Premiership Rugby Cup Fixtures Confirmed
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Worcester Warriors and Sale Sharks will kick off the brand new Premiership Rugby Cup competition when it is launched on Friday 26 October.
Involving the 12 Gallagher Premiership Rugby clubs, and with total prize money of more than half a million pounds, the Premiership Rugby Cup will be played over four pool rounds, including the Derby Day weekend, semi-finals and Final.
The Premiership Rugby Cup will comprise three pools of four teams each and will kick off with the first three pool rounds starting on the last weekend of October and the last round in the New Year.
The New Year round will see Derby Day clashes for the 12 teams before the Cup moves into the knockout phase with the three pool winners and the best runner-up moving into the semi-finals.
The Derby Day round is split over two weekends, ensuring all players receive a mid-season break.
- New competition to be called Premiership Rugby Cup
- Prize money in every match for the winning team
- Four rounds followed by semi-final and Final
- Final to be staged at the home ground of the highest seeded team
Defending Champions Exeter Chiefs kick off the defence of their title against Newcastle Falcons and Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter said: “You need to run a strong squad to be successful in Gallagher Premiership Rugby and in Europe so the Premiership Rugby Cup is crucial for those squad players as they are trying to prove themselves.
Premiership Rugby Cup Fixtures
Round 1 (26/27/28 October 2018)
Friday 26th October
Pool 2
7.45pm – Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks, Sixways
Saturday 27th October
Pool 3
2pm – Northampton Saints v Bristol Bears, Franklin’s Gardens
Pool 1
3pm – Bath Rugby v Harlequins, Recreation Ground
Pool 3
3pm – Gloucester Rugby v Wasps, Kingsholm
Pool 2
3pm – Saracens v Leicester Tigers, Allianz Park
Sunday 28th October
Pool 1
3pm – Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs, Kingston Park
Round 2 (2/3/4 November 2018)
Friday 2nd November
Pool 3
7.45pm – Bristol Bears v Gloucester Rugby, Ashton Gate
Pool 2
8pm – Sale Sharks v Saracens, AJ Bell Stadium
Saturday 3rd November
Pool 1
1pm – Exeter Chiefs v Bath Rugby, Sandy Park
Pool 2
3pm – Leicester Tigers v Worcester Warriors, Welford Road
Sunday 4th November
Pool 1
3pm – Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons, Twickenham Stoop
Pool 3
3pm – Wasps v Northampton Saints, Ricoh Arena
Round 3 (9/10/11 November 2018)
Friday 9th November
Pool 3
7.45pm – Gloucester Rugby v Northampton Saints, Kingsholm
Pool 2
7.45pm – Leicester Tigers v Sale Sharks, Welford Road
Pool 1
7.45pm – Newcastle Falcons v Bath Rugby, Kingston Park
Saturday 10th November
Pool 1
1pm – Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins, Sandy Park
Sunday 11th November
Pool 2
3pm – Saracens v Worcester Warriors, Allianz Park
Pool 3
3pm – Wasps v Bristol Bears, Ricoh Arena
Round 4 –
Derby Day 1 (25/26/27 January 2019)
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs, Ashton Gate
Harlequins v Saracens, Twickenham Stoop
Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Franklin’s Gardens
Derby Day 1 (1/2/3/ February 2019)
Worcester Warriors v Wasps, Sixways
Sale Sharks v Newcastle Falcons, AJ Bell Stadium
Bath Rugby v Gloucester Rugby, Recreation Ground