Premiership Rugby Cup: Bath to face Cornish Pirates in opener to new competition
- Published
Exeter are the reigning Premiership Cup champions after beating London Irish in last season's final
Bath will travel to face Cornish Pirates on the opening night of the new Premiership Rugby Cup on 8 September.
Championship sides will face Premiership teams for the first time in 18 years in a revamped competition.
Other matches on the first weekend see Premiership champions Saracens visit Coventry, Newcastle travel to Ampthill and Ealing host Northampton.
Gloucester host Nottingham, Leicester Tigers welcome Caldy, Harlequins face Hartpury and Sale Sharks host Bedford.
Exeter Chiefs face Bristol in an all-Premiership clash.
The following four rounds will take place over consecutive weekends from 15-17 September to 6-8 October, during the Rugby World Cup.
TNT Sports will broadcast live coverage of one game each weekend, starting with Ealing v Northampton.
The 22 teams in the top two tiers are split into two pools of six and two pools of five, with five group matches, followed by semi-finals featuring each pool winner in February 2024 and a final in March.
Exeter are the holders after beating London Irish - who filed for administration last month - in last season's final.
This season's Premiership campaign will get under way on Friday, 13 October, with the Championship season kicking off the following weekend of 20-22 October.
- Published25 March 2018
- Published15 February 2019
