"New Arrivals" - Ultimate XV: 2023/24 Premiership Signings

Following their collapse at the end of last season, London Irish flooded the free agent pool with top talents, with most finding new homes in the top flight of English rugby. Similarly to the Exiles, some of the top talents from Wasps and Worcester Warriors continue to shine in the Premiership.

When the two clubs entered administration in October 2022, many top talents were picked up by overseas clubs, and have since made their returns to the league. We are now five rounds in to the 2023/24 Premiership season, with the new arrivals showcasing their talents in their new colours.

We've nailed down our picks for an Ultimate XV, of the top Premiership signings for the 2023/24 season.

15. Jamie Shillcock (Mitsubishi Dynamboars to Leicester Tigers)

14. Solomone Kata (Exeter Chiefs to Leicester Tigers)

11. Max Malins (Saracens to Bristol Bears)

Our selected back-three could well have been an all Leicester Tigers trio, as plenty of new faces arrived at Welford Road for the new campaign. However, we have decided to give Max Malins the nod to start over former London Irish winger Ollie Hassell-Collins, following the winger's mid-season departure from the Exiles. Malins will be more motivated than ever to make an impact at Ashton Gate, after an underwhelming stint in Steve Borthwick's Rugby World Cup squad.

Malins made just one appearance at the World Cup, which came in the 71-0 thrashing of Chile. However, he was able to fight off the contention from Hassell-Collins, and kept the Tigers man off the plane to France. Joining Malins in our back-three is Solomone Kata, who impressed on his international run outs for Tonga. The powerhouse winger scored in the Sea Eagles' World Cup defeat to Scotland, and ran over Romania for an additional two competition tries. After a brief break, the versatile Kata is back, with Leicester already utilising his hot-stepping talents across the centres and wing positions.

Taking the number 15 jersey in our Ultimate XV is Jamie Shillcock, as the former Worcester Warriors and Bath man makes his return to the Premiership. Shillcock took a brief loan to Bath and returned to Sixways shortly before the club announced it's administration. Shillcock headed out to Japan, and signed up with Sagamihara side, the Mitsubishi Dynaboars. Shillcock has already presented his varied skillset on his return to England, with a Premiership Cup try against Caldy, and a score in Leicester's losing effort against Saracens a fortnight ago.

13. Benhard Janse van Rensburg (London Irish to Bristol Bears)

12. Joe Hawkins (Ospreys to Exeter Chiefs)

The first of a handful of names that were briefly free agents following London Irish's collapse, Benhard Janse van Rensburg was promptly snapped off the market by Bristol Bears. The South African talent brings an impressive versatility to the Bears back-line, as he is a confident ball-playing centre that can seamlessly slot in at fly-half. A valuable asset in both his passing and power game, van Rensburg will soon become a fan favourite at Ashton Gate.

Partnering up in our midfield with van Rensburg is Joe Hawkins, who made a great sacrifice to secure his move to Sandy Park. The 21-year-old gave up the opportunity to play for Wales at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as he moved outside of the nation with five test caps to his name. The current WRU eligibility laws disqualify players with 25 caps to represent Warren Gatland's side whilst based overseas. This rules out the former Ospreys man, despite having a starring breakthrough for Wales in the 2023 Six Nations.

10. Finn Russell (Racing 92 to Bath Rugby)

9. Will Porter (Bristol Bears to Harlequins)

The biggest signing of the Summer saw Bath Rugby welcome Scotland talisman Finn Russell to the Recreation Ground. The fly-half made the move from Paris, and has been shining in blue, black and white since arriving after Scotland's pool stage elimination at the Rugby World Cup. Russell is said to be amongst the highest paid players in the Premiership, putting pen to paper for a reported £1 million salary. He has wasted no time bringing his trademark swagger to the Premiership, even 'shushing' the Kingsholm Shed after slotting a penalty past Gloucester in the West Country derby.

Set to distribute the ammunition for Russell in our Ultimate XV, is former Wasps and Bristol Bears scrum-half Will Porter. Harlequins' newest recruit has been putting in strong performances since arriving at the Stoop, and has held down the number nine jersey throughout Danny Care's Rugby World Cup duties. Making his debut at the close of the Premiership Rugby Cup weeks, Porter has been instrumental for Quins as they currently sit at the top of the table. The number nine scored a nice try against Leicester last weekend, with Danny Care impressed with what he saw from on the replacements bench.

1. Tom West (Leicester Tigers to Saracens)

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs to Sale Sharks)

3. Eduardo Bello (Saracens to Newcastle Falcons)

Former Leicester and Wasps prop Tom West starts off the front row, with the powerful loose-head set to bolster the scrum at the Stone X Stadium. West has already made six appearances for his new side, and has jostled up the ranks to become a real contender for the starting jersey. West has more recently made replacement appearances behind Mako Vunipola, and offers and explosive option off the bench to lift the Sarries pack in a match's closing moments.

Alongside West is Luke Cowan-Dickie, who looked all set for a move out of the Premiership at the start of the year. Due to the previous financial difficulties at Exeter Chiefs, Cowan-Dickie was in talks to join Montpellier, along with his Chiefs teammates Sam Simmonds and Harry Williams. However, the move did not materialise due to the Top 14 side's concerns around Cowan-Dickie's history of neck injuries. The hooker has since moved up to the North West, and made his Sale debut in last weekend's away victory against Bristol Bears.

Onto the tight-head of the scrum, and we've given Argentina international Eduardo Bello the number three jersey. Bello joins up with his Pumas teammates in what is being increasingly known as 'Argentoona', as he joins Pedro Rubiolo, Matias Moroni, Matias Orlando and Matteo Carreras at Newcastle Falcons. The former Saracens man had an impressive run at the Rugby World Cup, as he packed down the scrum in every one of Argentina's tournament matches. Bello already has his first start under his belt at Kingston Park, coincidentally coming against his former Saracens teammates.

4. Joe Launchbury (Toyota Verblitz to Harlequins)

5. Chunya Munga (London Irish to Northampton Saints)

Moving onto the locks, and veteran England international Joe Launchbury takes our number four jersey. We've picked the 32-year-old to reinforce the row, after making his return to the Premiership following an albeit brief run in Japan. Launchbury headed to the Far East after Wasps closed their doors back in October 2022, yet a broken hand hindered his on-field minutes at Toyota Verblitz. A well-known face to fans of the Premiership, Launchbury always turns out performances with a workhorses' ethic. He's already made seven appearances for Harlequins, and has not closed the door on a re-calling to the England team.

Packing down the row alongside Launchbury, is Northampton Saints' Chunya Munga. The lock has been enjoying an increased run of game time at Franklin's Gardens, which to an extent is due to a recent injury to another Saints newcomer. Fijian international Temo Mayanavanua suffered a knee injury at the Rugby World Cup, which ended his campaign ahead of the quarter-finals. Mayanavanua's debut will have to wait, with Munga making good on his opportunity at his new club. The 22-year-old already has a Saints try to his name, as he crossed over against Doncaster in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

6. Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso (London Irish to Saracens)

7. Tom Pearson (London Irish to Northampton Saints)

8. Zach Mercer (Montpellier to Gloucester Rugby)

Two former Exiles round off the back-row, as previous London Irish teammates Tom Pearson and Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso have found new homes in the English top flight. Gonzalez arrived at Saracens as being one of the stand-out talents in Argentina's Rugby World Cup campaign, as he formed a hard-hitting partnership with Marcos Kremer in the Pumas pack. Predominantly a blindside flanker but well versed at number eight, Gonzalez has slotted straight into Mark McCall's set-up, and marked his debut with a try against Newcastle, to much of the annoyance of his Pumas colleagues last weekend.

Tom Pearson narrowly missed out on Borthwick's squad for France, yet remains amongst the most talked about young talents in the Premiership. Pearson was named in the wider training group ahead of the Rugby World Cup, yet was cut from the squad after England's Summer Series loss to Wales. However, this has not hindered the 24-year-old's drive, as he is making solid performances for Northampton Saints and already has four tries to his name in seven matches.

Another excellent England talent that fans believed was overlooked for the 2023 Six Nations and Rugby World Cup, Zach Mercer is back in the Premiership and is fired up to get back in the international fold. Leaving Montpellier in favour of a move to Gloucester, Mercer was named as the Top 14's Player of the Year ahead of his move to Kingsholm. A shocking omission by all accounts, now that Mercer is plying his trade back in England, Borthwick could well call on his talents for the February's 2024 Six Nations.

16. Augustin Creevy (London Irish to Sale Sharks)

17. Thomas du Toit (Sharks to Bath Rugby)

18. Lovejoy Chawatama (London Irish to Harlequins)

19. Ernst van Ryn (Stormers to Sale Sharks)

20. Tom Willis (Bordeaux-Begles to Saracens)

21. Gareth Simpson (Western Force to Saracens)

22. Jarrod Evans (Cardiff to Harlequins)

23. Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish to Leicester Tigers)