2019–20 Premiership Rugby
Template:Infobox rugby union season
The 2019–20 Premiership Rugby is the 33rd season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the second to be sponsored by Gallagher.[1] The competition is being broadcast by BT Sport for the seventh successive season with five games also simulcast free-to-air on Channel 5. Highlights of each weekend's games are shown on Channel 5 with extended highlights on BT Sport. The reigning champions entering the season are Saracens, who claimed their fifth title after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2019 final. London Irish were promoted as champions from the 2018–19 RFU Championship at the first attempt.
Due to changes to the global rugby calendar, this season started later and will finish later than previous seasons.
On 5 November 2019, Premiership Rugby announced that Saracens would be deducted 35 points in the current season and fined £5.3 million due to undisclosed payments to players in previous seasons.[2] Saracens initially said they would appeal the ruling, but on 18 November announced that they accepted the punishments, with the deduction leaving them 26 points adrift at the bottom of the table.[3] After further failure to comply with the salary cap, Saracens were announced to be automatically relegated at the end of the season on 18 January 2020.[4] On 28 January 2020 this was confirmed with the application of a further 70 point deduction.[5]
On 16 March 2020, the league was suspended for an initial five week period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Resumption was scheduled for weekend of 24/25/26 April but has since been postponed indefinitely.[6][7]
Teams[edit source | edit]
London Irish, having won the 2018–19 RFU Championship, replaced Newcastle Falcons, who were relegated last season after finishing bottom of the table.
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Pre-season[edit source | edit]
The 2019 edition of the Premiership Rugby Sevens Series was held at Franklin's Gardens on 13 and 14 September, 2019. For the third successive year all twelve Premiership teams would feature in one venue over two days. Teams would be split into four pools of three which played each other once in a round-robin basis with the tournament splitting into Cup and Plate competitions on the second day.[10]
In a repeat of the 2018 final, Saracens beat Wasps 35-19 to win the 2019 Premiership Sevens Cup. Gloucester beat Sale Sharks to win the Plate. It was the third successive year Wasps had made the cup final of the competition. [11]
Table[edit source | edit]
Template:2019–20 Premiership Rugby Table
Fixtures[edit source | edit]
Fixtures for the season were announced by Premiership Rugby on 10 July, 2019. Due to the Rugby World Cup, the first round of matches commenced during the fifth week of the season, following four rounds of the Premiership Cup. The London Double Header does not feature after being discontinued last year.[12]
Highlights of the season include:
- Big Game 12 - Harlequins hosted Leicester Tigers in this season's edition of the Big Game at Twickenham on 28 December 2019.
- The Showdown - Saracens vs Harlequins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- The Clash - Bath Rugby will return to Twickenham. This year's opponent will be Wasps.
All fixtures are subject to change.
Regular Season[edit source | edit]
Round 1[edit source | edit]
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Round 2[edit source | edit]
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Round 3[edit source | edit]
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Round 4[edit source | edit]
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Round 5[edit source | edit]
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Round 6[edit source | edit]
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Round 7[edit source | edit]
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Round 8[edit source | edit]
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Round 9[edit source | edit]
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Round 10[edit source | edit]
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Round 11[edit source | edit]
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Round 12[edit source | edit]
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Round 13[edit source | edit]
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Following round 13, the league was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
Leading scorers[edit source | edit]
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.
Most points[edit source | edit]
Source:[13]
|
Most tries[edit source | edit]
Source:[14]
|
Season attendances[edit source | edit]
By club[edit source | edit]
- Attendances do not include the final at Twickenham.
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 7 | 99,747 | 14,250 | 14,509 | 13,976 | 98% |
| Bristol Bears | 7 | 125,413 | 17,916 | 26,399 | 12,867 | 66% |
| Exeter Chiefs | 7 | 86,888 | 12,413 | 13,593 | 11,015 | 93% |
| Gloucester | 6 | 83,067 | 13,845 | 16,115 | 12,844 | 86% |
| Harlequins | 7 | 158,885 | 22,698 | 75,500 | 13,006 | 94% |
| Leicester Tigers | 6 | 118,739 | 19,790 | 23,353 | 17,559 | 77% |
| London Irish | 6 | 34,995 | 5,833 | 9,259 | 3,622 | 24% |
| Northampton Saints | 7 | 96,040 | 13,720 | 15,200 | 11,412 | 90% |
| Sale Sharks | 6 | 43,051 | 7,175 | 8,579 | 5,951 | 60% |
| Saracens | 6 | 43,814 | 7,302 | 8,500 | 6,293 | 86% |
| Wasps | 6 | 81,415 | 13,569 | 24,842 | 9,503 | 42% |
| Worcester Warriors | 7 | 60,455 | 8,636 | 11,499 | 7,297 | 75% |
Highest attendances[edit source | edit]
| Date | Game | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 December 2019 | Harlequins (h) v Leicester Tigers | Twickenham | 75,500 |
| 18 October 2019 | Bristol Bears (h) v Bath | Ashton Gate | 26,399 |
| 21 December 2019 | Wasps (h) v Harlequins | Ricoh Arena | 24,842 |
| 15 February 2020 | Leicester Tigers (h) v Wasps | Welford Road | 23,353 |
| 27 December 2019 | Bristol Bears (h) v Wasps | Ashton Gate | 23,078 |
| 21 December 2019 | Leicester Tigers (h) v Exeter Chiefs | Welford Road | 21,219 |
| 4 January 2020 | Leicester Tigers (h) v Bristol Bears | Welford Road | 19,807 |
| 25 January 2020 | Bristol Bears (h) v Gloucester | Ashton Gate | 18,779 |
| 27 October 2019 | Leicester Tigers (h) v Saracens | Welford Road | 18,533 |
| 29 February 2020 | Leicester Tigers (h) v Worcester Warriors | Welford Road | 18,268 |
Play-offs[edit source | edit]
As in previous seasons, the top four teams in the Premiership table, following the conclusion of the regular season, contest the play-off semi-finals in a 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd format, with the higher ranking team having home advantage. The two winners of the semi-finals then meet in the Premiership Grand Final at Twickenham on 20 June 2020.
Notes[edit source | edit]
- ↑ Bath will also play a home game at Twickenham Stadium, London on 18 April 2020.
- ↑ Sandy Park's capacity increased from 12,921 to 13,593 from December 2019 onward.[8]
- ↑ Harlequins will also play a home game at Twickenham Stadium, London on 28 December 2019.
- ↑ Saracens will also play a home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on 28 March 2020.
- ↑ Allianz Park will have a reduced capacity this season due to redevelopment works.
References[edit source | edit]
- ↑ "Gallagher confirmed as new title sponsors of Premiership Rugby". 12 April 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ↑ "Saracens deducted 35 points and fined £5.3m for salary cap breach". Sky News. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
- ↑ "Saracens salary cap breach: Premiership champions will not contest sanctions". 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
- ↑ "Saracens relegated from Premiership at end of 2019-20 season for salary cap breaches". 2020-01-19. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ↑ "Saracens: Edward Griffiths resigns as interim CEO as club docked further 70 points". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ↑ "A Message to our Fans". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- ↑ "Premiership Rugby Restart Update". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- ↑ "Premiership champions confirm stadium expansion". Ruck. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ↑ https://www.leicestertigers.com/team/management
- ↑ "Premiership Rugby 7s Returns to Franklin's Gardens". Premiership Rugby. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ↑ https://www.premiershiprugby.com/premiership-rugby-7s/#fixtures_&_results
- ↑ "Gallagher Premiership Rugby 2019-20 fixtures announced". Premiership Rugby. Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ↑ "2019-20 Premiership Rugby top points scorers". ESPNScrum. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ↑ "2019-20 Premiership Rugby top try scorers". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
External links[edit source | edit]
Template:English Premiership (rugby union) Template:Rugby union in England
Visibility[edit source | edit]
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