Bath

Summer in brief
An ugly shambles, Bath were spared utter condemnation only by Harlequins landing in equal amounts of ignominy. Both of last season's captains, Alex Crockett and Michael Lipman, resigned after a drugs scandal at the club's end-of-season party, two of five to be banned in eight months.

Main man
Michael Claassens. His quick, clean distribution skills are crucial to Bath's way of playing. More telling still will be his captaincy, as he tries to get the team to regroup and refocus after the turmoil.

Edwards' verdict
The Premiership's most exciting club for the past couple of seasons and a team prepared to take risks. Now they have to throw off the hangover of losing their joint captains plus influential players in Justin Harrison and Andrew Higgins. Olly Barkley, who is back after his year with Gloucester, was missed last season when Bath fell at the big fences and his kicking game will be needed.

Gloucester

Summer in brief
Dean Ryan has departed after five years in charge, and been replaced by the former backs coach Bryan Redpath. A dozen senior players from the Ryan era have also left, leaving a coltish squad in place for this season.

Main man
Nicky Robinson. With Olly Barkley and Ryan Lamb both leaving in the summer, the erratic Robinson will be under pressure to replicate his superb form at fly-half for Cardiff last season. If he does he will spark the backs.

Edwards' verdict
Gloucester have gained a reputation for failing when it mattered. Now it's up to Bryan Redpath to make things work and word from Kingsholm is that it's a happy ship again despite all the departures. There have been signings but Redpath is said to have high expectations of lads such as Charlie Sharples and Henry Trinder, who are moving up from the academy.

Harlequins

Summer in brief
Plumbing unfathomed depths after the Bloodgate cheating disgrace, the seemingly successful playing and business model Harlequins developed in recent seasons has been torn up.

Main man
Nick Easter. With nine forwards leaving during the close season, Harlequins lack depth up front. Easter must show enough maturity to hold together a depleted pack and inspire a club in disarray.

Edwards' verdict
Who knows what to expect, but I don't anticipate many changes on the field. True, the brooding presence is gone, but word was that Dean Richards had little involvement in day-to-day coaching. John Kingston worked more closely with the team and his creative style is what counts. Expect innovations around set pieces, but a lot will depend on keeping Nick Evans and David Strettle fit.

Leeds Carnegie

Main man
Marco Wentzel. An old colleague of Back from Leicester, Wentzel was signed this summer and immediately appointed captain. He has been singled out by Back as a man with the experience and leadership skills to drag the squad through the season.

Summer in brief
Promotion did not stop them losing England Sevens' sparks Tom Biggs and Rob Vickerman, both to Newcastle. Neil Back has spent the summer preparing his team for the step up, with the help of a couple of canny old pros who know just how hard the slog is.

Edwards' verdict
They may be short on quality and probably don't have a lot of cash, but any side with Neil Back in charge will be fit and committed. Survival has to be the aim, and the new laws at the breakdown suit the kind of game Back played. He has made a couple of bright signings. Back-row bruiser Alfie To'oala was a big favourite at Bristol and Andy Gomarsall brings with him a hatful of experience.

Leicester Tigers

Main man
Toby Flood. In between spells in the England team, Flood will need to flourish. Leicester's perennial problem position of fly-half on the crucial occasions when he is available.

Summer in brief
There has been more change than might have seemed likely when they won the title last season. A full 15 players have left the squad one way or another, Geordan Murphy is a surprising pick as captain, but the new Caterpillar Stand is open, making Welford Road even more intimidating to visit.

Edwards' verdict
Reigning champions and runners-up in the Heineken Cup. Richard Cockerill did a lot in his first season in charge, but some big names have gone. The loss of a former England captain [Martin Corry] and a couple of other internationals would hurt most clubs, but at Leicester there always appears to be another cab on the rank.

London Irish

Main man
Ryan Lamb. Chris Malone provides a certain steady assurance, but with Shane Geraghty leaving the onus will be on Lamb to provide the extra spark that fires the side from second to first.

Summer in brief
Toby Booth has done no more than tinker with the formula that served the club so well last season and the most interesting addition has been the experienced Dave Ellis as defensive coach.

Edwards' verdict
Last season their consistency in taking at least a point from every match was unbelievable. I know Toby Booth was pretty cut up about the loss of Shane Geraghty, but I have a hunch he won't be that badly missed. It will be fascinating to see how Mike Catt fashions Ryan Lamb's post-Gloucester career. That's assuming Catt concerns himself more with coaching than playing.

London Wasps

Main man
Danny Cipriani. The new captain, Tom Rees, will be more important and influential, but all eyes will be fixed on Cipriani just the same, as the world waits to see whether he comes of age.

Summer in brief
Adjusting to life after Ian McGeechan and the loss of a raft-load of good players. The new director of rugby, Tony Hanks, has gambled on some risky but potentially rewarding replacements by converting Lee Smith from rugby league, and bringing in Dan Ward-Smith and Tom Varndell.

Edwards' verdict
Lots of changes, with Tony Hanks in for Ian McGeechan at the top and internationals such as Riki Flutey, Tom Palmer and James Haskell off to France. The upside is that we won't be so disrupted by international absences. Trevor Woodman is looking after the forwards while the speed of David Lemi and Tom Varndell should increase our ability to score tries from a distance.

Newcastle Falcons

Main man
Carl Hayman. One of the best tightheads in the game will need to justify his huge wage by ensuring the pack can secure enough ball for a talented back line to thrive.

Summer in brief
An astonishing total of 25 players have left the club, a backlash against their flirtation with relegation in 2008-09. Fifteen new signings have come in, but there are not too many proven Premiership performers among them.

Edwards' verdict
Jonny Wilkinson and Tom May are in France with Toulon, James Noon is with Brive and David Wilson has moved to Bath. After Mathew Tait shifted to Sale and James Hook signed for Leicester, who is left? Carl Hayman and a lively pack and an interesting midfield partnership is the answer. Newcastle were a force after Christmas and I expect the momentum to remain.

Northampton Saints

Main man
Dylan Hartley. Mallinder is wagering that the captaincy will be the making of Hartley, who will need to hold his side, and his temper, together away from home, where Saints struggled last season.

Summer in brief
Quietly content with last season's showing, Jim Mallinder has added a little dazzle to his back line, and assiduously strengthened his pack by signing a pair of seasoned locks and two mean props.

Edwards' verdict
This is one of the richest clubs, with a fantastic stadium and a following to match. You sense that success is about to happen and if Saints brush up their away form it might. Shane Geraghty may be the eye-catching signing, but Jim Mallinder continues to spend Keith Barwell's money cleverly. Phil Dowson is a shrewd operator and the new laws on the breakdown will suit his style of play.

Sale Sharks

Main man
Charlie Hodgson. Along with Dwayne Peel, Hodgson will need to be at his very best to boss Sale's back line from behind a weakened pack.

Summer in brief
A topsy-turvy time after Philippe Saint-André's switch to Toulon, along with key players Juan Fernández Lobbe and Sébastien Bruno

Edwards' verdict
Testing times at Edgeley Park. Along with the Toulon departures Sébastien Chabal has gone to Paris's new big spenders and Luke McAlister returned to New Zealand. The men with the job of pleasing an ambitious owner are Kingsley Jones and Jason Robinson, a much-respected player and just the man to build much-needed team spirit. David Seymour is a clever signing

Saracens

Main man
Steve Borthwick. Bound to miss much of the season while he is with England, Borthwick will still have to pull together a disparate dressing room that could quickly become cliquey if the season starts badly.

Summer in brief
After Sarries were taken over by South African investors at the end of last season, it was no secret that Brendan Venter would clear out the squad this summer. Of 12 players that came in, six were from South Africa.

Edwards' verdict
After his work with London Irish and the Stormers you have to respect Brendan Venter, the man taking over after last season's clear-out. Some big names have gone but there have also been some tremendous signings. Schalk Brits, the hooker with the speed of a centre, will make a huge impact but the signing of Carlos Nieto from Gloucester shows that Venter will get the basics right.

Worcester Warriors

Main man
Willie Walker. The only big summer signing, Walker will need to perform every bit as well as he did on loan at Sixways last season. Worcester need his goal-kicking to be spot on, and his distribution to fire their richly talented back line.

Summer in brief
Having spent so much on building the club up, Worcester have tightened their purse strings of late and have had a summer of stability.

Edwards' verdict
Worcester have been remarkably quiet in the transfer market and the continuity might help. In Sam Tuitupou and Chris Latham they have established stars. In Miles Benjamin they have a young wing for the future and I know that, through his mentoring system, Mike Ruddock sees more talent arriving through from the academy rather than by way of Cecil Duckworth's chequebook.