The regular Gallagher Premiership season is now over, but across the league, fresh faces have made a real impact across the league.

The demise of three clubs has consolidated talent across the league, with the likes of Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Pearson finding their feet at new clubs.

Whilst a large chunk of the new recruits might have come to their new homes that way, there have also been some more ‘traditional’ moves.

The likes of Zach Mercer, Curtis Langdon and Gabriel Oghre have all swapped a life in France for a return to the Premiership, and have all made huge impacts on their new teams.

But with so many quality recruits, which have stood out above the rest? With that in mind, here are our top five signings of the Gallagher Premiership season.

Top 5 signings of the Gallagher Premiership season

Curtis Langdon

Northampton Saints hooker Curtis Langdon has probably been the signing of the season. His time at Montpellier has clearly boosted his skills in the set-piece, but since arriving at Northampton he has improved drastically around the field. Langdon has quickly become one of the Saints’ primary ball-carries, as he blends power with mobility and speed.

Finn Russell

Finn Russell has been the X-factor recruit Bath have longed for for so long. There was a lot expected of Russell ahead of the season, but he has certainly lived up to it. He has brought his typical attacking edge to the Bath backline, but this has only brought the best out of players like Ollie Lawrence, Tom de Glanville and Will Muir. Russell has also developed a solid partnership with skipper Ben Spencer, both on the pitch and from a leadership point of view.

Thomas du Toit 

Another genius piece of recruitment from Bath. South African prop Thomas du Toit has added so much stability to the Bath set-piece, which has also allowed Beno Obano to flourish in this area too, and has quickly established himself as one of the best scrummagers in the Premiership.  His ability to cover both sides of the scrum is also a huge asset, both for squad rotation and keeping a consistently good squad. He has also developed a keen eye for the try-line, notching an impressive 11 tries from the front-row.

Chandler Cunningham-South

Chandler Cunningham-South has improved so much at Harlequins, but he has also added a new edge to their pack as well. His powerful, abrasive ball-carrying was always a standout during his time at London Irish, but working under Danny Wilson he has really improved in this area. This has also been exactly what Quins have lacked in recent seasons too to take the load off of the likes of Joe Marler and Jack Walker and added a new dynamic to the Quins attack. He is also very good in defence.

Benhard Janse van Rensburg

Another former London Irish player makes our list. In a similar fashion to CCS, Benhard Janse van Rensburg has added plenty to his team, whilst also improving as a player himself. He blends the ability to be a ball-player with the direct, crash-ball centre so well, and this is such a potent weapon for the Bears attack.