Saints begin 2024-25 Premiership season at Bath

Premiership champions Northampton will unfastened nan 2024-25 run distant to Bath connected Friday, 20 September successful a repetition of past season's final.

Saints will recreation to nan Recreation Ground for nan first of 18 convention rounds, pinch Newcastle Falcons besides hosting Bristol Bears nan aforesaid evening.

Northampton held connected to narrowly hit 14-man Bath 25-21 and declare their first convention title successful 10 years successful nan Twickenham last successful June.

Elsewhere crossed nan opening weekend, Exeter play Leicester and Gloucester big Saracens connected Saturday, 21 September, pinch Sale facing Harlequins connected Sunday, 22 September.

The Premiership last will beryllium held connected Saturday, 14 June 2025, a week earlier nan British and Irish Lions play Argentina successful Dublin earlier heading disconnected connected their summertime circuit of Australia.

As portion of a caller tv woody agreed successful March, each lucifer of nan caller play will beryllium broadcast live connected TNT Sports.

Among nan 18 rounds of regular-season fixtures, stand-out games see Bristol playing West Country rivals Bath at nan Principality Stadium successful Cardiff for nan first time.

The lucifer successful information 16 connected 10 May will spot nan Bears switch their Ashton Gate location for nan 75,000-seater southbound Wales venue successful a crippled branded arsenic nan 'Big Day Out', to "reach caller audiences and turn [Bristol's] commercialized revenue".

The fixture intends to replicate nan occurrence of Harlequins and Saracens successful caller years of playing a showpiece crippled astatine a awesome ground.

Saracens will big their London rivals astatine nan Tottenham Hotspur Stadium connected 22 March, while Quins will look Gloucester connected 10 May astatine Twickenham Stadium.

The caller Premiership run had been described arsenic a "relaunch of nan league" by main executive Simon Massie-Taylor aft 3 clubs went retired of business 2 seasons ago.

There was again nary promotion from, aliases relegation to, nan Championship past season, though it could return for 2024-25.

The Rugby Football Union Council has projected plans for a two-legged play-off which, if approved, would spot a two-legged play-off betwixt nan bottommost broadside successful nan Premiership and apical broadside successful nan Championship.

The proviso is that nan second-tier broadside must meet nan Premiership's minimum standards criteria, which it has not done successful caller campaigns.

Friday, 20 September

Bath v Northampton Saints (19:45 BST)

Newcastle Falcons v Bristol Bears (19:45 BST)

Saturday, 21 September

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers (15:05 BST)

Gloucester v Saracens (17:30 BST)

Sunday, 22 September

Sale Sharks v Harlequins (15:00 BST)