Saints to start new season with PREM Rugby Cup trip to Saracens
Saints will start their new season with a trip to Saracens following the announcement of their PREM Rugby Cup fixtures on Tuesday morning.
The black, green and gold reached the quarter-finals of last season’s competition, before eventually being beaten 43-26 by Ealing Trailfinders.
This season, the competition takes on a fresh look, with the 10 PREM Rugby teams split into two pools of five and featuring across 10 rounds of matches.
Each side will have two bye weekends built into the schedule, with Saints having the first and seventh round off.
Phil Dowson's men have been drawn into Pool B and will face Saracens, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons and Leicester Tigers.
The first two rounds of the PRC will precede the Gallagher PREM, before rounds three to five take place during the autumn international window.
The cup then breaks for the PREM and Investec Champions Cup throughout December and January, before the competition begins again in earnest during the Six Nations.
With their first cup bye falling in round one, Saints will instead travel to Glasgow Warriors for a pre-season clash at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday, September 12.
Their cup campaign will start in Round 2 with a trip to face Saracens at StoneX Stadium on Friday, September 19 (kick-off 7.30pm).
The black, green and gold will first take to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens in the cup in round three, with the visit of Harlequins (Saturday, November 1, kick-off 5.30pm).
They then run out again at home in round four as they host Newcastle on Saturday, November 15 (kick-off 5.30pm).
Saints round out the second block of cup matches with an East Midlands derby, travelling to Leicester on Saturday, November 22 (kick-off 3pm).
Saints then feature in the reverse fixtures after the New Year, hosting Tigers and Saracens at the Gardens while also travelling to Harlequins and Falcons.
After that, the competition enters the play-off stage, with the top two finishers of each pool qualifying for the semi-final matches in the week of March 7 before the final takes place the following weekend.
Saints’ 2025/26 PREM Rugby Cup fixtures
Round 1: Bye weekend
Round 2: Friday, September 19: Saracens (away), 7.30pm
Round 3: Saturday, November 11: Harlequins (home), 5.30pm,
Round 4: Saturday, November 15: Newcastle Falcons (home), 5.30pm
Round 5: Saturday, November 22: Leicester Tigers (away), 3pm
Round 6 Saturday, January 31: Leicester Tigers (home), 3pm
Round 7: Bye weekend
Round eight: Saturday, February 14: Harlequins (away), 2pm
Round 9: Friday, February 20: Newcastle Falcons (away), 7.45pm
Round 10: Saturday, February 28: Saracens (home), 3pm
Semi-final: Weekend of March 7
Final: Weekend of March 14