Bath, Leicester Tigers, Bristol and Saracens have all made strong starts in the Premiership

It’s not often you see a classic 4-4-2 in rugby but that’s exactly how the Gallagher Premiership Rugby table is split after the first six rounds of the 2024-25 season.

Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers, Bristol Bears and Saracens have all made strong starts to the new campaign and can reflect on a job well done as they occupy the top four places. While it is far too early to look ahead of to The Play-Offs, they all have a solid base from which to work ahead of the winter swing.

Five points behind, Harlequins are fifth and head up a middle bank of four that have all flashed brilliance but have been too inconsistent through six games. Gloucester Rugby, Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks are looking upwards but have work to do when the league resumes in a month’s time.

Finally, Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons have struggled, with just one win between them, but with the Premiership Rugby Cup offering as chance to reset, they cannot be discounted from making a run up the table.

Here is the lowdown on how each team has got on.

1. Bath Rugby – 25 points

Bath Rugby were the off-season darlings and many experts’ number one pick to reach The Play-Offs for a second season in a row. So far, so very very good.

There has been no hangover from their defeat in last season’s Final to Northampton Saints – indeed, their opening-night 38-16 re-match victory helped to banish those demons - and they have started brilliantly with five wins from six games. The only blot on their copybook was a 36-26 home defeat to Bristol Bears.

Bears are the only team to have scored more points than Bath so far, and Johann van Graan’s side have managed to win in different ways – mixing a gritty 20-15 success at Leicester Tigers with a free-flowing 55-31 win at Gloucester Rugby.

With Finn Russell again in excellent form at fly-half and a pack that is perhaps the best in the league, Bath look well set for another strong season. As starts to the season go, this has been excellent.

Best summer signing: Bath don’t lack for back-row talent yet added Guy Pepper to an engine room that includes the likes of Sam Underhill, Ted Hill and Alfie Barbeary. The 21-year-old former Newcastle Falcons star has been one of the signings of the season so far.

The flanker is relentless and has already delivered mighty performances against Leicester Tigers and Harlequins, even scoring the winning try against the former. He may have missed out on England’s Autumn Nations Series squad, but if he maintains this form, then he’ll be on the radar for the Six Nations.

Top fantasy performer: Consistently excellent, Finn Russell is as reliable a fantasy pick as you can get. He may cost a chunky £10m but with 96.5 points from six games, he has the sixth most points in the game. Jaco Coetzee costs just £3m and has 82 points – enough for fourth most among back rows – while Bath dominate the front row, with Beno Obano, Thomas du Toit and Francois van Wyk sitting first, second and third.

2. Leicester Tigers – 24 points

Leicester Tigers mean business this season – and Gallagher Premiership Rugby is all the better for it.

The Tigers have matched Bath with five wins from six, their sole defeat coming in Round 2 when they lost to their old rivals by just five points at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

That blip aside, this has been an excellent start for new head coach Michael Cheika, who has brought a feelgood factor back to the club after an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign that resulted in an eighth-place finish.

These are early days but Cheika will have eyes on a much better return this year, built on a stingy defence that has conceded a league-best 107 points in six matches.

Away wins at Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons were impressive, but it is their Round 4 Derby Day success at home to Northampton Saints – a crushing 24-8 win – and an electric 32-29 win at Saracens in Round 6 that have really caught the eye.

Best summer signing: Veteran prop Nicky Smith is already right at home in the East Midlands after a summer switch from Ospreys, where he had spent his entire club career before making the move to England. The 30-year-old has started all six league matches and played a key part in a pack that has impressed. Centre Izaia Perese has also flashed since arriving from Australia, especially against Saracens in Round 6, and will be a real weapon as the season goes on.

Top fantasy performer: Now in his second season at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Ollie Hassell-Collins continues to impress and it’s no wonder Cheika is backing him for an England recall. The winger has scored three tries in his last four games to top the fantasy standings with 77 points.

3. Bristol Bears – 24 points

Win or lose, Bristol Bears are box-office to watch and, with four victories and eight bonus points so far, the Ashton Gate faithful are certainly getting value for money.

Aside from their Round 1 win at Newcastle Falcons – which was a relatively serene 24-3 success – every Bears match has been close, and often high-scoring.

Entertaining has never been a problem for Bears, but winning big matches has been, which makes Round 3’s 36-26 victory at Bath Rugby such a statement result.

Pat Lam certainly did not hide away from the impact: “The boys came out and beat the team who’s on form, the team who everyone thinks is going to win the competition. Long way to go but that’s a big one for us.”

Gabriel Ibitoye then followed that up with an electric 12-minute hat-trick to snatch victory at Exeter Chiefs a week later, and their attack remains the best in the league this season with 207 points so far.

Best summer signing: Bristol have leant on a familiar cast so far this season, with big-name summer signing Bill Mata yet to make an appearance after injuring his hamstring in pre-season. Full-back Banjamin Elizalde, a summer signing from Deportiva Francesca in Argentina, has caught the eye from the bench.

Top fantasy performer: AJ MacGinty tops the table in fantasy rugby with a huge 134.5 points from six matches, ensuring he is value for money. With five tries each, Gabriel Ibitoye and Max Malins are packing a punch, while Fitz Harding is the second highest-scoring flanker with 85.5 points.

4. Saracens – 23 points

With two defeats from three matches, the first league break of the season comes at a good time for early pace-setters Saracens.

The six-time champions won their first three matches, and all with a bonus-point, before slipping to a 17-10 Derby Weekend defeat to Harlequins in Round 4.

Leicester Tigers then won at StoneX Stadium last time out to leave Saracens fourth in the table but, after a summer of significant change that saw so many first-team players leave, director of rugby Mark McCall is pleased with their progress.

New captain Maro Itoje has bedded in well, while veteran Elliot Daly has scored four tries to earn an England recall after missing the summer trips to Japan and New Zealand due to the birth of his first child.

Alex Lozowski looks like a player re-born at outside centre and is back in the international fold, while new fly-half Fergus Burke has settled into the daunting challenge of replacing Owen Farrell. Young winger Tobias Elliott is another bright academy product who has started well.

Best summer signing: It can only be Burke, a 25-year-old New Zealander thrown the almighty challenge of filling Farrell’s shoes. So far, it’s been so good for the former Crusaders playmaker, who taken command of the back line impressively. An honourable mention goes to prop Rhys Carre, who has settled nicely into his second spell in north London.

Top fantasy performer: Tom Willis has had an excellent start to the new campaign and already boasts 110.5 fantasy points. At £5m, he is a bargain. Tobias Elliott trails Elliot Daly by just two points, but is the name on everyone’s lips after his impressive start.

5. Harlequins – 18 points

It’s a case of what could have been for Harlequins, who sit fifth with 18 points through six rounds.

Their Derby Weekend victory at home to Saracens is their major highlight so far and snapped a four-and-a-half year losing streak to their biggest rivals – but they have also lost three times by a combined seven points.

The optimists among you can point to the fact Harlequins have been close in every match and are only a bounce of the ball here or there from sitting with six victories, while the pessimists might be concerned that they have lost three of four games decided by one score. Both views can be true.

What is also true is that Harlequins’ back row is causing problems for every team in the league, with Jack Kenningham and Will Evans leading the league in turnovers won - with Kenningham’s 11 two better than his fellow flanker.

Hooker Jack Walker has only missed once at the lineout, while Marcus Smith continues to torment opponents and charm spectators in equal measure.

If they can tighten up a few loose screws, Harlequins could well be a force.

Best summer signing: With three tries in his first two games, Rodrigo Isgró is already a firm fan-favourite at the Stoop. The former sevens player burst into Gallagher Premiership Rugby with two scores late on against Bath Rugby in Round 5, before barging Olly Woodburn out of the way for a fine try at Sandy Park on Sunday. Leigh Halfpenny has also impressed at full-back.

Top fantasy performer: Marcus Smith is a fantasy player’s dream and with 88.5 points to the start the campaign, he is living up to his £10m price tag.

6. Gloucester Rugby – 16 points

Gloucester Rugby promised a new attacking brand of rugby this season and, so far, they have certainly delivered.

The Cherry & Whites might have won just two of their opening six matches, yet they sit above Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks – who have both won three – courtesy of their eight bonus points.

Gloucester have scored at least one bonus point in every match to become one of the league’s best entertainers alongside Bristol Bears – and indeed it is no surprise the pair played out an epic match in Round 2 that Gloucester edged 44-41.

With a league-worst 198 points conceded, they are needing to score a bucket of tries just to stand a chance, and while there are teething problems, the signs are extremely promising, with the likes of centre Max Llewellyn and fly-half George Barton thriving in the early weeks.

If they can tighten up the defence a touch, Gloucester will scare plenty of teams.

Best summer signing: Christian Wade deserves plenty of credit for the way he has hit the ground running, but new scrum-half Tomos Williams has been outstanding at Kingsholm. Only Llewellyn has made more line breaks in the entire league than his 14, while he has also chipped in with four tries.

Top fantasy performer: At just £3m, Llewellyn is a fantasy darling this season. He leads all centres with 112 points, 28 more than Rob du Preez.

7. Northampton Saints – 14 points

Northampton Saints lost six times all of last season, which puts their three defeats already this year into sharp focus.

Yet, they need not panic. The defending champions have a squad packed with quality and plenty of time in which to claw back the nine-point gap to the top four, despite a relatively slow start to the season.

A pair of humbling away defeats to Bath Rugby (38-16) and Leicester Tigers (24-8) were eye-opening but the Saints have shown enough in victories against Harlequins (33-29) and Sale Sharks (47-17) that they are still among the best teams in the league.

With George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme picking up right where they left off last season, and with three home games from their next four – including the visits of Gloucester Rugby and Newcastle Falcons – they will be confident of climbing the table quickly.

Their 22 December trip to Saracens will be a key match.

Best summer signing: It took Josh Kemeny just 18 minutes to score a try on his Northampton Saints debut and, since then, he’s looked right at home in Saints colours. The 25-year-old has formed a strong partnership with Tom Pearson and Henry Pollock in an exciting back-row.

Top fantasy performer: Fin Smith was one of the breakthrough players of last season and has started well again, bagging 82.5 fantasy points so far.

8. Sale Sharks – 14 points

Sale Sharks have been a bit Jekyll and Hyde so far this season, with an exemplary home record contrasting with a poor away one.

All three of their matches away from the Salford Community Stadium ended in heavy defeat, with Saracens (45-26), Saints (47-17) and now Bath (40-13) inflicting significant blows on Alex Sanderson’s men, leaving them a lowly eighth in the Gallagher Premiership Rugby table.

At home they are unbeaten and, with successive games at Salford Community Stadium to come in December, they will hope to climb the table quickly, especially with flanker Tom Curry now fully fit the first time in more than a year and fly-half George Ford also back from injury.

Sharks will be pleased with the progress of hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who has four tries this season and is continuing to work his way back towards the England Test team, while Tom Roebuck has also flashed from the wing.

Best summer signing: Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu was the big summer signing and has shown glimpses of the player he was at Toulon. Will Addison, a summer signing from Ulster, has also impressed.

Top fantasy performer: Rob du Preez’s 84 points makes him the second-highest scoring centre in the game behind Max Llewellyn’s monstrous 112, while Cowan-Dickie is a steal at hooker. He has 61.5 points, offering value for money at just £3m.

9. Exeter Chiefs – 5 points

Rob Baxter did not hold back when asked to sum up his teams’ start to the season, insisting they need to “man up” after six defeats from six.

Chiefs might be a team in transition but Baxter admits he is disappointed with the manner in which they have started the new campaign, with only 124 points scored – the second lowest in the division.

A last-gasp home defeat to Leicester Tigers on the opening weekend, when Tommy Reffell went over for a game-winning score in the 81st-minute, took the wind from their sails and they have struggled since.

Round 5’s 24-18 defeat to Newcastle Falcons was perhaps the low point, while the fixture list does not get any easier, with three road games from four, including trips to leaders Bath and second-placed Tigers.

Winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso continues to be the bright spark in attack, with five tries so far, while Josh Hodge has impressed at full-back and from the kicking tee.

Best summer signing: Paul Brown-Bampoe caught the eye in pre-season and the winger has hit the ground running, starting four games and notching two tries in the heart-breaking defeat to Bristol Bears. Honourable mentions go to prop Will Goodrick-Clarke, centre Will Rigg and Pumas lock Franco Molina.

Top fantasy performer: Josh Hodge is racking up the points from full-back this season, with 113 so far. His two-try performance at Saracens in Round 3 was stand-out, while his goal-kicking has helped him to second in the league’s top-points scorer chart.

10. Newcastle Falcons – 4 points

Newcastle Falcons rightly celebrated in style when they grabbed their first league win in 25 matches against Exeter Chiefs in Round 5, and consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond challenged them to use it a launchpad for rest of the season.

The Falcons are yet to score a bonus point, which puts them below Exeter Chiefs, who have five, but they have plenty to build from ahead of Round 7’s home match with Saracens after finally getting the monkey off their back.

With a young and emerging team spearheaded by Callum Chick, who has two tries to his name this season, Falcons have struggled against more polished opposition, and have scored a league-low 68 points.

But with three home games to come in the next four matches, and the relief of a first win in 19 months, they will hope to rectify that quickly.

Best summer signing: With eight turnovers this season, openside flanker Tom Gordon has made a strong start since joining from Glasgow Warriors, while Sammy Arnold has offered plenty of go-forward ball in the midfield.