By . Chris Foy for the Daily Mail . Follow @@FoyChris . The Aviva Premiership will thunder back into action at the home of the champions on Friday night, armed with an emphatic endorsement from a Welsh Lion among the cast-list of new recruits. ‘I think it’s the best league in the world,’ said Gloucester hooker Richard Hibbard, following his summer move from the Ospreys. He may just have a point. While the Premiership lacks the glitz of France’s money-laden Top 14 league, awash with Galacticos, it is a competition of compelling substance; fierce and tribal. Acclaiming it as the best league is a bold call but perhaps the right one. Across the Channel, leading Gallic sides rest star players away from home, thus damaging the credibility of their event. And the notion of ‘French flair’ is a remote fantasy amid the earthy tussle for the ‘Bouclier de Brennus’. Player to watch: Richard Hibbard is a world-class hooker who will add ballast to the Gloucester pack . Title to defend: Northampton boss Jim Mallinder will be hoping to get off to a winning start on Friday night . In the far-flung south, the Super 15 is a swashbuckling exhibition of attacking arts, but that is a cross-border extraganza and one now mired in a bewildering format and dubious expansionism. When it comes to national leagues, the Currie Cup in South Africa and the ITM Cup in New Zealand primarily serve as breeding grounds for emerging talent. Closer to home, the Pro12 has struggled for identity within four nations, while also hampered by Irish rotation policies and an exodus from the Welsh regions, not to mention endlessly shifting kick-off times and meagre attendances. So the Premiership may well be worthy of Hibbard’s tribute and this promises to be an especially spicy season – possibly a watershed too. What has been lacking for some years is the bums-on-seats impact of English clubs managing to acquire ‘A’-list outsiders to dazzle the viewing public. They flocked here in years past, before the French acquired enough financial clout to chase ‘Les Rosbifs’ out of rugby’s transfer market. The imminent arrival of Sam Burgess at Bath will serve as an antidote and provide a sideshow for the remainder of the campaign, as the titan of rugby league attempts to master the rival code with sufficient haste to force his way in to World Cup contention. In fact, players vying for places at the tournament in this country next year will be the main sub-plot of the whole season. As Sir Clive Woodward noted in these pages on Wednesday, the tussle to win favour with national coach Stuart Lancaster will be an absorbing agenda for the rugby public here to observe, but clubs are mindful of promoting their own objectives. Jim Mallinder, director of rugby at champions Northampton, has identified the threat of lost focus, saying: ‘One challenge is to keep our internationals’ heads on playing for Saints with the World Cup around the corner.’ Blockbuster: Sam Burgess switches codes in November with an eye on claiming a World Cup spot . In truth, the cut and thrust of the weekly contests will keep the World Cup on the mental back-burner, aside from fleeting thoughts of how early-season form may have a bearing on Lancaster’s delayed naming of a senior EPS squad next month. The relentless nature of the domestic season will not allow much time to dream distant dreams, not when the spectre of injury or a collapse in form hangs heavy over the myriad contenders. As Mallinder prepares to launch his team’s title defence, he expressed the familiar view that this is a league where foregone conclusions are a rarity. ‘There are no easy games in the Premiership, home or away,’ he said. ‘If you are not quite there, teams can come and get you.’ That is the Premiership’s calling card; how close it is, how tight and tense and unpredictable. Yet, the Saints expect the primary danger to come from Saracens, Leicester, Harlequins and Bath, as was the case last year. Gloucester can be added to that top-end melting pot, because no side with their array of quality players can punch far below their weight for a second successive season. Champion: Piri Weepu, a World Cup winner with All Black pedigree, will be one to watch for London Welsh . For all the talk of knife-edge uncertainty, this is a league of haves and have-nots in some ways – just not to the same extent as it is in France. While the leading clubs spend the full £5million salary cap and attract large crowds, others such as promoted London Welsh, London Irish, Newcastle, Sale, and Wasps will resume the quest to expand their support-base and their bank balances. There is also a two-tier structure when it comes to the location of Test players. The cream continues to rise to the top, leaving the rest to keep bringing young talent through their academies and hope to fend off the bigger spenders for as long as possible. The whole landscape may change after this season. A home World Cup potentially could generate a boom, leading to all manner of positive upheaval; a wider spread of wealth and renewed challenges to the established order – perhaps a salary-cap hike in time. World Cup shout : Danny Cipriani (right) could yet make a late charge on Stuart Lancaster's squad . There is a strong chance that the 2015 tournament may create English prosperity just as the 2007 edition did in France, with the knock-on effect of expensive imports returning in droves. That in turn would threaten the current status quo of squads filled with home-grown players, that is a distant conundrum. For now, it must be hoped that the forthcoming Premiership season reaches the heights of the last instalment – not least when Northampton and Leicester slugged it out in an epic East Midlands derby at the semi-final stage. The World Cup is fast approaching as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the sport here, but parochial matters can grab the attention before the global circus begins.
Aviva Premiership kicks off on Friday night with Northampton vs Gloucester .
Richard Hibbard will make his competitive debut for Cherry and Whites .
Next year's Rugby World Cup will provide intriguing subplot through season .
Saints boss Jim Mallinder says World Cup hopefuls must remain focused .
Premiership faces competition from French Top 14 and Super Rugby .
By . Chris Foy for the Daily Mail . Follow @@FoyChris . The Aviva Premiership will thunder back into action at the home of the champions on Friday night, armed with an emphatic endorsement from a Welsh Lion among the cast-list of new recruits. ‘I think it’s the best league in the world,’ said Gloucester hooker Richard Hibbard, following his summer move from the Ospreys. He may just have a point. While the Premiership lacks the glitz of France’s money-laden Top 14 league, awash with Galacticos, it is a competition of compelling substance; fierce and tribal. Acclaiming it as the best league is a bold call but perhaps the right one. Across the Channel, leading Gallic sides rest star players away from home, thus damaging the credibility of their event. And the notion of ‘French flair’ is a remote fantasy amid the earthy tussle for the ‘Bouclier de Brennus’. Player to watch: Richard Hibbard is a world-class hooker who will add ballast to the Gloucester pack . Title to defend: Northampton boss Jim Mallinder will be hoping to get off to a winning start on Friday night . In the far-flung south, the Super 15 is a swashbuckling exhibition of attacking arts, but that is a cross-border extraganza and one now mired in a bewildering format and dubious expansionism. When it comes to national leagues, the Currie Cup in South Africa and the ITM Cup in New Zealand primarily serve as breeding grounds for emerging talent. Closer to home, the Pro12 has struggled for identity within four nations, while also hampered by Irish rotation policies and an exodus from the Welsh regions, not to mention endlessly shifting kick-off times and meagre attendances. So the Premiership may well be worthy of Hibbard’s tribute and this promises to be an especially spicy season – possibly a watershed too. What has been lacking for some years is the bums-on-seats impact of English clubs managing to acquire ‘A’-list outsiders to dazzle the viewing public. They flocked here in years past, before the French acquired enough financial clout to chase ‘Les Rosbifs’ out of rugby’s transfer market. The imminent arrival of Sam Burgess at Bath will serve as an antidote and provide a sideshow for the remainder of the campaign, as the titan of rugby league attempts to master the rival code with sufficient haste to force his way in to World Cup contention. In fact, players vying for places at the tournament in this country next year will be the main sub-plot of the whole season. As Sir Clive Woodward noted in these pages on Wednesday, the tussle to win favour with national coach Stuart Lancaster will be an absorbing agenda for the rugby public here to observe, but clubs are mindful of promoting their own objectives. Jim Mallinder, director of rugby at champions Northampton, has identified the threat of lost focus, saying: ‘One challenge is to keep our internationals’ heads on playing for Saints with the World Cup around the corner.’ Blockbuster: Sam Burgess switches codes in November with an eye on claiming a World Cup spot . In truth, the cut and thrust of the weekly contests will keep the World Cup on the mental back-burner, aside from fleeting thoughts of how early-season form may have a bearing on Lancaster’s delayed naming of a senior EPS squad next month. The relentless nature of the domestic season will not allow much time to dream distant dreams, not when the spectre of injury or a collapse in form hangs heavy over the myriad contenders. As Mallinder prepares to launch his team’s title defence, he expressed the familiar view that this is a league where foregone conclusions are a rarity. ‘There are no easy games in the Premiership, home or away,’ he said. ‘If you are not quite there, teams can come and get you.’ That is the Premiership’s calling card; how close it is, how tight and tense and unpredictable. Yet, the Saints expect the primary danger to come from Saracens, Leicester, Harlequins and Bath, as was the case last year. Gloucester can be added to that top-end melting pot, because no side with their array of quality players can punch far below their weight for a second successive season. Champion: Piri Weepu, a World Cup winner with All Black pedigree, will be one to watch for London Welsh . For all the talk of knife-edge uncertainty, this is a league of haves and have-nots in some ways – just not to the same extent as it is in France. While the leading clubs spend the full £5million salary cap and attract large crowds, others such as promoted London Welsh, London Irish, Newcastle, Sale, and Wasps will resume the quest to expand their support-base and their bank balances. There is also a two-tier structure when it comes to the location of Test players. The cream continues to rise to the top, leaving the rest to keep bringing young talent through their academies and hope to fend off the bigger spenders for as long as possible. The whole landscape may change after this season. A home World Cup potentially could generate a boom, leading to all manner of positive upheaval; a wider spread of wealth and renewed challenges to the established order – perhaps a salary-cap hike in time. World Cup shout : Danny Cipriani (right) could yet make a late charge on Stuart Lancaster's squad . There is a strong chance that the 2015 tournament may create English prosperity just as the 2007 edition did in France, with the knock-on effect of expensive imports returning in droves. That in turn would threaten the current status quo of squads filled with home-grown players, that is a distant conundrum. For now, it must be hoped that the forthcoming Premiership season reaches the heights of the last instalment – not least when Northampton and Leicester slugged it out in an epic East Midlands derby at the semi-final stage. The World Cup is fast approaching as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the sport here, but parochial matters can grab the attention before the global circus begins.
@@FoyChris . The Aviva Premiership will thunder world,’ said Gloucester hooker Richard Hibbard, lacks the glitz of France’s money-laden Top 14 competition of compelling substance; fierce and Northampton boss Jim Mallinder will be hoping to get off to a winning start on Friday night . In years past, before the French acquired enough internationals’ heads on playing for Saints with season. Champion: Piri Weepu, a World Cup winner