty is the enemy of competitive sport and it is nowhere to be seen.

In recent years, much of the intrigue has involved the struggle for survival, but the relegation equation has been removed this time, so all the focus is on the quest for domestic glory. A culture clash is in prospect.

Exeter know the territory. They have emerged as local heroes, with so many homegrown players nurtured by a shrewd coaching team led by Rob Baxter. They are efficient, well-drilled and relentless, with flashes of blistering brilliance — well, they were before the shutdown. Time will tell if the Chiefs’ possession game will still work in high summer.

Sale are a bona fide northern powerhouse, having added Manu Tuilagi and a vast array of prime South African muscle to their strong Cheshire core, led by the Curry twins — Ben and Tom — along with Luke and Sam James.

Jono Ross is an inspirational captain, Faf de Klerk is a world champion and Lood de Jager is effectively another new recruit as the mighty Springbok lock is still awaiting his Sharks debut.

Steve Diamond has made no secret of his desire to use two massive, revolving packs to propel Sale towards a second title. He can also use two massive centres, in the formidable shape of Tuilagi and Rohan Janse van Rensburg. The thought of those two operating in tandem will give rivals sleepless nights.

Bristol now have a box-office squad and an impatient ambition to claim the top prize just two years after promotion back to the elite. Kyle Sinckler will add steel and skill to their pack and Bears fans are salivating at the thought of how much damage Semi Radradra could inflict on the league. The flying Fijian is the world’s deadliest runner, but his arrival is also likely to force the former-All Blacks magician Charles Piutau to raise his game. The mind boggles.

The top three all face each other before this month is out, ensuring some pivotal and absorbing early skirmishes. But other challengers are lurking, notably fourth-placed Northampton and Wasps, who were arguably the league’s form team before the season was suspended and could force their way into the play-offs.

Even Gloucester, down in ninth, are within two wins of the top four. They will hope to switch from upheaval to revival under a new coaching team led by George Skivington, while Steve Borthwick is expected to drag Leicester out of their protracted slump.

All clubs are back to square one. Many still have plenty to play for and most have grounds for optimism. The end of this season may well have been worth the wait.

Who will take the title? Not a clue. That’s the beauty of it.  

Return of rugby could see the uprise of the entertainers

New Zealand’s provincial franchises have been showcasing the game’s capacity for thrills and spills in Super Rugby Aotearoa, so it will be fascinating to see if Premiership clubs can reach similar heights of attacking fluency and artistry.

They may struggle to match the Kiwi masters of fast-and-loose rugby, but there is an expectation the rest of the campaign here could be an eye-catching spectacle.

This is a sport which is always having to tweak laws, and the breakdown is back in the authorities’ cross-hairs.

Players can’t delay placing the ball or fly into the contact area from all angles. There is a welcome desire to de-clutter rucks which gives the poachers a chance to flourish amid a reduced threat of violence — and encourages teams to keep the ball alive. 

There is no public yearning to watch piles of bodies entangled for 80 minutes. Rugby needs to release its entertainers and this country has many of them, all gearing up to flourish.

Without any crowds, we will be able to hear the more colourful language used by the players 

English rugby is about to experience the eery environment of matches without crowds. It promises to be a surreal experience — removing much of the benefit of home advantage. With all games to be screened by BT Sport, the busiest people on matchdays could be those in charge of a beeper button to spare viewers from an onslaught of colourful language.

Normally, only those players standing close to the referee may have swearing, sledging and other overtly aggressive comments picked up by a wider audience, but the absence of atmosphere may force repeated on-air apologies by embarrassed commentators.

It is surely asking too much of players to mind their manners when flare-ups occur, especially with months of pent-up energy and angst being unleashed. 

The Last Word

Saracens’ fate was sealed months ago, with confirmation of their relegation for salary cap infringements — but the deposed champions have a crucial role in how the rest of the season plays out. 

It is vital that Mark McCall’s side give substance to Billy Vunipola’s claim that they want to show people they are ‘not just here for the ride’. There could be a temptation to use league matches to tune up for the knockout stages in Europe — their priority target — but they also have domestic pride at stake. 

Knowing the DNA of the leading Saracens players, they will be nightmare opponents; moving heaven and earth to make a point by lowering the colours of all the leading title challengers. Expect them to go down swinging, which is just what the competition requires.