A League of its own

As a result, tomorrow's opening day of the Zurich Premiership does not involve the 30-strong England World Cup squad and that means autograph hunters will spend more time scouring the stands rather than the pitch for famous faces.

The fans would prefer to see Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio & Co in action, but this is a special season in which domestic competition takes second place to England's bid for World Cup glory.

England depart for Australia on 1 October, leaving behind a Premiership that will be desperately trying to keep the cash registers ticking over.

The early signs are encouraging, with the majority of Premiership sides reporting healthy increases in season ticket sales and Howard Thomas, chief executive of Premier Rugby, said: "The decision to play Premiership games during a World Cup was a difficult one for the clubs but the fans have proved it was the right decision by committing to the Premiership once again this season.

"Last year's change of venue for London Wasps has proved a major success and it looks as if Sale Sharks fans are also looking forward to the improved facilities at Edgeley Park.

"The early signs are extremely positive and we guarantee that this will be one of our most unpredictable and therefore compelling seasons ever."

Thanks to the decision to use a playoff to decide who would be crowned champions, Gloucester ended up playing second fiddle to Wasps. The West Country side were the most consistent team in the league, but that counted for nothing on the final day of the season when Dallaglio's men grabbed the title.

Now, Dallaglio will be relegated to the role of spectator at the Stoop tomorrow as Wasps start the defence of their title against arch-rivals NEC Harlequins. Wasps are able to parade England lock Simon Shaw as he is not required at the World Cup but Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, Josh Lewsey and Stuart Abbott are missing.

Quins have fared better with just Jason Leonard and Will Greenwood absent, and they are chasing a third successive win over Wasps. Warren Gatland, the Wasps director of rugby, said: "It will be tough without the England players but everyone has known about it in advance. Most clubs have lost some people so we can't moan about it. We achieved so much as a club last season, but still failed to beat Harlequins. It's unfinished business and something I want to cross off my to-do list."

Gatland believes the Zurich Premiership has evolved into a " worldclass" league, one that can stand alongside the Super 12 tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. "The standard of the Premiership is worldclass," he added. "The quality of the players is superb and the competition is very even." Quins are missing young centre Chris Bell, who has an ankle injury, while England prop Mike Worsley and George Harder, the Samoan wing, will make their league debuts.

London Irish find themselves in the happy position of being unaffected by World Cup calls, allowing new head coach Gary Gold to pick from a full-strength squad for the trip to Leicester. The Tigers have a host of big names unavailable and the Irish will be aiming for a second successive win at Welford Road with a team including 19-year-old Nils Mordt, who makes his Premiership debut at inside centre.

Saracens travel to Newcastle for their first Premiership match under new coach Rod Kafer, the former Australia and Leicester centre. Sarries have been consistently underachieving but the feelgood factor created by Kafer and the arrival of ex-All Black captain, Taine Randell, are two reasons for the fans to feel optimistic.

The Sarries cause is also helped by the absence of Wilkinson from the Newcastle side.