Guinness Premiership fixtures revealed
June 24 2009
Local bragging rights will be at stake from the very first whistle of the opening weekend of the new Guinness Premiership season in September as a number of local derbies take place up and down the country.
In the first round Bryan Redpath begins his tenure as Gloucester Rugby's Head Coach with an exciting challenge as the Cherry and Whites take on traditional West Country rivals Bath Rugby in front of an expected sell-out crowd, and newly promoted Leeds Carnegie start their Guinness Premiership campaign against fellow northerners Newcastle Falcons.
Over at Twickenham Stadium the four London clubs will be starting the season in style in the fifth London Double Header.
With 25,000 tickets already sold, this big day out featuring two matches is sure to be a fitting start to the new season in the capital. London Irish will begin their season in the same stadium that they finished last season in, as they travel back to Twickenham as the away team to take on Saracens.
London Wasps are the other home team and play Harlequins who make the short trip from their base at the nearby Twickenham Stoop.
Meanwhile, Jim Mallinder's Northampton Saints take on Worcester Warriors, and Sale Sharks, under the new coaching partnership of Kingsley Jones and Jason Robinson, meet reigning champions Leicester Tigers.
In round two a new look Saracens take on European Challenge Cup winners Northampton Saints, while in round six London Irish have their first chance to gain revenge for their Guinness Premiership Final defeat against Leicester.
Round seven will see Tigers' first East Midlands derby against Northampton Saints in the newly revamped Welford Road stadium.
Over the Christmas and New Year period there's a bumper crop of rugby entertainment for all the family with every club having one home match over that period. Many are the reverse fixtures from round one and are again local derbies.
The regular season concludes on Saturday 8th May, the same day as the conclusion of football's League One and the day before the final round of matches in the Premier League.
As always, every match in round 22 will kick-off at the same time, with teams aiming for a place in the Guinness Premiership Semi-Finals the weekend after and ultimately the Guinness Premiership Final on Saturday 29th May.
The Guinness Premiership starts on the first weekend of September and runs over 22 rounds, with the final round on May 8th, before the semi-finals on May 15th/16th and the Guinness Premiership Final on Saturday 29th May 2010.
Clubs will now select dates and times for their matches.
Round one: 4/5/6 September
Gloucester Rugby v Bath - Kingsholm
Leeds Carnegie v Newcastle Falcons - Headingley Carnegie
London Wasps v Harlequins - Twickenham
Northampton Saints v Worcester Warriors - Franklin's Gardens
Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers - Edgeley Park
Saracens v London Irish - Twickenham
Find the full list of fixtures here.