2020/21 Premiership fixtures released, season starts with Chiefs visiting Harlequins

Harlequins and Exeter will kick off the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season at The Stoop on November 20 after the fixtures for the new campaign were announced on Tuesday with the final matches still to be played in the delayed 20219/20 campaign.

Ten regulation-season matches and the play-offs remain to be played yet this term, but plans for the upcoming Premiership season have been unveiled (click here for all the fixtures) and the final will be played at Twickenham on June 26, the weekend before the Lions start their tour to South Africa.

Opening night in mid-November will also see Sale entertain Northampton at the AJ Bell - both Northampton and Harlequins will pass significant milestones in the season, with both set to play their 500th Premiership matches, joining a select band of six other clubs who have already reached the mark.

Newly-promoted Newcastle, who have taken the place of automatically relegated Saracens, will play their first game back in the top flight at The Rec against Bath on November 21, a Saturday game that will be followed that same day by Leicester v Gloucester and Worcester v London Irish.  

The opening round will then conclude on the Sunday with Wasps hosting Bristol at the Ricoh. 

London Irish will celebrate a historic day for the club in round two when they will host their first match at the new Brentford Community Stadium. Leicester will be the visitors on November 29 and the venue will become the 39th different stadium to stage a Premiership match.

The Exiles’ home opener brings the curtain down on round two, the first match happening on November 27 as Sale make their only trip north of the season, taking on Newcastle at Kingston Park.

Four matches will take place on November 28, Northampton hosting Harlequins, Bristol Bears entertaining Worcester, Exeter Chiefs taking on Bath and Wasps making the journey to Kingsholm to face Gloucester.

Tuesday announcement released the confirmed fixtures for the first six rounds of the 2020/21 season, with rounds seven to 22 still subject to live TV selection. The Premiership Rugby Cup will be staged as a midweek competition in 2020/21, starting after the Six Nations.