Champions Saints host Newcastle on opening weekend

Champions Saints host Newcastle on opening weekendImage source, PA MediaImage caption, Northampton won their third Prem title in June after being crowned champions in 2014 and 2024BySophie HurcomBBC Sport EnglandPublished2 minutes agoCommentsChampions Northampton will host Newcastle Red Bulls on the opening day of the 2026-27 Prem rugby season.Saints beat Exeter to lift the trophy for the second time in three seasons in June and start the new campaign at home on Friday, 25 September. The Chiefs are also at home for their first game, with Gloucester set to visit Sandy Park on the Saturday.Elsewhere across opening weekend, Harlequins are at home to Bath on Friday, Sale host Bristol on Saturday evening and Leicester play Saracens in the only match on Sunday.The 2026-27 Prem final will be held on Saturday, 19 June 2027 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with the season to take a series of breaks around international fixtures.After five rounds in six weeks through September and October, there will be a four-week Prem break through November for the autumn matches of the Nations Championship.With European competition beginning in December there are four Prem rounds across six weeks until January, before a 10-week league pause again in February and March for the Six Nations.The new season also begins with promotion and relegation officially scrapped from the division. While no club has been relegated from the Prem or promoted up from the Champ since Saracens in 2020 and 2021, this has now been formalised as part of a series of changes to English rugby voted through in February, as the league moves towards a franchise-style model.Prem Rugby Cup pool fixtures announcedPublished14 JulyPrem relegation scrapped from 2026-27 seasonPublished27 FebruaryFull Prem fixture list 2026-27A handful of matches next season will also be staged at major stadiums, as has become customary for some Prem clubs in recent years. Harlequins play their two annual 'Big Game' fixtures at the...