Club profile: Leeds

Braam van Straaten could propel the club up the league

Leeds Tykes breezed through National Division One last season winning 24 of their 26 matches to beat Worcester to the title.

Their presence in the top flight will be a breath of fresh air - as long as they can reverse the trend that has seen newly-promoted clubs quickly return from whence they came.

Rugby's first dual-code club has a sound structure, a large supporter catchment area and a coach with vision.

Former Welsh forward Phil Davies is now relying on his players to deliver the goods.

Last year they scored 30 or more points in all but five matches and won a club record 23 consecutive league matches before losing their final game of the campaign.

In the Premiership the new boys will face a much sterner test.

Davies has described the step up in class as a "quantum leap" and has strengthened his squad assiduously over the summer in an effort to avoid the fate that befell Rotherham last season.

A XV of new faces have arrived at Headingley in the close season, but the last two pieces of the jigsaw completed the picture.

Or so the supporters thought.

The Tykes looked to have missed out on the almost requisite big names that Premiership clubs flaunt, before landing Braam van Straaten and Cobus Visagie the week before the start of the new season.

Davies had persuaded the pair to swap the high veldt for Headingley, but unfortunately he was unable to sweet talk sarfu who blocked Visagie's move.

Visagie, who would have added experience in the front row of a pack on which the foundations of last season's success were built, will now instead see out the remaining two years of his contract with Western Province.

The pack will instead be driven by the spirited if less spectacular force of two home-grown internationals.

Lock Tom Palmer won a first cap on England's summer tour to North America, and in the back row Carl Hogg has made five appearances for Scotland.

Hogg will captain the side having sealed a permanent move from Edinburgh Reivers after spending last year south of the border on loan.

The strength up front is not matched behind the scrum and much will depend on van Straaten's ability to ignite some spark into the runners outside him.

However the stand off is not arriving in Yorkshire until December, and with half the league matches being contested prior to then much will depend on the form of Stephen Bachop.

Bachop is experienced at this level having played for London Irish but will not offer quite the same solidity that van Straaten would provide.

Both number 10s will have to combine well with the tenacious Scott Benton inside him at scrum half and Davies will hope that they in turn bring out the best in Jamie Mayer who has moved north after an unproductive spell at Bristol.

If the new faces can gel quickly, and the team pick up early points providing a solid platform ahead of van Straaten's arrival, the Tykes should be well on the way to bucking the trend of a season-long struggle that afflicts many a promoted club.

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Facts and figures

Ground: Headingley
Coach: Phil Davies
Captain: Carl Hogg
Last season: National Divison One champions (promoted)

Players in: Tristan Davies (Neath), Isaac Feaunati (Rotherham), Carl Hogg (Edinburgh Reivers), Cameron Mather (Worcester), Jamie Mayer (Bristol), Chris Murphy (Rotherham), Braam van Straaten (Western Stormers), Dan Scarborough (Wakefield).

Players out: Graham McKay (Bradford Bulls RL), Altan Ozdemir (Exeter).