The seven Prem Rugby stars that rival coaches are terrified to face - in their own words: England's newest 'superstar', a 'tank' and the dark horse for signing of the season

Ever wondered which players clubs are most worried about facing? Who they might make a special plan for? Who is the focus of the pre-match team meetings? 

Well, the new Prem Rugby season is almost upon us and Daily Mail Sport asked each director of rugby exactly that.

The question got mixed reactions. Some of them were hesitant. Others were glowing in their praise.

Saracens' Mark McCall said his answer could come back to bite him, while Steve Diamond of Newcastle used the opportunity to heap praise on one of his key transfer targets.

So, here are the players worth getting excited about when the season gets underway with Sale Sharks v Gloucester on Thursday night, according to the men trying to stop them…

GEORGE FORD (Sale Sharks and England fly-half)

Johann van Graan, Bath head coach: ‘George Ford had a phenomenal year with England. He’s a player I’ve always respected. He’s an ex-Bath player, but that’s long into the past.’

Now 32, Ford has enough miles under the bonnet to be completely assured on the pitch. He is the most consistent No 10 in England and was unlucky to miss out on the Lions tour of Australia.

He has an option to extend his contract with Sale until the World Cup and it’s hard to see him looking elsewhere, as he remains firmly in the mix for England, having collected caps 100, 101 and 102 on the successful tour of Argentina and the USA this summer.

LEN IKITAU (Exeter Chiefs and Australia centre)

Pat Lam, Bristol Bears director of rugby: ‘A good Pacific Islander. I’m looking forward to seeing him. I just hope he doesn’t perform too well against the Bears!’

George Skivington, Gloucester head coach: ‘He’s a very talented individual. His skillset will translate to the Prem really well and Rob Baxter has got a very good track record of bringing in Australians. The game here is opening up, becoming more attacking and more exciting, so guys who can move well and distribute the ball at speed have been brilliant over the past two years. Power runners. That’s something he no doubt will bring.'

The Wallaby centre has not arrived in the Prem with the fanfare of Owen Farrell or Louis Rees-Zammit but he could be the signing of the summer.  

He is a nuggety midfielder whose power and footwork has created the space for Joseph Suaalii to shine for Australia. 

Exeter will be hoping he can have a similar impact on the club to his countrymen, Nic White and Dean Mumm, who helped guide through their last generation of youngsters.

THOMAS DU TOIT (Bath and South Africa prop)

Rob Baxter, Exeter Chiefs director of rugby: ‘He always plays well. He’s a guy who can make things go very well around him.’

A purist’s pick. There’s a reason Finn Russell was able to apply his magic touch to steer Bath to the Prem crown and it starts at the scrum. 

Du Toit, who has 28 caps for his country, dovetailed brilliantly with England's Will Stuart, planning their game time weeks in advance to share the heavy workload in the tighthead jersey. 

Nicknamed 'the Tank', Du Toit is everything you’d expect from a Springbok prop; thick-set and difficult to stop when he gets a sniff of the try line.

OWEN FARRELL (Saracens and England fly-half)

Jason Gilmore, Harlequins head coach: ‘I’ve always really respected Owen Farrell from afar. I love my rugby league, grew up playing it, and his dad Andy was a great of the game. Owen’s cut from the same cloth. He’s aggressive, physical, sets good standards and I’m really keen to come up against him.’

Alex Sanderson, Sale Sharks director of rugby: ‘I’m looking forward to seeing Faz back in the Prem and what impact he has. Shaking it up again. Never one for dipping his toe in, is he? We’ll see how Sarries go with him.’ 

The first few weeks of the season will be fascinating for the former England skipper as he returns to north London. 

All eyes will be on him to see if he can rediscover his best form at the age of 34 and have a second coming for club and country after a season in France with Racing 92. 

Saracens had too many soft edges last season, failing to maintain the intensity that Farrell brings 24/7. A sixth-place finish was arguably their worst display since their recent era of dominance began.

Since coming ninth in 2009, their only other finishes outside the top four have been in 2020 - when their 105-point deduction for salary-cap breaches dropped them from fourth to last, and 2021, when they had been banished to the Championship.

FIN SMITH (Northampton Saints and England fly-half)

Steve Diamond, Newcastle Red Bulls director of rugby: ‘We had Fin as a kid at Worcester. He’s done really well. Been on a Lions tour. He didn’t play much in the big games but I think he’ll be a revelation. I think he’s a superstar.’

Is that a pitch to sign him, Steve? ‘Possibly.’ Whatever Diamond’s motives are, there is no doubt Smith will be looking to have a big season.

He will have a point to prove after being sidelined on the Lions tour and Northampton need to bounce back from a disappointing league campaign, finishing eighth as defending champions. 

Smith is an accomplished fly-half but it will be interesting to see if he is given any game time at No 12, where his tough tackling would come to the fore.

CHRISTIAN WADE (Newcastle Red Bulls and England wing)

Phil Dowson, Northampton Saints director of rugby: ‘Christian's a top man. I played with him a few times and I always like watching him play. He’s decent on the astro so he’ll go well.’

Wade has the Premiership’s try-scoring record in his sights. He sits on 93, eight behind Chris Ashton's mark of 101. 

Wade has returned from a brief stint in rugby league with Wigan Warriors and there’s little doubt he will be roared over the try line by a reinvigorated crowd at Kingston Park as they look to end their run of finishing bottom of the pile in each of the last three seasons.

He’s rugby’s arch-poacher, an ideal recruit for Newcastle Red Bulls before they bring in a second wave of reinforcements next season.

JAMES O’CONNOR (Leicester Tigers and Australia fly-half)

Mark McCall, Saracens director of rugby: ‘He’s obviously been around, playing for Sale. At one point in time, we had a conversation about him coming to Saracens, when he was a bit younger, which never materialised. He’s a person who’s got better and more mature with time. You can see that experience.’

There were doubts among rugby fans over the signing of 35-year-old O’Connor to replace double World Cup-winner Handre Pollard, but his resurgence in a Wallaby shirt over the past month has tipped the balance in his favour.

He has looked alive to attacking opportunities, showing deft handling to break defences, helping Australia to some big wins in the Rugby Championship - not least their stunning 38-22 victory in Johannesburg last month having been 22-0 down inside 18 minutes. 

Leicester lost more than 500 international caps’ worth of experience over the summer and could face a difficult campaign. O’Connor will bring plenty of know-how, although it will take a big leap in conditioning for him to start games every week.

And finally... 

You might be wondering why there are only nine on this list.

Well, as for Geoff Parling, fresh from arriving in the East Midlands as he takes up the head coach role at Leicester Tigers after five years in the Australia setup, he'll get back to us.

‘I don’t know, mate,' said Parling when asked by Daily Mail Sport, 'I’ve only just got off the plane.’

Thursday's not here to stay 

The new season of Prem Rugby kicks off with a Thursday night fixture between Sale and Gloucester. But don’t expect midweek matches to become a regular occurrence any time soon.

There are plenty of tickets still on sale for the first game of the 2025-26 campaign and Prem broadcaster TNT Sports, who also show European football that night of the week, believe Thursdays aren’t ideal to maximise television audiences.

Scott Young is the executive vice president of Discovery Sports Europe who own TNT, and he said: ‘We had a long conversation about the impact of Thursday and the need for Thursday and we’re very supportive of that.

‘But I don’t think that’s a regular slot for us. The slots we have on Friday, Saturday and Sunday work.’

Cross-coders to keep an eye on 

Prem rugby coaches are tracking a number of league players in Australia’s NRL competition.

Daily Mail Sport asked the coaches which athlete they would like to bring to rugby from any other sport and there were some interesting answers.

Names such as Roy Keane and Novak Djokovic were mentioned for their locker-room mentality, while some coaches revealed their admiration for possible code-switchers.

Englishman Herbie Farnworth has been one of the standout players in the NRL and recently revealed his ambitions to play for England in both codes.

Harlequins coach Gilmore revealed: ‘Being an Aussie, I love my rugby league. There’s a centre down there called Stephen Crichton who is one of the best centres in the world. I think he’d look great in a Quins jersey.

'Herbie Farnworth is another one. He’s English, so I’m not sure if England Rugby are keeping an eye on him, but he absolutely destroyed the NRL this year. I might put him on the recruitment sheet and see how we go!’

Bristol coach Lam picked out Nathan Cleary and Exeter boss Baxter revealed his admiration for winger Mark Nawaqanitawase, who is seeking a move back to union to play for the Wallabies in the 2027 World Cup on home soil.

Scots look to snatch Saints guru 

Northampton are facing a battle to keep hold of their popular defence coach Lee Radford.

The former rugby league player, who was one of the key figures in the club’s Premiership-winning campaign in 2024, has been approached by Scotland.

The SRU are looking for someone to replace Steve Tandy, who has taken over as head coach of Wales. Gregor Townsend is keen for Radford to join his staff but the 46-year-old remains under contract in the East Midlands.

It is understood Radford still commutes down to Northampton from the north of England, so there wouldn't be too much logistical upheaval if he were to head north of the border.

So much for Girl Power! 

A stampede of famous faces are expected for England’s World Cup final against Canada on Saturday.

The likes of Mary Earps, Chloe Kelly and James and Oliver Phelps – the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter – have come out to watch the women on their march towards the final.

However, the Spice Girls will not be part of the entertainment, despite collaborating on co-branded apparel, as a number of the iconic pop band are out of the country.