Bath handed early revenge mission in Gallagher Premiership fixtures

The 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership season begins with a rerun of last year's classic final as champions Northampton take on beaten finalists Bath at The Rec.

Just 104 days since Saints won the title in front of a sold-out Twickenham - the two heavyweights face-off again as Fin Smith and Finn Russell’s men clash in the West Country on Friday, September 20 (7.45pm).

Saints ran out 25-21 winners when the teams met in last season's showpiece match but Bath put up a valiant effort considering they lost prop Beno Obano to a first-half red card.

Johann van Graan's men will be desperate to go one better this season and win their first league title of the professional era, and a victory over two-time Premiership winners Saints would get them off to the perfect start.

Newcastle are at home to Bristol in the other Friday night game, while Exeter Chiefs take on Leicester and Gloucester welcome Saracens to Kingsholm on Saturday September 21st.

The opening round of fixtures is rounded off on the Sunday with Sale Sharks up against Harlequins at the Salford Community Stadium.

Northampton fans will have to wait until the second round match against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday September 28th to see their heroes in action at Franklin's Gardens.

Following a record-breaking Derby Weekend in 2023/24, which attracted season-high attendances and over 1.1 million viewers on UK screens, Premiership Rugby have introduced a second round of grudge matches.

Round 4 will be the first opportunity for teams to settle old scores before the derby fixtures are reversed in Round 12.

The famous derby between Bristol and Bath, however, will not take place until Round 16 when history will be made.

For the first time, a Premiership match will be played in Wales with the Bears taking their home game against their arch-rivals from just down the road to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in May.

Bristol once agreed to groundshare with Newport Gwent Dragons for the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons whilst their old Memorial Stadium home underwent redevelopment work but the move never occurred and the Premiership will break new ground with this 'Big Day Out' fixture.

The Bears have taken the lead set by other Premiership clubs in taking showcase games to big stadiums.

Harlequins’ iconic festive Big Game is back for its sixteenth edition with Leicester Tigers the opposition for a Round 9 thriller at Twickenham.

Saracens host London rivals Harlequins in Round 12, with The Showdown 5 headlining a blockbuster second Derby Weekend as Premiership Rugby supporters descend on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once again.

In addition to Bristol vs Bath in Cardiff, there is one more marquee match to come in Round 16 as Harlequins return to Twickenham for the Big Summer Kick-Off to face Gloucester .

Every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in 2024/25.

This comes following a season of growth which saw TNT Sports audiences for Premiership Rugby rise by 8% and a record-breaking free-to-air audience share on ITV for the final at Twickenham.

Click here for the full 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership Rugby fixture list.

Rob Calder, Chief Growth Officer at Premiership Rugby, said: “We are delighted to kick-off the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season with a Friday night epic between champions Northampton Saints at Bath Rugby in an instant repeat of a sensational final.

“And after the enormous success of the inaugural Derby Weekend last season we are thrilled to add a second derby round for supporters to see those ferocious grudge matches.

“Marquee fixtures continue to excite new and existing fans and I know our partners are excited about showcasing these, too.

“So we are excited that Bristol Bears will be adding another huge occasion to the fixture list with the Big Day Out against historic rivals Bath as Premiership Rugby crosses the Severn Bridge to take over Cardiff for the day.

“With Saints becoming our fifth different winner in as many seasons, we are eagerly awaiting the thrills and spills of another super-competitive Gallagher Premiership season when it gets underway in a few weeks’ time.”