England’s top flight is going on hiatus throughout November. Here’s when the 10 Gallagher PREM clubs return to the field.
England’s top flight is about to take a break as attentions turn to the Nations Championship, but when does the Gallagher PREM return after November’s internationals?
Below we explain when English club rugby resumes, what’s happening on the domestic front in the meantime, and what’s happening in the URC and Top 14 in November.
When does the Gallagher PREM return?
Following the completion of the competition’s fifth round of fixtures this weekend, the Gallagher PREM is going on hiatus for the rest of November. This is to make way for the Nations Championship , which will see most of the world’s best players representing their international teams over the next four weekends.
The Gallagher PREM returns on Friday 4 December 2026, when Bath host local rivals Bristol Bears at the Rec. Other sixth round fixtures that weekend include Gloucester v Newcastle Red Bulls, Harlequins v Leicester Tigers, Saracens v Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks v Exeter Chiefs.
What will the PREM Rugby clubs be doing in the meantime?
The players who aren’t selected for the 12 Nations Championship squads won’t just be putting their feet up throughout November – unless the rest is mandated by their club’s coaching staff, of course.
Three rounds of the PREM Rugby Cup will be played over the course of the month, giving directors of rugby a chance to give younger squad members a run out in the first team while the big names are away on international duty.
The second-tier Elior Champ Rugby will also continue throughout November, so there will be some domestic rugby available.
Many of Leinster and Munster’s star players will be concentrating on the green of Ireland in November (Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Are the other major European leagues going on hiatus, too?
The United Rugby Championship is adopting the same pattern as the English PREM – following the completion of the fifth round of fixtures on Saturday 31 October, there won’t be another URC game until Friday 4 December, when Ospreys host Leinster and Dragons travel to Edinburgh. Other fixtures that weekend include Lions v Bulls, Sharks v Stormers, Cardiff v Ulster, Scarlets v Connacht, Glasgow Warriors v Benetton and Zebre Parma v Munster.
France’s Top 14 sides get some time off, but not as much as their PREM and URC counterparts. There’ll be a full round of fixtures across the weekend of 7-8 November. The tournament then takes two weekends off, before resuming on Saturday 28 November. This means that the tenth round of games will clash with Finals Weekend in the Nations Championship.
Has the English Premiership always taken a break during the November international window?
English sides traditionally played Premiership Rugby Cup (and, before that, the Anglo-Welsh Cup) games in November, when their stars would be away representing their countries. However, the PREM would not historically have taken as many as four weekends off – it would more often sit out two or three weekends.
But the league’s reduction to 10 teams after Wasps, Worcester Warriors and London Irish going into administration created extra wiggle room in the calendar. This also allows the PREM to go on hiatus for the duration of the Six Nations.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rugbyworld.com
