Welcome back to The Times’ guide to the Gallagher Prem. With football on its first international break since November, rugby union takes centre stage in some of England and Wales’ most impressive stadiums for round 12, with six of the league’s ten teams heading to huge neutral venues for Saturday’s three fixtures.
We were treated to some cracking games as the Prem returned from the Six Nations, so let’s hope the grandiose environs play host to similarly entertaining clashes. For statistical purposes throughout the guide, when we say “big stadia”, we’re looking at Prem fixtures played at Allianz Twickenham, Wembley, St James’ Park, the London Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Principality Stadium, two of which will host games this weekend.
Newcastle Red Bulls v Exeter Chiefs
The longest away journey in the league faces Exeter Chiefs (369 miles by road between the two grounds for cartographers among you) for the weekend’s opener on Friday night, as they travel to Newcastle Red Bulls.
The home side come into this one off the back of one of their finest performances in living memory, as they lost to Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens by a single, agonising point. It was their second loss to the Saints by such a margin in less than a year — they lost 35-34 at home in April 2025. Their converted try in the 79th minute kept them right in with a chance, but the Saints managed to get the ball out of play at the death to leave the Red Bulls still searching for their second league win of the season after a 28-27 defeat.
Newcastle Red Bulls’ heartbreaking loss last weekend means they have still only won once in the league this seasonDavid Rogers/Getty Images
What a boost that could have been for Stephen Jones, the interim head coach, but two bonus points against a side as prolific as Northampton are not to be sniffed at in such a torrid season.
Exeter, meanwhile, returned from the international break, and their 66-14 thumping by Leicester Tigers in the Prem Cup, in good form. They beat Sale Sharks 26-14 at home on Saturday to move into the play-off places, as their Italian contingent of Stephen Varney and Ross Vintcent combined to good effect.
Exeter were comfortable victors in the reverse fixture, winning 38-15 at Sandy Park in round two. The Chiefs look to be getting back to their best, and if Newcastle can replicate the levels they showed against Northampton, this could be a thoroughly entertaining encounter.
Newcastle last beat the Chiefs in October 2024 and have a reasonable record against the men from Devon, having won three of their past nine. In fact, Exeter are Newcastle’s favourite opponent — they don’t have a better record against anyone else since 2021-22.
Henry Slade’s Chiefs have won six of their past seven games across competitionsBob Bradford – CameraSport via Getty Images
A bit of housekeeping — this is the first Prem game that will be streamed on HBO Max rather than Discovery+, so to avoid disappointment when you switch on the TV on Friday, double-check you’re all set up with yet another streaming service to get your rugby fix. If you’re watching via your TNT Sports subscription on your satellite box, it’s as you were.
Friday, 7.45pm
TV TNT Sports 1/HBO Max
Gloucester v Leicester Tigers
In the first fixture of Saturday’s big game bonanza, Gloucester take on Leicester Tigers at the 42,460-seater Villa Park for the lunchtime kick-off. This one is the latest edition of the Slater Cup, held in honour of Ed Slater, the former Leicester and Gloucester lock who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2022. It’s the first rugby game to be held at the venue since the World Cup in 2015, when it hosted two pool stage games — South Africa v Samoa and Australia v Uruguay.
Having been 14-7 down at half-time Gloucester came back to beat their fellow languishers Harlequins 26-19 at the Stoop last weekend, securing a league double in the process — their first over the southwest London side since 2019. It was also just their second league win of the season. They start this round in eighth, suddenly snapping at the fins of the once consistent Sale Sharks.
Leicester also returned from the international window with a 33-19 victory over Bristol Bears at home, the cherry on top of which was a brilliant bonus-point securing try from Gabriel Hamer-Webb. Any excuse to watch it again…
That result helped the Tigers keep in touch with the champions Bath and leaders Northampton, and they start the weekend in third.
The cup is named in honour of Slater, middle, who played for both teamsTOM SANDBERG/PPAUK/Shutterstock
Leicester won this season’s first edition of the Slater Cup, a 45-14 drubbing at Welford Road just before Christmas. Villa Park will generate plenty of atmosphere but, unfortunately for Gloucester, there’ll be little in the way of home advantage given that they’ve not lost to Leicester at Kingsholm since November 2023.
When it comes to “big stadium” pedigree, Gloucester’s record isn’t great. They’ve played six, drawn one and lost five. Leicester have played 12, won five, drawn three and lost four, a win percentage of 42 per cent.
If you’re in the area, there are still tickets available.
Saturday, 1pm
TV TNT Sports 1
Bristol Bears v Harlequins
The Prem crosses the Severn for the second of Saturday’s games as Bristol Bears welcome Harlequins to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. It’s the latest edition of the West Country club’s “Big Day Out”, and at the time of writing more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold. The women’s teams meet at 12.30pm before the men kick off at 3.30pm.
The loss to Leicester last weekend means Bristol missed the chance to strengthen their case for a top-four spot, so they start the weekend in fifth.
The Bears have shown up in a big way in their past two games at one of the home nations’ showpiece grounds — they beat Bath 36-14 in the last Big Day Out clash at the Principality, though the eventual champions were much changed that day. Bristol also ran in six tries in the reverse of this fixture, a 40-14 win at Twickenham just before Christmas.
Bears impressed in their last Big Day Out by beating eventual champions Bath in CardiffDan Mullan/Getty Images
Bristol have a new quick forward to keep an eye on — one Joe Owen, whom Charlie Morgan wrote about in last weekend’s Sunday Times. Another forward to watch out for is Gabriel Oghre, who pulled out a few tricks not often found in a hooker’s locker.
Such a record bodes ill for Harlequins’ quest to end their six-game losing streak, their worst run of results for nearly 21 years, when they lost nine in a row from the end of the 2004-05 season and start of 2005-06. They’re now just four points clear of Newcastle, the division’s bottom side. It was announced this week that Jason Gilmore will take on the Harlequins job on a full-time basis, and he will be without 15 frontline players due to injury. Marcus Smith is also absent on Six Nations rest.
There will be a minute’s applause in the sixth minute of the game on Saturday for the former Bristol captain Matt Salter, who died aged 49 this month. The flanker made more than 150 appearances for Bristol across two spells, and captained the club between 2004 and 2008.
Gilmore faces a tough job in turning Quins around, with the London club having won only twice in the PremCameron Smith/Getty Images
Of their five “big stadium” games Bristol have won two and lost three, while Harlequins, who of course have the luxury of living next door to HQ in Twickenham, are more used to the big grounds. They’ve played 41, won 21, drawn four and lost 16, for a win percentage of 51 per cent.
I promise I’m not on commission for ticket plugging here, but there are loads of tickets still going for this double-header, and if you’re a student in southwest England or south Wales, you’re in luck — you can get in for a tenner if you contact your student union.
Saturday, 3.30pm
TV TNT Sports 1
Saracens v Northampton Saints
The final game of Saturday’s bonanza brings the leaders Northampton Saints to north London to face Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Saints begin the weekend top of the tree, two points clear of Bath having lost just once all season (a 46-12 loss away to Bristol in November), though based on form they face a tougher test here than their title rivals ought to at Sale on Sunday.
They were given an almighty scare by Newcastle last weekend however, scraping to that 28-27 win. Northampton’s Scotland centre Rory Hutchinson told the BBC that his side had made “every error there is in the playbook”, particularly at the breakdown. Hardly a return to action befitting of title contenders…
Saints can call on the services of some of their returning England contingent — Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith and Henry Pollock were all back in training this week, but the scrum half Alex Mitchell is still out injured, as is the lock Alex Coles, who picked up an ankle injury in the France game.
Saints are at the summit of the table but made “every error in the playbook” against Newcastle, according to HutchinsonDavid Rogers/Getty Images
Saracens on the other hand sit sixth in the standings, five points behind Bristol. Of their 32 points, 12 have come by way of bonuses, the most of any team. It’s testament to their attacking power and ability to stay in games — despite a losing record (W5 L6) their points difference is 88, the fourth best in the division. It was even better before they were hammered 62-15 by a rampant Bath last time out.
Northampton won the reverse fixture at Franklin’s Gardens 43-31 in October and Saracens have only beaten the Saints in the league twice since May 2023.
Saints have a shoddy record in big grounds, having played 11, won three and lost eight. Saracens are by far and away the best “big stadium” team in the league — they’ve played 35, won 27, drawn one and lost seven, for a win percentage of 77 per cent. On the other hand, if the domestic record of the regular inhabitants of this ground is anything to go by, Saracens could be in for a tough day. Of course, there’s no threat of relegation in this case.
Saturday, 6pm
TV TNT Sports 1
Sale Sharks v Bath
The champions Bath travel up to the northwest on Sunday to face Sale Sharks in the final fixture of this domestic window before the European swing.
Bath start the weekend two points behind Northampton and will hope Saracens turn in a better performance against the Saints than they did at the Rec last week. The second placed Bath came flying out of the blocks on their domestic return in that walloping of Saracens, heralding the announcement of new investment in the club from the vacuum cleaner extraordinaire James Dyson with a massive performance.
Barbeary scored one of Bath’s nine tries against Saracens — the team he will join for the next campaignDavid Rogers/Getty Images
Alfie Barbeary gave Saracens supporters a taste of what they can expect when he joins the club next season as he punctured the defensive line of his future team-mates for Bath’s third try.
No team have won more games than Bath’s nine this season, and their two-point deficit to Northampton is only thanks to the Saints’ draw against Exeter earlier in the season.
Sale’s struggles have been well chronicled — after featuring consistently towards the top of the table in recent years, and even making a first Prem final in 17 years in 2023, results have massively suffered this campaign. Having prided themselves on their defensive graft and physicality, Sale have conceded an average of 29.4 points per game in the league this season. Even though we’re a little more than halfway through the campaign, their points conceded total of 323 is the highest since the 1998-99 season, when they shipped 340.
In the reverse at the Rec in early October the champions won 28-16 in horrendous conditions, which made George Ford’s two drop-goals for Sale all the more impressive. That round two defeat was Sale’s first of the season — they’ve lost seven of the following nine. Typically Mancunian weather will likely greet Bath on Sunday — gusty winds and rain could limit the quality of this one.
Bath have had the better of Sale in the last two years — in fact the Sharks haven’t beaten them in either the league or the cup since November 2023, when they won a nervy 11-9 at home, sealed by a 73rd-minute penalty by Ford.
Sunday, 3pm
TV TNT Sports 1