Exeter, Bath and Gloucester to play in pre-season tournament

Exeter beat Bath in the league for the first time in February

Premiership clubs Exeter, Bath and Gloucester will play in a pre-season tournament during the 2015 World Cup.

The clubs will face one another home and away in September and early October in the West Country Challenge Cup.

The tournament mirrors the Kings of the North tournament being held by Leicester, Newcastle and Sale.

The Premiership is starting later next season as England hosts the World Cup, with both Exeter and Gloucester staging matches at their home grounds.

Gloucester will play their home games at Bristol's Memorial Stadium, so not to clash with the World Cup matches they are staging.

"Each year you want to get your season off to a solid start and all that begins by having a worthwhile and meaningful set of opening fixtures," said Exeter boss Rob Baxter.

"For us, the opportunity to play the likes of Bath and Gloucester - two of our biggest rivals in the Premiership - will not only give us a good gauge of where we lie heading into the new season, but it will also provide us with four very competitive fixtures."