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Gallagher Premiership Rugby 2019-20


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.

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] Restart is now targeted to be scheduled for 15 August.

CountriesEngland
Date18 October 2019 – tba
RelegatedSaracens
Matches played78
Attendance1,032,510
(average 13,237 per match)
Highest attendance75,500
Harlequins v Leicester Tigers
28 December 2019
Lowest attendance3,622
London Irish v Sale Sharks
26 October 2019
Tries scored403
(average 5.2 per match)
Top point scorerMarcus Smith, (Harlequins)
(79 points)
Top try scorerBen Earl, (Saracens)
Louis Rees-Zammit, (Gloucester)
(5 tries)

Teams

London Irish, having won the 2018–19 RFU Championship, replaced Newcastle Falcons, who were relegated last season after finishing bottom of the table.

ClubDirector of Rugby/Head CoachCaptainKit supplierStadiumCapacityCity/Area
BathStuart HooperCharlie EwelsCanterburyThe Recreation Ground14,509Bath
Bristol BearsPat LamSteve LuatuaBristol SportAshton Gate27,000Bristol
Exeter ChiefsRob BaxterJack YeandleSamurai SportswearSandy Park13,593Exeter
GloucesterDavid HumphreysWilli HeinzElite Pro SportsKingsholm Stadium16,115Gloucester
HarlequinsPaul Gustard
Billy Millard
Chris RobshawAdidasTwickenham Stoop14,800Twickenham, Greater London
Leicester TigersGeordan MurphyTom YoungsKukriWelford Road25,849Leicester
London IrishDeclan KidneyFranco van der Merwe
Blair Cowan
Dave Porecki
Stephen Myler
BLKMadejski Stadium24,161Reading, Berkshire
Northampton SaintsChris BoydTeimana Harrison
Alex Waller
MacronFranklin’s Gardens15,200Northampton
Sale SharksSteve DiamondJono RossSamurai SportswearAJ Bell Stadium12,000Salford, Greater Manchester
SaracensMark McCallBrad BarrittNikeAllianz Park8,500Barnet, Greater London
WaspsLee BlackettDan Robson
Thomas Young
Under ArmourRicoh Arena32,609Coventry
Worcester WarriorsAlan SolomonsGJ van VelzeVX3Sixways Stadium11,499Worcester

Leading scorers

Most points

RankPlayerClubPoints
1Marcus SmithHarlequins126
2Callum SheedyBristol122
3Robert du PreezSale116
4Rhys PriestlandBath111
5Joe SimmondsExeter93
6Duncan WeirWorcester91
7James GraysonNorthampton89
8Stephen MylerLondon Irish74
9Gareth SteensonExeter65
10Jimmy GopperthWasps61
Billy TwelvetreesGloucester

Most tries

RankPlayerClubTries
1Ben EarlSaracens7
Ollie Hassell-CollinsLondon Irish
Zach KibirigeWasps
Luke MorahanBristol
Louis Rees-ZammitGloucester
6Perry HumphreysWorcester5
Gabriel IbitoyeHarlequins
Tom MarshallGloucester
Byron McGuiganSale
Zach MercerBath
Cadan MurleyHarlequins
Cobus ReinachNorthampton
Sam SimmondsExeter
Nick TompkinsSaracens
Marland YardeSale

Season Attendances

By club

  • Attendances do not include the final at Twickenham.
ClubHome
Games
TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Bath799,74714,25014,50913,97698%
Bristol Bears7125,41317,91626,39912,86766%
Exeter Chiefs786,88812,41313,59311,01593%
Gloucester683,06713,84516,11512,84486%
Harlequins7158,88522,69875,50013,00694%
Leicester Tigers6118,73919,79023,35317,55977%
London Irish634,9955,8339,2593,62224%
Northampton Saints796,04013,72015,20011,41290%
Sale Sharks643,0517,1758,5795,95160%
Saracens643,8147,3028,5006,29386%
Wasps681,41513,56924,8429,50342%
Worcester Warriors760,4558,63611,4997,29775%

Highest attendances

DateGameStadiumAttendance
28 December 2019Harlequins (h) v Leicester TigersTwickenham75,500
18 October 2019Bristol Bears (h) v BathAshton Gate26,399
21 December 2019Wasps (h) v HarlequinsRicoh Arena24,842
15 February 2020Leicester Tigers (h) v WaspsWelford Road23,353
27 December 2019Bristol Bears (h) v WaspsAshton Gate23,078
21 December 2019Leicester Tigers (h) v Exeter ChiefsWelford Road21,219
4 January 2020Leicester Tigers (h) v Bristol BearsWelford Road19,807
25 January 2020Bristol Bears (h) v GloucesterAshton Gate18,779
27 October 2019Leicester Tigers (h) v SaracensWelford Road18,533
29 February 2020Leicester Tigers (h) v Worcester WarriorsWelford Road18,268

2017-18 Aviva Premiership Rugby

The 2017– 18 English Premiership is the 31st period of the best flight of English residential rugby union rivalry and the eighth to be supported by Aviva. The opposition is being communicated by BT Sport for the fifth progressive season with five diversions likewise simulcast allowed to-air on Channel 5 out of the blue. Features of each end of the week’s recreations are appeared on Channel 5 with expanded features on BT Sport.

The supreme champions entering the season were Exeter Chiefs, who asserted their first title subsequent to overcoming Wasps in the 2016– 17 last.

After only one season back in the Premiership, Bristol were consigned with two recreations to follow they lost 21– 36 to Wasps at Ashton Gate on 16 April 2017.[2] Bristol’s poor begin to the season, joined with an absence of value enlistment, implied that they generally looked top choices for the drop thus it at last demonstrated. They were supplanted by London Irish who made a quick come back to the prevalence after only one season in the Greene King IPA Championship.

2017–18 Aviva Premiership
CountriesEngland
Date1 September 2017 – 26 May 2018
Matches played42
Attendance518,565
(average 12,347 per match)
Tries scored246
(average 5.857 per match)
Top point scorerMarcus Smith (Harlequins)
(71 points)
Top try scorerByron McGuigan (Sale Sharks)
(6 tries)

Teams

ClubCoachCaptainKit supplierStadiumCapacityCity/Area
Bath Rugby Rugby ClubBathTodd BlackadderMatt GarveyCanterburyThe Recreation Ground14,500Bath, Somerset
Exeter ChiefsRob BaxterJack YeandleSamurai SportswearSandy Park12,600Exeter, Devon
GloucesterDavid HumphreysWilli HeinzXBladesKingsholm Stadium16,500Gloucester, Gloucestershire
HarlequinsJohn KingstonJames HorwillAdidasTwickenham Stoop14,816Twickenham, Greater London
Leicester TigersMatt O’ConnorTom YoungsKukriWelford Road25,849Leicester, Leicestershire
London IrishNick KennedyDavid PaiceXBladesMadejski Stadium24,161Reading, Berkshire
Newcastle FalconsDean RichardsWill WelchISCKingston Park10,200Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
Northampton SaintsJim MallinderDylan HartleyMacronFranklin’s Gardens15,500Northampton, Northamptonshire
Sale SharksSteve DiamondWill AddisonSamurai SportswearAJ Bell Stadium12,000Salford, Greater Manchester
SaracensMark McCallBrad BarrittBLKAllianz Park10,000Barnet, Greater London
WaspsDai YoungJoe LaunchburyUnder ArmourRicoh Arena32,609Coventry, West Midlands
Worcester WarriorsGary GoldDonncha O’CallaghanUnder ArmourSixways Stadium12,024Worcester, Worcestershire

Records

Winners

#TeamWinsWinning Years
1Leicester Tigers101987–88, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02,
2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13
2Bath61988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96
3Wasps61989–90, 1996–97, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08
4Saracens32010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16
5Newcastle Falcons11997–98
6Sale Sharks12005–06
7Harlequins12011–12
8Northampton Saints12013–14
9Exeter Chiefs12016–17

Player records

Appearances

RankPlayerClub(s)YearsApps
1Steve BorthwickBath, Saracens1998–2014265
2George ChuterSaracens, Leicester1997–2014262
Phil DowsonNewcastle, Northampton, Worcester2001–2017
4Charlie HodgsonSale, Saracens2000–2016254
5Tom MayNewcastle, Northampton, London Welsh1999–2015247
6Hugh VyvyanNewcastle, Saracens1998–2012245
7Richard WigglesworthSale, Saracens2002–244
8Simon ShawWasps1997–2011237
9Andy GoodeLeicester, Saracens, Worcester, Wasps, Newcastle1998–2016236
10Stuart HooperSaracens, Leeds, Bath2000–2016232

Points

RankPlayerClub(s)YearsPoints
1Charlie HodgsonSale, Saracens2000–20162,623
2Andy GoodeLeicester, Saracens, Worcester, Wasps, Newcastle1998–20162,285
3Nick EvansHarlequins2008–20171,656
4Stephen MylerNorthampton2006–1,648
5Olly BarkleyBath, Gloucester, London Welsh2001–20151,605
6Jonny WilkinsonNewcastle1997–20081,489
7Gareth SteensonExeter2010–1,286
8Barry EverittLondon Irish, Northampton2000–20101,267
9Tim StimpsonNewcastle, Leicester, Leeds1997–20051,243
10Paul GraysonNorthampton1997–20051,238

Tries

RankPlayerClub(s)YearsTries
1Tom VarndellLeicester, Wasps, Bristol2004–201793
2Mark CuetoSale2001–201590
3Chris AshtonNorthampton, Saracens2008–201780
4Steve HanleySale1998–200775
5Christian WadeWasps2011–69
6Paul SackeyBedford, London Irish, Wasps, Harlequins1999–201468
7Tom VoyceBath, Wasps, Gloucester, London Welsh2000–201366
8James Simpson-DanielGloucester2000–201363
9Neil BackLeicester1997–200559
10Ben CohenNorthampton, Sale1997–201158
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