Monye: This will be most open premiership season yet

BT Sport Ambassador Ugo Monye was speaking on behalf of the Urban Rugby Squad, a partnership between BT Sport’s The Supporters Club, Restart Rugby, the Official Charity of The Rugby Players’ Association (RPA), and Premiership Rugby.

After an exciting and competitive Aviva Premiership season last year, former Harlequins legend Ugo Monye feels that this coming campaign will be the most open to date.

This has been the longest pre-season in the history of the competition after the trophy headed to Saracens in May and now all 12 teams are raring to get going once again.

There were some unpredictable finishes last season with the likes of Exeter Chiefs finishing in fifth place while Leicester Tigers and Harlequins found it tough to challenge, but Monye believes that the league is anyone’s to take this season.

“I think it is really open,” said Monye who made 237 appearances for Quins over a 13 year career.

“I think last season everyone had the buffer of London Welsh being in the league so teams knew that they weren’t really going to get relegated. The league promoted a lot of expansive rugby last season and it’s going to be so tight this year.”

The start of this season has obviously being put back due to the Rugby World Cup taking place and the quality of players that have been brought into the league just adds to the excitement.

Along with this, there is little or no break between matches due to the late start and there being no LV Cup this season which will put pressure on each and every squad and Monye echoes that point.

He added: “There has been a lot of very good recruitment in all the squads. I think there will be more pressure now teams have to play big games back to back and not having so many weekends off as there is no LV=Cup this year.

“It’s not going to be about a top 15 or 23, you’re going to have to have  35 top players to be successful this season, especially after your internationals being away at a World Cup, so it going to be a massive challenge ahead.”

Monye won the Premiership with Harlequins in the 2011-12 season and the men from The Stoop will be hoping to try and emulate that season as best they can.

Quins begin the new campaign under the lights on Friday against London Wasps and Monye thinks that the young talent in the current Harlequins side can help them have a big season.

Monye said: “You’ve got the likes of Jack Clifford who had a breakthrough year last year who was outstanding in the back row. He and Marlon Yarde, who would’ve been disappointed not to be going to the World Cup, stood out so I am expecting those guys to have a huge season on the Harlequins team this year.”

Monye was speaking at Streatham Rugby Club as part of BT Sport’s The Supporters Club, Premiership Rugby and Restart Rugby’s initiative – The Urban Rugby Squad.

The aim of Urban Rugby Squad will introduce the game to 1,000 young people from non-traditional rugby communities across England.

The project run across all 12 Aviva premiership teams and will see young people aged 14-16 given the opportunity to participate in regular sporting activity and personal development workshops that use rugby as inspiration and Monye is delighted to be part of this.

Monye said: “The point about the Rugby Squad is that it is trying to cross rugby’s core values and focus on enjoyment, respect, commitment and hard work.

“We aren’t trying to find 1000 international rugby players, but we just want them to use those core values which they can filter out into their everyday life.

 “It’s great to be to relate to some of the kids. I was born in Islington wanting to grow up and play for Arsenal, but I ended up playing rugby so it’s good for me to come down and share that story and hopefully find some hidden gems.

“We’ve always said at Harlequins that better people become better rugby players so if they can use those skills, they can use rugby as a vocal point which means we are certainly doing our job”

And Monye believes the support of BT Sport and the Aviva Premiership is vital in helping this project.

“It’s great to see BT Sport getting behind it and the rugby clubs too. Every Aviva Premiership rugby player is keen on it and the superstars of the game can really endorse it as well.

“We may uncover the next Chris Robshaw or Johnny Wilkinson and that’s what we would love to do, but it’s more important than that.

“It’s about making these guys better characters and everything which rugby can give them. If you can develop them personally, they can be better people in their community and they will go on to great things.”