All you need to know about the PREM Rugby Cup

The PREM Rugby Cup is back for the 2026/27 season, giving all 10 PREM Rugby clubs another opportunity to compete for silverware.

But with a different structure to the league campaign, how exactly does the PREM Rugby Cup work?

From the pool stage to the semi-finals and final, here is everything you need to know.

What is the format?

All 10 PREM Rugby clubs are competing in the 2026/27 PREM Rugby Cup.

The clubs have been divided into two pools of five.

Pool A

• Bath Rugby
• Bristol Bears
• Exeter Chiefs
• Gloucester Rugby
• Sale Sharks

Pool B

• Harlequins
• Leicester Tigers
• Newcastle Red Bulls
• Northampton Saints
• Saracens

The two pools provide the route through to the knockout stages, with only the strongest sides progressing.

How many games does each team play?

Each club plays the other four teams in its pool twice.

That means every side has eight pool-stage fixtures – four at home and four away.

The eight matches are spread across 10 rounds, giving each club two weekends without a PREM Rugby Cup fixture during the pool phase.

How do teams qualify for the PREM Rugby Cup semi-finals?

This is where the competition really starts to ramp up and differs from last year.

Once all 10 pool rounds have been completed, the top two teams in each pool qualify for the semi-finals.

That leaves four clubs competing for a place in the PREM Rugby Cup Final.

The semi-final match-ups are determined by the final pool standings:

Pool A winners vs Pool B runners-up

Pool B winners vs Pool A runners-up

So finishing top of your pool brings a significant reward – a semi-final against a second-placed team from the opposite pool.

How are PREM Rugby Cup points awarded?

The competition uses the familiar rugby union points system.

A team earns:

• Four points for a win
• Two points for a draw
• One bonus point for scoring four or more tries
• One bonus point for losing by seven points or fewer
• No points for a defeat outside of the bonus-point criteria

Those points determine the order in each pool and, ultimately, which four teams make the knockout stages.

What happens if teams finish level on points?

With only two qualification places available in each pool, a tie in the standings could prove crucial.

If teams finish level on points, the competition has a set order of criteria to separate them.

The first factor is the number of wins, followed by points difference, points scored and tries scored.

Disciplinary records and the result between the teams can then come into play, with a draw of lots the final method if all other criteria cannot separate the sides.

That means every try and every point can matter – even if a team cannot win the match itself.

When is the PREM Rugby Cup being played?

The pool stage is spread across the early part of the 2026/27 campaign.

The opening rounds take place in September before the Gallagher PREM season gets fully under way, before the competition returns during the autumn international period and around the Six Nations.

The pool stage concludes with in February, with the semi-finals scheduled for the first weekend of March and the final following a week later.

That scheduling gives the PREM Rugby Cup its own identity within the season, while also providing meaningful competitive fixtures during international windows.

Where is the PREM Rugby Cup Final played?

Unlike a final at a predetermined neutral venue, the 2026/27 PREM Rugby Cup Final will be played at the home ground of the highest-ranked finalist.

That creates another incentive to finish as high as possible during the pool stage.