The start of a new Guinness Premiership season is a time to set the senses quivering. Fresh faces, a positive environment between clubs and country, new laws (which may or may not improve the game) and a generosity from the paying public that has ensured that more than 30,000 will attend the Help for Heroes match at Twickenham on September 20 to raise funds for injured service personnel.

But Twickenham is in action this afternoon for the first day of the Premiership season, when the London double-header rolls into town, with 50,000 eager adherents following the teams and London Wasps, the champions, contemplating life for the first time in 15 years without Lawrence Dallaglio. Between them, Wasps and London Irish, who face each other at 2.30pm, and Saracens and Harlequins, who kick-off at 5pm, field 36 international players from ten countries, testament to the vibrancy of the competition.

Too vibrant for some. Only yesterday, the Australian Rugby Union, such a strong proponent for the experimental law variations, agreed that foreign players would be permitted in its four Super 14 franchises. One “marquee” player (an overseas international) and one development player from overseas, who may eventually qualify for Australia, will be allowed and it needs no crystal ball to see a rule being run over props from Argentina, Georgia and Romania to go perhaps where Topo Rodriguez and Patricio Noriega have gone in the past.

New Zealand will not relax their policy of not selecting All Blacks from overseas leagues, which cuts them off from more than 50 capped players. Among them is Nick Evans, who makes his debut for Harlequins at the height of his considerable powers. Laurie Mains, the former New Zealand coach, is on record as saying that he would have played Evans at No10 for the All Blacks, with Dan Carter - widely regarded as the best fly half in the world - outside him at No12.

Evans, 28, shrugged off the compliment. He made the first of his 16 international appearances at full back against England and his career is not the first and will not be the last to coincide with one of the sport's superstars. “I'm proud of what I achieved for New Zealand,” he said. “I would have loved more game time. When I came on I did the best I could and feel I performed really well.

“Leaving was probably the hardest decision I have had to make, knowing that I might not play for New Zealand again. But you look at it as an individual. What other New Zealanders had done didn't come into it. You get to a point when you need something different. Though it's a cliché, you need a new challenge to freshen you up.

“Money is a factor, it's a piece of the pie, but not necessarily the biggest piece. This is something that's always happened for New Zealanders and there's always people who come through to take your place. But just now a lot more are doing it, it's part of the game, a different lifestyle, different rugby cultures.

“I still wanted to play competitive rugby. If I wanted the money, I could have gone to France, sat on a beach and played the odd game. But I feel I have three or four years of top-level rugby in me. The Harlequins history appealed, I talked to Dean [Richards, the director of rugby] about the goals of the club now and the style of play. I'm the only Kiwi here, so that gets me out of my comfort zone.”

Evans has the attacking style that characterises his country's rugby. Opposing him for Saracens will be Chris Jack, his one-time colleague, who has a season of English rugby behind him. Together they symbolise the new and ambitious world of Premiership rugby.