Italian newcomers inject fresh excitement into the Magners mix

The Irish provinces and top Welsh regions, Cardiff Blues and Ospreys, are doing so through choice as their summer tourists are given a longer pre-season lead-up and will return in dribs and drabs throughout September. The newly-strengthened Dragons and Scarlets only having a handful of Test stars to worry about.

In Scotland, it is less calculated, however, with Glasgow and Edinburgh nursing injury problems that will ensure they are not at their strongest. Edinburgh have named a starting XV closer than any to a first-choice line-up, but, without Johnnie Beattie, John Barclay, James Eddie, Al Kellock and Chris Cusiter, the Glaswegians take to the Firhill pitch tonight with a vastly reshaped side to that which ended last season in Swansea at the play-off stage.

The two sides most bristling with excitement are the Italian newcomers, Benetton Treviso and Aironi Rugby from the Viadana area. Italian rugby is making a long-awaited entry to a leading northern hemisphere tournament, and will provide a few surprises. Just as Italy were expected to take a few years to get to grips with the intensity of the RBS Six Nations, the Italians do not expect to be consistent this season. But this is a level below international, so differences will be smaller, and no Scottish team will surely dare underestimate any Italian side.

Under director of rugby Franco Bernini, and coaches Andrea Moretti, Andrew Scotney and Rowly Phillips, Aironi have pulled together a strong squad of leading Italian caps.

Locks Marco Bortolami, 6ft 8in skipper Quintin Geldenhuys and Carlo Del Fava link up, Fabio Ongaro and Matias Aguero are back from Saracens, Fabio Staibano from Castres and Salvatore Perugini from Bayonne, so one can expect a solid front five.

Treviso have lorded it over the Italian Super with six wins in eight years, and have now added Italy forwards Valerio Bernabo, Paul Derbyshire and Manoa Vosawai, a Tongan-born ball-carrier, and wings Michele Sepe and Joe Maddock over the summer. It is always guesswork at this stage, but the unpredictable nature is made greater by those newcomers, the influence of national coaches over early-season team selections and the fact all teams are now gunning for the top four and play-offs rather than first place outright.

Reigning champions Ospreys, Munster and Cardiff are the early favourites by dint of their strength in depth, but while the Magners title is now a contest of timing over eight months and 22 games still little provides more confidence than victory on the opening weekend.

AIRONI RUGBY

Ground: Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana

Capacity: 6,000

Head coach: Franco Bernini

Captain: Quintin Geldenhuys

Capped players: 20

Ins: M Bortolami (Gloucester), F Ongaro, M Aguero (both Saracens), N Williams (Munster), F Staibano (Castres Olympique), S Perugini (Bayonne), J Laharrague (Montauban), D Demas (Cheetahs), D Des Fountain (Stormers), J Sole, K Robertson, C del Fava, Q Geldenhuys (all Viadana), G Pizarro, A de Marchi (both Rovigo), L Mercier (Petrarca), A de Marchi, S Favaro, R Quartaroli (all Overmach Parma), N Cattina (Calvisano), G Venditti, G Rubini, T Tebaldi (all Gran Parma), G Biagi (Cavalieri Prato), G Krause (Venezia), R Bocchino, P Buso (both Roma).

Outs: None.

BENETTON TREVISO

Ground: Stadio Monigo, Treviso

Capacity: 6,000

Head coach: Franco Smith

Captain: Antonio Pavanello

Capped players: 23

Ins: M Pratichetti (Viadana), M Sepe (Viadana), G Padro (Petrarca), P Derbyshire (Petrarca), M Vosawai (Overmach Parma), F Minto (Overmach Parma), E Gori (Cavalieri Prato), V Bernab (Rugby Roma), J Maddock (Bath).

Outs: None.

CARDIFF BLUES

Ground: Cardiff City Stadium

Capacity: 26,828

Head coach: David Young

Captain: Paul Tito

Capped players: 23

Ins: D Parks (Glasgow), M Paterson (Hurricanes), T Brown (London Welsh), B Griffiths, T Davies (both Doncaster).

Outs: S Morgan, R Sowden-Taylor (both Dragons), D Flanagan (Ospreys), D Allinson (London Irish), (Dragons), S Norton-Knight (Sanyo Wild Knights), A Powell (Wasps).

CONNACHT

Ground: Galway Sportsground

Capacity: 5,000

Head coach: Eric Elwood

Captain: John Muldoon.

Capped players: 6

Ins: S Monahan (Leinster), D Fanning (Leinster), E Taylor (Queensland Reds), C Willis (Ulster).

Outs: G Naoupu (Kobe Kobelco Steelers).

EDINBURGH

Ground: Murrayfield

Capacity: 67,144

Head coach: Rob Moffat

Captain: Roddy Grant

Capped players: 17

Ins: N Talei, A Grove (loan), J Gilding (all Worcester), E Lozada (Toulon), D Denton (Edinburgh Academical), S McInally (Watsonians), J King (Melrose), L Jones (Selkirk)

Outs: A Hogg (Newcastle), J Hamilton (Gloucester), R Grant (Glasgow), D Callam (released), S Cross (retired).

GLASGOW WARRIORS

Ground: Firhill

Capacity: 10,887

Head coach: Sean Lineen

Captain: Ally Kellock

Capped players: 16

Ins: R Grant (Edinburgh), F Martin Aramburu (Dax), R Harley (West of Scotland), J Fleming (Dundee HSFP), R Wilson, A Muldowney (both Moseley), D Weir (Glasgow Hawks), A Dunbar (Selkirk), C Fusaro (Heriot's FP), H Pyrgos (Loughborough University), T Ryder (Saracens, loan).

Outs: K Brown (Saracens), D Parks (Cardiff), M McMillan (Bath), D Turner (Toyota Shokki Shuttles), T Barker (Ulster), T Evans (retired).

LEINSTER

Ground: Donnybrook

Capacity: 18,000

Head coach: Joe Schmidt

Captain: Leo Cullen.

Capped players: 21

Ins: J Schmidt (head coach from Clermont Auvergne), E O'Donoghue (Ulster), I Boss (Ulster), H van der Merwe (Golden Lions).

Outs: M Cheika (head coach to Stade Francais), CJ Van Der Linde (Cheetahs), S Keogh (Released), C Keane (Released), M O'Kelly, G Dempsey, Bernard Jackman (all retired), K Tonetti (Sale).

MUNSTER

Grounds: Thomond Park, Limerick, and Musgrave Park, Cork

Capacities: 25,600 and 8,685

Head coach: Tony McGahan

Captain: Paul O'Connell

Capped players: 23

Ins: J Murphy (Leicester), S Tuitupou (Worcester), W Du Preez (Cheetahs), P Borlase (Crusaders), C Hircock (Bedford).

Outs: N Williams (Aironi), J Manning (Newcastle), J Brugnaut (Racing Metro), J de Villiers (Stormers), C O'Boyle (released), E Grace (Exeter).

NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS

Ground: Rodney Parade, Newport

Capacity: 10,000

Head coach: Paul Turner

Captain: Tom Willis

Capped players: 15

Ins: M Jones (Worcester), H Ellis, A Ellis (both Wasps), N Griffiths (Doncaster), A Coombs (Newport), T Evans (Hartpury College), S Morgan, R Sowden-Taylor (both Cardiff).

Outs: R Fussell (Ospreys), N MacDonald (Melbourne Rebels), G Webb (Otago), J Arlidge (Nottingham), J Harris, A Walker (both released).

OSPREYS

Ground: Liberty Stadium, Swansea

Capacity: 20,520

Head coach: Sean Holley

Captain: Ryan Jones

Capped players: 27

Ins: D Flanagan (Cardiff), R Fussell (Dragons), M Davies (Leicester), M Allen (Pontypool).

Outs: E Shervington (Worcester), M Breeze (London Welsh), L Davies (Dax), R Davies, J Vaughton (both released), L Bateman, F Tiatia (both retired).

SCARLETS

Ground: Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli

Capacity: 15,000

Head coach: Nigel Davies

Captain: Matthew Rees

Capped players: 18

Ins: J Ajuwa (Llandovery), G Quinnell (Viadana).

Outs: R Higgitt (Worcester), D Daniel (Carmarthen Quins), J Corsi (released), M Jones, S Easterby (both retired).

ULSTER

Ground: Ravenhill, Belfast

Capacity: 11,600

Head coach: Brian McLaughlin

Captain: Rory Best

Capped players:16

Ins: R Pienaar, J Muller (both Sharks), P Wannenburg (Bulls), T Barker (Glasgow).

Outs: E O'Donoghue, I Boss (both Leinster), T Nagusa (Montpellier), C Schifcofske (Crusaders, Rugby League), J Fitzpatrick, M McCullough (both retired), T Horua (released).