Saturday sees Exeter Chiefs welcome Saracens to Sandy Park in front of the TNT Sports cameras, with the rest of the day’s action staying in the West Country as Bath Rugby host Newcastle Falcons and Harlequins visit Kingsholm to face Gloucester Rugby.
In the final game of the weekend, 2022/23 semi-finalists collide as Sale Sharks do battle with Northampton Saints at Salford Stadium, again live on TNT Sports.
Premiership Rugby supporters are ready to feel the energy of a matchday once again with Bath Rugby selling out season tickets at The Rec by the end of May while Leicester Tigers smashed through its season ticket total from the previous campaign over the summer.
In a first for the 2023/24 campaign, Round 6 of the Gallagher Premiership will see the introduction of the ‘Derby Weekend’ as all 10 clubs battle for bragging rights.
And the excitement around the start of the season is at fever-pitch after yesterday’s launch of Amazon Prime Video docuseries ‘Mud, Sweat and Tears: Premiership Rugby’– the trailer alone recorded over 1 million views in a matter of hours. The official Fantasy Premiership Rugby game has already attracted tens of thousands of sign-ups with people competing against friends, family, colleagues as well as players of their favourite clubs. There is also the chance to win a VIP experience at the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final 2024 and lots more prizes await.
Simon Massie-Taylor, CEO of Premiership Rugby, said: “We are incredibly excited to get the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season underway.
“On the pitch we are all looking forward to some of the biggest names in world rugby joining the league from Finn Russell to Zach Mercer and Virimi Vakatawa.
“And off the pitch Premiership Rugby and our clubs have been working extremely hard to deliver the rollout of our official Fantasy Premiership Rugby game and the launch of our fantastic Amazon Prime Video docuseries ‘Mud, Sweat and Tears: Premiership Rugby’.
“We look forward to another season of world-class rugby that shines a light on our league’s incredible talent and puts our loyal supporters right at the heart of the action.
“Our new broadcast partners TNT Sports will be looking to innovate and take the game to the next level – with all games either on TNT, PRTV or ITV – with free-to-air highlights back on ITV also.”
Showpiece matches remain at the heart of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby calendar, with Harlequins’ iconic ‘Big Game’ series returning to the festive period where they welcome Gloucester Rugby for what will be the 15th edition of the traditional holiday season event at Twickenham Stadium.
Champions Saracens will host the next showpiece event as they return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for ‘The Showdown 4’ - Harlequins will be in the away corner this time for the fiery all-London clash in March.
Finally, April will see Northampton Saints as the visitors for the ‘Big Summer Kick-off’ at Twickenham, the second showpiece match for Harlequins at the home of England Rugby.
Viewers on TNT Sports can also expect to be taken closer to the heart of the Premiership Rugby action with pre-match chats with players in the changing rooms and for the first time on-field interviews with players in the moments of ecstasy just after a try is scored.
Highlights of all 90 regular season games will again be on ITV, as well as 7 full free-to-air fixtures and the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final 2024.
Simon Matson, CEO of Gallagher's broking and underwriting businesses in EMEA, said: “With the World Cup in full swing the buzz around rugby is phenomenal at the moment, and we are delighted to get our sixth season as title partner underway. Any of the ten clubs could take home the title so it is set to be a very exciting season.
“We are delighted to be involved in the rugby community, and having worked with Premiership Rugby since 2018, earlier this year we further expanded our support and Gallagher is now an official partner of women’s rugby and the Rugby World Cup 2025.
“We will continue to champion and celebrate rugby heroes across the country from grassroots to international level, and to help protect the players, the clubs and the communities involved in the game by providing specialist insurance broking and risk management services.”
