Bath to start PREM Cup campaign with a Sunday visit to Sale

Bath Rugby will start their PREM Rugby Cup campaign with a visit to Sale Sharks in September.

Bath Rugby’s first PREM Rugby Cup derby of the 2026-27 season will be here at Sandy Park against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday 7th November | Photo © Richard Briggs

The Blue, Black & White, who are in Pool A, will make the trip to the CorpAcq Stadium for a Round 1 clash on Sunday 6th September.

Bath have a bye in the following stage but will next be in action in the competition when they face Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park in Round 3 on Saturday 7th November.

Johann van Graan’s side will open their home programme in the cup by playing Gloucester Rugby at The Rec in Round 4 on Saturday 14th November.

Round 5 will provide Bath with another derby – this time against Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday 20th November.

There will be another bye for the Blue, Black & White in Round 6. And in Round 7 they will meet the Bears at The Rec on Saturday 6th February.

Another home match will follow a week later, the Chiefs coming to Somerset on Saturday 13th February.

Bath will go to Kingsholm Stadium to play Gloucester in Round 9 on Saturday 20th February before concluding their pool schedule at home to Sale on Saturday 27th February.

The semi-finals and final will take place in March.

Bath’s PREM Rugby Cup fixtures:

September: 6th Sale Sharks (A, Round 1, 3pm).

November: 7th Exeter Chiefs (A, Round 3, 3pm), 14th Gloucester Rugby (H, Round 4, 2pm), 20th Bristol Bears (A, Round 5, 7.45pm).

February: 6th Bristol Bears (H, Round 7, 3pm), 13th Exeter Chiefs (H, Round 8, 3pm), 20th Gloucester Rugby (A, Round 9, 2.30pm), 27th Sale Sharks (H, Round 10, 3pm).

Bath trio Connor Treacey, Sam Winters and Tyler Offiah were in the starting XV as England U20 lost 53-37 to their South Africa counterparts in the World Rugby Junior World Championship semi-finals in Georgia on Monday 13th July.

Treacey once again skippered England, who will face New Zealand in the third-place play-off on Saturday 18th July (3pm UK time).

The Junior Springboks are the reigning champions but England gave themselves a mountain to climb with the permanent red-carding of Seb Kelly – for butting – in the 32nd minute.

Bath’s Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi started, scored a try and was yellow-carded for Italy in their ninth-place semi-final with Georgia on 13th July.

Italy won 43-19 and will take on Ireland in the ninth-place play-off on 18th July (5.30pm UK time).

Bath’s Oscar Thomas, Alex Ridgway and Bailey Cutts all came off the bench for Wales in their 38-36 success against Australia in a fifth-place semi-final on Sunday 12th July.

Wales will face Scotland in the fifth-place play-off on Friday 17th July (5.30pm UK time).