By MHIAS
August 29 2002

Ahhh..... back to Premiership rugby. This is what we have all been waiting for for the last couple of months and Gloucester's opener is against Harlequins, away at the Stoop. Gloucester will want to start well, to instantly put pressure on the other Zurich clubs. Nigel Melville is keeping his cards close to his chest with his final team, not wanting to give anything away to the opposition. He has, however, released the squad, which reveals no suprises. New signing Rodrigo Roncero is not yet included, as he is no doubt still to settle in to his new surroundings.

For some reason Adam Eustace is also not included, though there is surely a valid reason such as injury. The question in everyone's mind is who will start at fly half. Some think Ludo, some think Henry Paul, but both are likely to feature. Saturday may well reveal the sort of team Nigel Melville would like to be using later in the season, but at the moment he is still in test mode.

Due to Peter Buxtons injury, Junior Paramore is likely to start at number 8. He will want to put in a good performance now that there is competition in the giant form of the England A player, and competition can only bring out the best.

Last year Harlequins were, to say the least, dissapointing. They battled against relegation for the most part of the season, and even with players like Keith Wood and Dan Luger they failed to fulfill the high expectations.

To boost the squad this year they have signed Fijian star Satala, along with prop Laurent Gomez. Although the are not expected to do much better than last season, if they can play like they have the ability to, they could be a suprise package. I predict a top of the table finish, but not a playoff place.

Paul Turner joined Harlequins this season from the Cherry-and-Whites when Nigel Melville implemented his own coaching staff. His quality is proven, as he was the leading role in helping to convert Henry Paul to union ways.

Although how well Gloucester will do on the road this season is unknown, a loss at The Stoop seems unlikely. We have a proven record there and, despite Harlequins' quality new recruits, expect an away win.

To view the preview from the Harlequins site click here: Preview

Gloucester squad:

Backs
Tom Beim
Thinus Delport
Terry Fanolua
Marcel Garvey
Andy Gomarsall
Ludovic Mercier
Henry Paul
James Simpson-Daniel
Clive Stuart-Smith
Robert Todd

Forwards
Olivier Azam
Jake Boer
Mark Cornwell
Andy Deacon
Rob Fidler
James Forrester
Chris Fortey
Andy Hazel
Junior Paramore
Ed Pearce
Phil Vickery (C)
Trevor Woodman

Harlequins side:

Backs
15. N. Williams
14 M Moore
13. W Greenwood
12 C Bell
11. B Gollings
10 P Burke
9 M Powell

Forwards
1. J Leonard
2. K Wood
3. L Gomez
4. A Codling
5. B Davison
6. A Tiatia
7. P Sanderson
8. T Diprose

Replacements: 16. Mario Caputo 17. Bruce Starr 18. Jim Evans 19. Luke Sherriff 20. Scott Bemand 21. David Sleman 22. Viliame Satala