Premiership Rugby Cup 2023: How to watch, schedule, TV channel, groups, fixtures, who is playing, who are the pundits
ByTNT Sports
Updated 14/09/2023 at 15:47 GMT+1
The Premiership Rugby Cup returns this week with a new-look format for the 2023-24 season. The competition begins with Bath v Cornish Pirates before Northampton Saints take on Ealing Trailfinders live on TNT Sports. The pool stage for the revamped competition sees fixtures begin on the weekend of September 8-10 with Premiership and Championship sides meeting for the first time in the competition.
Highlights - London Irish v Exeter Chiefs
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Premiership Rugby Cup returns for the 2023-24 season on Friday, September 8, albeit with a slightly changed format.
This year, the 12 Championship teams will join their 10 Premiership counterparts in the competition, meaning 22 sides will take part. As a result, there have been a few tweaks to the competition format.
The 22 teams have been split into four pools - two of six sides and two of five – based on their rankings at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Teams in the pools of five will play one cross-pool fixture each as well as the sides in their own group.
The winner of each pool will progress to the single-tie semi-finals, played at the home of the highest-ranked teams. The final will take place at the home of the highest-ranked finalist, although the date has not yet been confirmed.
Here's all you need to know about the 2023-24 Premiership Rugby Cup.
When is the Premiership Rugby Cup 2023-24?
The 2023-24 Premiership Rugby Cup gets started on Friday, September 8.
Cornish Pirates will face Bath and Doncaster Knights will take on Cambridge on opening night, both at 7:30pm BST.
How to watch the Premiership Rugby Cup 2023-24 on TV in the UK
TNT Sports has the broadcast rights for the following Premiership Rugby Cup matches:
- Round 1 – Sunday, September 10, 12.30pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Northampton Saints (TNT Sports 1, discovery+)
- Round 2 – Saturday, September 16, 12.30pm – Bath Rugby v Jersey Reds (TNT Sports 2, discovery+)
- Round 3 – Friday, September 22, 7.15pm – Gloucester Rugby v Harlequins (TNT Sports 1, discovery+)
- Round 4 – Sunday, October 1, 2pm – Harlequins v Saracens (TNT Sports 1, discovery+)
- Round 5 – Sunday, October 8, 1.30pm – Northampton Saints v Doncaster Knights (TNT Sports 1, discovery+)
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
Who are the presenters and pundits for the 2023-24 Premiership Rugby Cup?
TNT Sports’ Premiership Rugby Cup coverage will feature several new faces this season, as Orla Chennaoui joins the presenting team alongside Craig Doyle, who continues in his previous role from TNT Sports’ predecessor, BT Sport.
Elsewhere, Premiership Rugby’s all-time top try scorer, Chris Ashton, has been added to the pundit line-up alongside Red Roses centre Emily Scarratt and Bath second row, Charlie Ewels.
They will join 2003 World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio and Austin Healey.
What are the pools for the 2023-24 Premiership Rugby Cup?
These are the four pools of teams battling it out for a place in the semi-finals:
Pool A: Saracens, Harlequins, Gloucester Rugby, Coventry, Hartpury University, Nottingham
Pool B: Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons, Bedford Blues, Ampthill, Caldy
Pool C: Exeter Chiefs, Bath Rugby, Jersey Reds, Cornish Pirates, London Scottish
Pool D: Northampton Saints, Bristol Bears, Ealing Trailfinders, Doncaster Knights, Cambridge
When are the knockout rounds of the 2023-24 Rugby Premiership Cup?
The semi-finals – held at the homes of the two highest-ranked pool winners - will take place on the weekend of February 16-18.
The highest-ranked semi-final winner will host the final on the weekend of March 15-17.
The teams in Pools C and D will play one cross-pool fixture alongside their own pool games.
*The Championship club seeded 11th, London Scottish, and 12th seed Cambridge, who were promoted from National One, were swapped with Nottingham and Caldy, seeded ninth and 10th. The higher seeds therefore host a home fixture against a Premiership club. Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs also swap pools for operational reasons.
What are the 2023-24 Premiership Rugby Cup fixtures?
| - | Round 1 | - | Pool | Date | Kick-Off |
| Cornish Pirates | v | Bath | C | Friday 8th September, 2023 | 19:30 |
| Doncaster Knights | v | Cambridge | D | Friday 8th September, 2023 | 19:30 |
| Ampthill | v | Newcastle Falcons | B | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Exeter Chiefs | v | Bristol Bears | C/D | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Gloucester | v | Nottingham | A | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Leicester Tigers | v | Caldy | B | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Harlequins | v | Hartpury | A | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Coventry | v | Saracens | A | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 16:00 |
| Sale Sharks | v | Bedford Blues | B | Saturday 9th September, 2023 | 17:30 |
| London Scottish | v | Jersey Reds | C | Sunday 10th September, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Ealing Trailfinders | v | Northampton Saints | D | Sunday 10th September, 2023 | 13:00 |
| - | Round 2 | - | Pool | Date | Kick-Off |
| Newcastle Falcons | v | Bedford Blues | B | Friday 15th September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Nottingham | v | Hartpury | A | Friday 15th September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Sale Sharks | v | Leicester Tigers | B | Friday 15th September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Bath | v | Jersey Reds | C | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 13:00 |
| Saracens | v | Gloucester | A | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Caldy | v | Ampthill | B | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Exeter Chiefs | v | Cornish Pirates | C | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Halrlequins | v | Coventry | A | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| London Scottish | v | Doncaster Knights | C/D | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Northampton Saints | v | Cambridge | D | Saturday 16th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Bristol Bears | v | Ealing Trailfinders | D | Sunday 16th September, 2023 | 14:30 |
| - | Round 3 | - | Pool | Date | Kick-Off |
| Gloucester | v | Harlequins | A | Friday 22nd September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Newcastle Falcons | v | Sale Sharks | B | Friday 22nd September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Bath | v | London Scottish | C | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Jersey Reds | v | Exeter Chiefs | C | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Saracens | v | Nottingham | A | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Bristol Bears | v | Northampton Saints | D | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 14:30 |
| Hartpury | v | Coventry | A | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 14:30 |
| Bedford Blues | v | Caldy | B | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Cambridge | v | Cornish Pirates | C/D | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Ealing Trailfinders | v | Doncaster Knights | D | Saturday 23rd September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Leicester Tigers | v | Ampthill | B | Sunday 24th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| - | Round 4 | - | Pool | Date | Kick-Off |
| Cornish Pirates | v | Jersey Reds | C | Friday 29th September, 2023 | 19:30 |
| Doncaster Knights | v | Bristol Bears | D | Friday 29th September, 2023 | 19:30 |
| Hartpury | v | Gloucester | A | Friday 29th September, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Ampthill | v | Bedford Blues | B | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Caldy | v | Sale Sharks | B | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Cambridge | v | Ealing Trailfinders | D | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Exeter Chiefs | v | London Scottish | C | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Leicester Tigers | v | Newcastle Falcons | B | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Northampton Saints | v | Bath | C/D | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Coventry | v | Nottingham | A | Saturday 30th September, 2023 | 16:00 |
| Harlequins | v | Saracens | A | Sunday 1st October, 2023 | 14:30 |
| - | Round 5 | - | Pool | Date | Kick-Off |
| Bristol Bears | v | Cambridge | D | Friday 6th October, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Jersey Reds | v | Ealing Trailfinders | C/D | Friday 6th October, 2023 | 19:30 |
| London Scottish | v | Cornish Pirates | C | Friday 6th October, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Sale Sharks | v | Ampthill | B | Friday 6th October, 2023 | 19:45 |
| Gloucester | v | Coventry | A | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 13:00 |
| Bath | v | Exeter Chiefs | C | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Nottingham | v | Harlequins | A | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Saracens | v | Hartpury | A | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 14:00 |
| Bedford Blues | v | Leicester Tigers | B | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 15:00 |
| Northampton Saints | v | Doncaster Knights | D | Saturday 7th October, 2023 | 14:45 |
| Newcastle Falcons | v | Caldy | B | Sunday 8th October, 2023 | 14:15 |
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