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2023–24 Premiership Rugby

The 2023–24 Premiership Rugby is the 37th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the sixth to be sponsored by Gallagher.[3] The competition was broadcast by TNT Sports for the eleventh year of their broadcast deal,[4] with six league season games and the final also simulcast free-to-air by ITV.[5] Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV, with extended highlights on TNT Sports.[6] This was the first season to be aired on TNT Sports since it replaced BT Sport in July 2023.

The reigning champions entering the season are Saracens, who claimed their 6th league title after winning the 2023 final.[7] No team was promoted from the 2022–23 RFU Championship, as the champions were not able to satisfy the eligibility criteria required to enter the league.[8]

Rule changes

The 2023–24 season is set to be the final year under the current Premiership competition structure, before a planned 're-launch' taking place ahead of the 2024–25 season.[9] As a result, the moratorium on relegation to the RFU Championship will cease and be replaced by a play-off between the team placed last in the Premiership and the team placed first in the Championship. Promotion from the Championship is therefore also set to be reinstated, subject to the winning club successfully fulfilling the RFU minimum standards criteria.[10]

This season is also the last year of the league's temporary salary cap reduction, implemented to keep the participating clubs financially solvent following the COVID-19 pandemic, with further regulatory changes set to be made for the 2024–25 season.[11]

Teams

The competition will feature 10 of the 13 teams which began the 2022–23 season. Two of the other three – Wasps and Worcester Warriors – were previously confirmed to be excluded from competing in the 2023–24 season, after both clubs were expelled from the league, upon entering into administration in 2022.[12] The final team – London Irish – had originally been due to compete, but the club was also expelled in summer 2023, prior to the start of the season, because of insufficient funds to continue operating.[13] As a result, the 2023–24 season is the first time the top flight of English rugby has featured just 10 teams since the 1995–96 season.[14]

For the second consecutive year, the top team in the Championship was ineligible for promotion to the Premiership, after 2022–23 Championship winners Jersey Reds failed to meet the minimum standards criteria to join the competition.[15]

London Irish administration

On 15 May 2023, London Irish were warned by the RFU that they faced suspension from the Premiership ahead of the beginning of the 2023–24 season, unless they met a deadline of 30 May to complete a takeover by new ownership, due to concerns about the club's finances.[16] On 31 May, the RFU granted the club a one-week extension, on the condition that evidence of funding for the 2023–24 season, from either the existing benefactor or the prospective new owners, was provided by 6 June.[17] On 2 June, HMRC issued a winding-up petition against the club, in response to unpaid tax.[18] On 6 June, after failing to provide proof of funds for the upcoming season, London Irish were officially suspended from the Premiership.[19] The following day, the club filed for administration, resulting in automatic relegation under RFU regulations.[20]

Stadiums and locations

2023–24 Premiership Rugby is located in England
Bath
Bath
Bristol
Exeter
Gloucester
Leicester
Newcastle
Northampton
Sale
Sale
London
London teams: Harlequins Saracens
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Locations of current Gallagher Premiership teams
Gallagher Premiership clubs in Greater London
Harlequins
Saracens
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Gallagher Premiership clubs in Greater London

Notes

Player movements

Table

Updated to match(es) played on 18 May 2024. Source: Rugby Football Union;[32] Premiership Rugby;[33] BBC Sport[34]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
(C) Champions; (RU) Runners-up; (SF) Losing semi-finalist

Round-by-round progression

The grid below shows each team's progression throughout the season, indicating their points total (and league table position) at the end of every round:

Regular season

The regular season fixtures were announced on 18 July 2023.[35] They are due to play out over the course of 18 rounds, with each round consisting of five matches.[36]

The league began on 13 October 2023, with the full season schedule staggered to start and finish one month later than the 2022–23 season, in order to reduce fixture overlap with the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which reaches the knockout stages on the same weekend as the Premiership's opening round.[37] A revamped version of the Premiership Rugby Cup, involving teams from the RFU Championship, was also announced to take place before the beginning of the Premiership season.[38] The Premiership season will pause for eight weeks between the ends of January 2023 and March 2023, to avoid any fixture clashes with the 2024 Six Nations.[39]

Highlights of the season include:

All fixtures are subject to change.[45] Referees appointed to officiate Premiership matches are employed by the RFU, unless indicated otherwise.[46]

Results

Updated to match(es) played on 18 May 2024. Source: Premiership Rugby
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

"Results". The Rugby Paper. No. 790. 5 November 2023. p. 38.</ref>[47]

Round 5

[47][48]

Round 6

[48][49]

Round 7

[49][50]

Round 8

[50]

Round 9

[51]

Round 10

[52]

Round 11

[53][54]

Round 12

[55][56]

Round 13

[57][58]

Round 14

[58][59]

Round 15

[60][61]

Round 16

[61][62]

Round 17

[63]

Round 18

[65]

Play-offs

As in previous seasons, the top four teams in the Premiership table, following the conclusion of the regular season, will contest the play-off semi-finals in a 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd format, with the higher ranking team having home advantage.[66] The dates and times for the two play-off semi-finals were announced on 11 May 2024, after the first two teams qualified during round 17 of the regular season.[67] The four qualifying teams were confirmed after the final day of the regular season, on 18 May 2024.[68] The two winners of the semi-finals then meet in the Premiership Final at Twickenham on 8 June 2024.[37]

Semi-finals

[69]

Final

[70]

Promotion/relegation play-off

Subject to meeting the eligible criteria for promotion, the team which places 1st in the 2023–24 RFU Championship will contest a play-off against the team which finishes bottom of the Premiership table, with the winner competing in the following year's Premiership season. If the Championship winner is ineligible for promotion, no play-off will take place.

On 29 June 2023, it was announced that the promotion/relegation play-off would take place across two legs, with each team playing one of the matches at their home ground, during the weekends of 31 May – 2 June and 7–9 June 2024.[71]

On 20 March 2024, it was confirmed that only Doncaster Knights would be eligible for promotion, should they top the Championship table. They were therefore also the only Championship team that would be able to compete in the play-off, if appropriate.[72] Despite winning the 2023–24 Championship, Ealing Trailfinders did not meet the RFU's minimum standards criteria, so no promotion/relegation play-off took place this season.

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

Attendances

[73][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][65][69]

Discipline

Citings/bans

Notes:

  1. ^ The cited player's club is listed in bold italics.[74]
  2. ^ a b c d The ban is reduced by one match, subject to the player's completion of the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.[75]
  3. ^ The sanction is implemented as an immediate two-match ban, with the remaining three matches conditionally suspended until the end of the 2024–25 season.[82]

Awards

Player of the Month

The following players have received the Gallagher Premiership Player of the Month award during the 2023–24 season, as selected by a panel of media commentators, in addition to monthly public polls.

Note: No Player of the Month was awarded for February, as the Premiership was paused due to the 2024 Six Nations.[98]

End-of-season awards

The nominees for the 2024 Premiership Rugby Awards were announced on 20 May 2024.[99] The winners were revealed on 22 May 2024.[100]

See also

References

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External links