FIVE WHYS

The fixtures have been released, the new kit is on sale and the squads have been confirmed for the upcoming year. Teams are back in training, league predictions are being drafted and the smell of freshly cut grass at stadia across Europe is telling us one thing that we have been waiting for since the 31st May.

The 2015/16 season has begun!

And of course that means another season of rambling blog posts from myself, although I am hoping that this season will see the beginning of a few new features to the website so make sure you stick around and keep checking back regularly to see what’s new from the Hound on the Hill!

To start us off this season, I’ve decided to keep things a little lighter than usual and give you my five reasons why this season will be better than last season:

1. We’ve got another season under our belts and we are wiser for the experience. True, it resulted in another semi-final defeat but all this exposure to knockout rugby will surely someday pay off – this season we were very close to taking the scalp of Glasgow at Scotstoun, and maybe we should have, perhaps this season will be the year that we harness all that experience and take several big wins and finally finish with a trophy that is long overdue.

2. We have strengthened in areas where we needed to, such as bringing in a bit more cover at scrum-half and fly-half in the shape of Paul Rowley and Sam Windsor. Willie Faloon finally gives us an out-and-out back up openside flanker while Peter Browne will also provide some much needed experience at lock and the back row. While these guys may only see game time during the World Cup and Six Nations they will be vital to our success in the Pro12 and their arrivals in Belfast will fill crucial holes in our squad.

3. We have a decent chance at progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions’ Cup due to a decent pool draw. While last season our European dream died a quick death due to vital injuries to key players as well as coming up against a sublime Toulon outfit at the Kingspan Stadium, this year there is genuine optimism that this could be pool from which we may escape.

Admittedly Oyonnax are something of an unknown coming into the tournament, however as the lowest ranked and debutants of the pool they should be targeted as at least eight points if not ten. Given their fight is now on two fronts, they may look at the Champions’ Cup as something of an irrelevance and focus on the Top14 as is commonplace for French teams. It remains to be seen what sort of a fight they put up.

Toulouse are not the powerhouses of Europe that they once were, and the loss of Guy Noves as coach will be as detrimental to them as if they lost the likes of Yoann Maestri or Thierry Dusautoir from their starting line-up. Still, they have made good strides in trying to return to their position of superiority in Northern Hemisphere rugby and will pose a lot of questions. They will be a testing prospect in the Ernest Wallon, but in Belfast they should be disposed of fairly comfortably.

We have a bone to pick with Saracens and they will be our biggest rivals in this pool for top spot without a doubt. They boast quality across the park and a strong bench to back them up as well – and it is very rare that sides come to Allianz Park and leave with the victory, so a double over them is unlikely. Instead, expect a hostile reception for them when they run out at the Kingspan.

4. Our Non-Irish Qualified players (NIQs) will be desperate to leave their legacy here with a trophy. Nick Williams, Franco van der Merwe and Louis Ludik are all out of contract at the end of this season, and with Charles Piutau already confirmed to be arriving in Belfast next year, it means one of them will definitely be leaving, and with the other two uncertain on where their future lies, they will be eager to make their last season in the Pro12 count.

5. Our coaching staff will be complete for the first time since last October. After the World Cup finishes and Ireland have won the Webb Ellis Cup (hopefully!), Les Kiss will rejoin us as Director of Rugby and will bring the same brand of rugby that Joe Schmidt has instilled in Ireland and has made so successful. Working closely with head coach Neil Doak, along with new assistant coach Joe Barakat, there is the potential for this to flourish into one of the best coaching line-ups in Europe, and one that will finally extract the full potential of a very talented first XV.