SuperComputer: The Gallagher Premiership set for one of most nail-biting seasons ever

The Gallagher Premiership SuperComputer has predicted Northampton Saints will finish top of the pile ahead of Saracens yet again in one of the most nail-biting seasons ever.

Phil Dowson’s side claimed the title at Twickenham in June after a thrilling back-and-forth encounter with Sale Sharks, having finished top of the table and edged out Bath to top spot.

Under the leadership of George Furbank, the Saints are expected to finish top of the pile yet again this season, according to boffins at Grosvenor Sport.

The Saints will finish ahead of a revitalised Saracens who finished fourth last season and were dumped out at the semi-final stage by the eventual champions. It means Bath will again finish in the semi-final places, with Leicester Tigers also grabbing a place in the top four. However, this means Sale Sharks will not make the cut by just two points.

With relegation and promotion restored for the first time since COVID-19 severely impacted the world of professional sports, there will be a two-legged play-off to determine who slips into the Championship.

The Supercomputer has predicted this will be contested by Gloucester and Newcastle Falcons, with Newcastle registering just seven points across another dreary season and without a single win.

2021 Premiership champions Harlequins are set for a season of struggle, but will just about manage to avoid getting dragged into a potential relegation scrap along with Exeter Chiefs - who they beat three years ago to claim that Premiership trophy.

A spokesperson for Grosvenor Sport said: “It promises to be a season of change in the Gallagher Premiership, with new faces throughout the division, a host of new captains taking charge of their teams and the reintroduction of promotion and relegation.

“Northampton Saints had an imperious season, largely thanks to the ferocious presence of Courtney Lawes in the pack, but his departure is set to not weaken the team too much according to the SuperComputer. Saracens are also missing a host of big names such as Owen Farrell, but they too are expected to have a big season.

“At the other end of the table, Newcastle’s time in the Premiership looks to finally come to an end after multiple seasons circling the proverbial plughole, with the reintroduced threat of relegation finally set to put pay on their stay in the top flight.” How does the SuperComputer work? The Grosvenor Sport SuperComputer is a probability model, not determined by human predictions or bias. What happens is the SuperComputer estimates the outcome of each remaining fixture based on a team’s current strength (based on factors such as league position and form) and betting market odds. The machine then simulates the remaining games in a season 10,000 times and constructs an average league table from the ensuing simulations, to rule out anomalous results. Of the 10,000 simulations which were run, Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table every single time.