Club: Bedford Blues
Last season: 7th
Season opener: away v Newbury
Ins
Marco Cecere (Rugby Roma), Jon Elrick (North Harbour), Ross Noonan (Cork Con), Dan Richmond (Northampton), Bruno Fortuna (Belgrano), Rory McKay (Waterloo), Ryan Owen (Leicester)
Outs
Ben Alexander (returned to Oz), Shaun Brady (TBC), Ross Broadfoot (Cambridge Univ), Ollie Brown (TBC), Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Ben Pienaar, Ollie Dodge (all returned to Leicester), Kieran Hallett (Ulster) Chris Johnson, Paul Kendall (Cambridge), Adam Kettle, Emyr Lewis (both Plymouth Albion), Dom Malone (retired), Adrian Olver (TBC), Matt Price (Rugby Lions), Mike Staten (Blackheath)
Jon Newcombe, editor of Rugby Times, reckons: "Regulars in the top half of table over the last few years, the Blues should maintain that record. They’ve managed to strengthen their relationship with Leicester and have also recruited Dan Richmond, the young hooker from Northampton. The signing of North Harbour’s Jon Elrick should make up slightly for the loss of James Pritchard, the prolific points’ machines who’s playing for Canada at the World Cup."
Prediction: 5th
Club: Cornish All Blacks
Last season: n/a – promoted from Nat 2
Season opener: home v Cornish Pirates
Ins
Dan Manns, Richard Liddington (both Exeter), Owen Hambly (Cornish Pirates), Mike Myerscough (Bath - loan), Tom Rawlings (Pertemps Bees), Tony Roques (Exeter), Mike Rawlings (pirate), Sam Alford (Bath), Stuart Alred (Exeter - loan), Peter Fisher (Exeter), Matt Jess (Newport Gwent Dragons), Jon Fabian (Plymouth Albion), Bryn Jenkins (Plymouth Albion), Mike Provis, Lewis Webb, Gareth Tedstone (all Cornish Pirates)
Outs
Dave Risdon (Bude), Andy Matchett (Sidmouth), Nick Burnett (Mounts Bay), Richard John (retired)
JN reckons: "Paupers of the division with a budget roughly a tenth the size of Northampton and favourites for bottom spot. But joint head coaches Jon Hill and Chris Brown are tireless workers and will ensure their squad of largely home-grown players are competitive. Also have the surprise factor of being a new side to the division so could pull a couple of shock results."
Prediction: 15th
Club: Cornish Pirates
Last season: 5th
Season opener: away v Cornish All Blacks
Ins
Richard Bolt (Exeter), Nick Buckley (Moseley), Peter Cook (Harlequins), Bruce Cumming (Massy), Paul Devlin (Albi),
Rob Elloway (Gloucester), Ed Fairhurst (Cardiff Blues), Eniola Gesinde (Newcastle Falcons-loan), Nathan Kemp (Jersey), Aliinu'u Koko (Montpellier), Gareth Steenson (Rotherham), Ollie Thomas (Moseley), Brian Tuohy (Rotherham), Simon Whatling (Worcester), Ed Williamson (Newcastle - loan), Johnny Williams (Newcastle - loan)
Outs
Grant Anderson (TBC), Henry Barratt (TBC), Duncan Bell (Dax), Alberto Di Bernardo (Leeds), Owen Hambly (Cornish All Blacks), Jonny Hylton (Newbury), Viliami Ma'asi (Leeds), Nick Makin (TBC), Adam Nicholls (Mounts Bay)
Mike Provis (Cornish All Blacks), Duncan Roke (TBC)
Mike Rawlings (Cornish All Blacks), Gareth Tedstone, (Cornish All Blacks), Lewis Vinnicombe (Redruth),
Lewis Webb (Cornish All Blacks), Rhodri Wells (TBC)
JN reckons: "Going to be there or thereabouts, they’ve had a big turnover in personnel and made some quality additions including the likes of Eniola Gesinde on a three-month loan from Newcastle. They’ve lost the valuable boot of Alberto Di Bernado but they’ve countered that loss with the signing of Ollie Thomas and Gareth Steenson form Moseley and Rotherham. Should definitely push into the top four."
Prediction: 3rd
Club: Coventry
Last season: 10th
Season opener: home v Doncaster
Ins
Chris Whitehead (Bedford), Ricky Whitehall (Hartpury College), Ian Nimmo (Leicester), Gregor Gillanders (Leicester – loan), Danny Hodge (Bridgewater), Jamie Miller (Bath), Laurie McGlone (Gran Parma), Tom Slater (Beddau), Logon Kirisome (Bigger), Ronnie McLean (Loughborough Uni), David Maddocks (Newport Gwent Dragons), Rob Duggard (Chippenham), Nathan Jones (Litchfield), Lee Parry (Nuneaton), Ollie Hodge (Exeter) Vavae Tuilagi (Leicester – loan)
Outs
David Campton (Pertemps Bees) Niall Treston (TBC), Tom Johnson, Kieran Geraghty (both Exeter), Louis Tonkin (TBC), John O’Connor (TBC), Duncan James (TBC), Ed Binham (TBC), Alun Wyn-Davies (Pertemps Bees) Richard Siveter (Rugby Lions), Aaron Takarangi (Nuneaton)
JN reckons: "Murray Henderson’s first full season in charge. ‘Cov’ ran World Cup debutants Portugal close in pre-season and are something of an unpredictable quality, The latest in the Tuilagi production line – Vavae – could prove an astute signing."
Prediction: 8th
Club: Doncaster Knights
Last season: 3rd
Season opener: away v Coventry
Ins
Justin Bishop (London Irish), Scott Gray (Borders), Chris Planchant (Waterloo), Mark Soden (Italy), Scott Young (Ulster), Sean Tomes (Newcastle)
Outs
Steve Barretto (Plymouth Albion), Jon Benson, Otley, Dan Cook (Hull), Russ Earnshaw (Pertemps Bees), Jason Forster (Neath) Netani Talei (Worcester), Ben Gollings (Japan), Ryan Peacey (Harrogate)
JN reckons: "They were surprise leaders going into 2007, and went on to record the club’s highest ever league position. Former Edinburgh coach Lyn Howells replaces fellow Welshman Clive Griffiths as director of rugby, with Justin Bishop as backs coach."
Prediction: 7th
Club: Esher
Last season: n/a – promoted from Nat 2
Season opener: home v Plymouth Albion
Ins
Matteo Barbini (Treviso), Charlie Bedford (Newbury), Darryn Bruce (London Scottish), James Campbell (London Welsh), Douglas Flockhart (Borders), Adam Harris (Newbury), Robert Henderson (Toulon), David Hewitt (Racing Club Paris), Llyr Lane (Cardiff), Dave Millard (Harlequins), Cliff Street (Rosslyn Park)
Outs
Matt Leek (Blackheath), Tom Carruthers (Westcombe Park),
Ed Rosa (Richmond)
JN reckons: "Last season’s runaway champions of National Two, they’ve since got a big sponsorship which has boosted their budget to £750,000. Nevertheless, head coach Mike Schmidt will know it’s going to be a season of hard toil."
Prediction: 14th
Club: Exeter Chiefs
Last season: 4th
Season opener: home v Sedgley Park
Ins
Dan Parkes (Cornish Pirates), Saul Nelson (Bristol), Wade Kelly (Randwick), Chad Slade (Grammar Carlton), John Andress (Ulster), Lewis Stevenson (Ulster), Tom Skelding (Moseley), Andy Miller (Borders), Tom Johnson (Coventry), Clive Stuart-Smith (Bristol), Danny Gray (Bristol), Kieran Geraghty (Coventry), Chris Bentley, (Tasman Makos) and Josh Drauniniu (Royal Navy).
Outs
Ollie Hodge (Coventry), George Davis, Dan Manns, Tony Roques (Cornish All Blacks), Paddy Warwick, Jody Wheelhouse, Richard Bolt, Pete Fisher
JN reckons: "A Premiership operation all but name, the Chiefs are likely to be Northampton’s most dangerous rivals. Head coach Pete Drewett has recruited well in picking up the services of Danny Gray and Saul Nelson from Bristol and Clive Stuart-Smith from Scarlets."
Prediction: 2nd
Club: London Welsh
Last season: 12th
Season opener: away v Northampton
Ins
Mark Lee (Army – flanker), Martyn Madden (Bedwas), Jon Mills (Scarlets), Hywel Jenkins, Rhys Morgan Williams (both Ebbw Vale), Richard Martin-Redman
Outs
John Pettermerides, Andy Fathy (both London Scottish), Tim Holgate (Tring), James Campbell (Esher), Robbie Shaw (Connacht), Nick Hugett (Rosslyn Park), Dan Beard, Lee Cholewa, Steve Millard, Duncan Hayward, Owain Walbyoff, Matt Baker (all London Scottish), Alaistar Rogers (Released), Gerald Arasa (released), John Swords (Rosslyn Park), Jim Brownrigg (released), Gareth Mason (released), Pierre Du Randt (released), Richard Griffith (retired),
Adam Slade (released), Matt Fitzgerald (London Scottish), Luke Cousins (Richmond)
JN predicts: "They’ve made a concerted effort pre-season to become more ‘professional'. The acquisition of former England international Alex Codling onto the coaching staff from Ebbw Vale is an astute one. The pack has also been reinforced with the arrival of mighty prop Martyn Madden from Bedwas, Jon Mills from Scarlets and Richard Martin-Redman (Bristol). If they avoid the usual pre-Christmas injury crisis they could be surprise package."
Prediction: 6th