BBC Sportrugbyunion

Director of Rugby: Ian McGeechan
Captain: Raphael Ibanez
Ground: Adams Park (10,000 capacity)
Last season: GP - 2nd (Grand Final winners)
HC - group stages
England elite squad: 9 (Lewsey, Sackey, Flutey, Payne, Vickery, Shaw, Palmer, Haskell, Rees).

Can they do it again? Wasps looked way out of it after a poor start last year but another perfectly timed end-of-season charge, with 11 wins from their final 13 league games, saw them make the play-offs and claim their fourth title in six years.

This is the first time since 1993 that Wasps start a season without the now retired Lawrence Dallaglio, while fly-half tyro Dan Cipriani will miss the first two months.

But the arrival of veteran France flanker Serge Betsen (left) adds experience in an area where key players will be away during Test windows, while Riki Flutey will assume greater backline responsibility.

"This season the drive is still there. There has been no mention of the Premiership title we won, it's what we do this season that matters. As we kept reminding ourselves, for 12 hours last December we were 12th but I would not like to come from 12th again though."
Director of rugby Ian McGeechan