2023–24 Premiership Rugby Cup Explained

2023–24 Premiership Rugby Cup
Countries:
Champions:Gloucester
Count:1
Runnersup:Leicester Tigers
Matches:56
Highest Attendance:14,460 – Gloucester v Leicester Tigers, 15 March 2024
Lowest Attendance:384 – London Scottish v Jersey Reds, 10 September 2023
Top Point Scorer:46 – George Barton (Gloucester)
Top Try Scorer:8 – Jack Clement (Gloucester)
Website:www.premiershiprugby.com
Prevseason:2022–23
Nextseason:2024–25
Teams:22

The 2023 - 24 Premiership Rugby Cup is the 51st season of England's national rugby union cup competition and the first under the new Premiership Rugby Cup format including clubs from both the Premiership and Championship.[1] Exeter Chiefs are the reigning champions.[2]

Competition format

The original plan for the competition involved dividing the 24 teams from the top two tiers of English rugby into four pools of six. The number of teams dropped to 22 following the suspension of Wasps and London Irish.[3] [4]

The 22 teams were split into four pools, two of 6 teams (Pool A & Pool B) and two of 5 teams (Pool C & Pool D). The teams were seeded based on league standings at the end of the 2022–23 season. Teams in Pools C and D also played one cross-pool fixture along with their own pool games.[5]

Teams

ClubDirector of Rugby/
Head Coach		LeagueStadiumCapacityCity/Area
Ampthill Paul TurnerChampionshipDillingham Parkalign=center 3,000Ampthill, Bedfordshire
Bath Johann van GraanPremiershipThe Recreation Groundalign=center 14,509Bath, Somerset
Bedford Blues Mike RayerChampionshipGoldington Roadalign=center 5,000Bedford, Bedfordshire
Bristol Bears Pat LamPremiershipAshton Gatealign=center 27,000Bristol
Matt CairnsChampionshipalign=center 4,000 Thurstaston, Wirral, Merseyside
Richie WilliamsChampionshipGrantchester Roadalign=center 2,200Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Alan Paver
Gavin Cattle		ChampionshipMennaye Fieldalign=center 4,000Penzance, Cornwall
Coventry Alex RaeChampionshipButts Park Arenaalign=center 5,200Coventry, West Midlands
Doncaster Knights Steve BodenChampionshipCastle Parkalign=center 5,183Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Ealing Trailfinders Ben WardChampionshipTrailfinders Sports Groundalign=center 5,000West Ealing, London
Exeter Chiefs Rob Baxter
Ali Hepher		PremiershipSandy Parkalign=center 15,600Exeter, Devon
Gloucester George SkivingtonPremiershipKingsholmalign=center 16,115Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Harlequins Billy MillardPremiershipTwickenham Stoopalign=center 14,800Twickenham, Greater London
Hartpury Mark CornwellChampionshipThe ALPAS Arenaalign=center 2,000Hartpury, Gloucestershire
Jersey Reds Harvey BiljonChampionshipStade Santander Internationalalign=center 4,000Saint Peter, Jersey
Leicester Tigers Dan McKellarPremiershipMattioli Woods Welford Roadalign=center 25,849Leicester, Leicestershire
London Scottish Joe GrayChampionshipAthletic Groundalign=center 4,500Richmond, London
Newcastle Falcons Alex CodlingPremiershipKingston Parkalign=center 10,200Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Northampton Saints Phil Dowson
Sam Vesty		Premiershipcinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardensalign=center 15,200Northampton, Northamptonshire
Nottingham Craig HammondChampionshipLady Bay Sports Groundalign=center 3,500Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Sale Sharks Alex Sanderson
Paul Deacon		PremiershipAJ Bell Stadiumalign=center 12,000Salford, Greater Manchester
Saracens Mark McCall
Joe Shaw		PremiershipStoneX Stadiumalign=center 10,500Hendon, Greater London

Player movements

Pools

Teams played every other team in their pool once, either home or away. Teams in pools C and D also played one cross-pool fixture along with their own pool games.

  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Total number of tries scored

Pool A

width=20% style="border:0px"Pool Awidth=20% style="border:0px" align=right
ClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints differenceTry bonusLosing bonusPoints
1 Gloucester (Q) 5 5 0 0 + 72 4 0 24
2 5 3 1 1 + 63 3 0 17
3 5 2 2 1 + 29 4 1 17
4 5 2 0 3 + 72 3 1 12
5 5 0 1 4 – 100 2 1 5
6 5 1 0 4 – 136 1 0 5
Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner.
Source: Premiership Rugby
Updated to: 07/10/2023

Pool B

width=20% style="border:0px"Pool Bwidth=20% style="border:0px" align=right
ClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints differenceTry bonusLosing bonusPoints
1 Leicester Tigers (Q)5 4 0 1 + 132 4 0 20
2 5 4 0 1 + 46 3 0 19
3 5 3 0 2 + 104 3 1 16
4 5 3 0 2 – 13 2 0 14
5 5 1 0 4 – 118 2 0 6
6 5 0 0 5 – 151 0 2 2
Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner.
Source: Premiership Rugby
Updated to: 07/10/2023

Pool C

width=20% style="border:0px"Pool Cwidth=20% style="border:0px" align=right
ClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints differenceTry bonusLosing bonusPoints
1 Exeter Chiefs (Q) 5 4 0 1 + 138 4 0 20
2 5 3 0 2 + 37 4 1 17
3 5 3 0 2 + 72 3 1 16
4 5 2 0 3 + 46 2 0 10
5 5 0 0 5 – 154 1 1 2
Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner.
Source: Premiership Rugby
Updated to: 17/10/2023

Pool D

width=20% style="border:0px"Pool Dwidth=20% style="border:0px" align=right
ClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints differenceTry bonusLosing bonusPoints
1 Ealing Trailfinders (Q) 5 5 0 0 + 99 4 0 24
2 5 3 0 2 + 94 4 1 17
3 5 3 0 2 + 10 3 0 15
4 5 2 0 3 – 59 4 1 13
5 5 0 0 5 – 243 0 0 0
Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner.
Source: Premiership Rugby
Updated to: 17/10/2023

Fixtures

Round 1

Pool D

[6] ----

Round 2

Pool D

[7] ----

Round 3

Pool D

[8] ----

Round 4

Pool D

[9] ----

Round 5

Pool C/D

[10]

Pool D

Knockout stage

The semi-finals were confirmed on 17 October after points from the two cancelled Jersey Reds fixtures were allocated.

Semi-finals

[11]

Final

[12]

FB 15
RW 14 Alex Hearle
OC 13 Max Llewellyn
IC 12 Seb Atkinson
LW 11
FH 10
SH 9 Caolan Englefield
N8 8
OF 7 Lewis Ludlow (C)
BF 6
RL 5
LL 4 Freddie Clarke
TP 3 Kirill Gotovtsev
HK 2
LP 1
Substitutions:
HK 16
PR 17 Harry Elrington
PR 18
LK 19
FL 20
SH 21 Charlie Chapman
CE 22 Louis Hillman-Cooper
WG 23
Coach:
George Skivington
FB 15
RW 14 Josh Bassett
OC 13 Matt Scott
IC 12
LW 11
FH 10 Handré Pollard
SH 9
N8 8 Kyle Hatherell
OF 7
BF 6 Hanro Liebenberg
RL 5 Sam Carter
LL 4
TP 3
HK 2
LP 1
Substitutions:
HK 16
PR 17
PR 18
LK 19
FL 20
SH 21
CE 22
WG 23
Coach:
Dan McKellar
Player of the Match:
Cam Jordan (Gloucester)

Assistant referees:
Harry Walbaum
John Meredith
Television match official:
Dan Jones

Notes:

Attendances

ClubHome
matches		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Ampthill 2 2,731 1,366 1,734 997 46%
Bath 3 24,142 8,047 9,426 7,285 55%
Bedford Blues 2 5,860 2,930 3,707 2,153 59%
Bristol Bears 3 32,654 10,885 11,356 10,136 40%
Caldy 2 4,187 2,094 2,687 1,500 52%
Cambridge 2 2,025 1,013 1,027 998 46%
Cornish Pirates 1 2,891 2,891 2,891 2,891 72%
Coventry 2 6,231 3,116 4,109 2,122 60%
Doncaster Knights 2 3,331 1,666 2,175 1,156 32%
Ealing Trailfinders 3 4,807 1,602 2,700 590 32%
Exeter Chiefs 3 23,306 7,769 8,328 6,906 50%
Gloucester 5 45,462 9,092 14,460 4,124 56%
Harlequins 2 8,414 4,207 4,631 3,783 28%
Hartpury 2 2,592 1,296 2,042 550 65%
Jersey Reds 1 1,826 1,826 1,826 1,826 46%
Leicester Tigers 3 20,133 6,711 8,000 5,600 26%
London Scottish 3 1,432 477 661 384 11%
Newcastle Falcons 3 9,680 3,227 3,751 2,812 32%
Northampton Saints 3 24,653 8,218 10,356 5,186 63%
Nottingham 2 3,260 1,630 2,402 858 47%
Sale Sharks 3 7,732 2,577 4,000 411 21%
Saracens 3 7,946 2,649 2,904 2,146 25%
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Rank Player Team Points
1 46
2 40
3 39
4 38
5 35
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Top try scorers

Rank Player Team Tries
1 8
2 7
3 5
Northampton Saints
Bath
Coventry
Saracens
Cornish Pirates
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Broadcasting

One game from each round will be broadcast on TNT Sports as well as both the semifinals and the final.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Premiership Rugby Cup: Championship sides to play in 2023-24 competition. BBC Sport. 24 April 2023 . 6 May 2023 . en-UK.
  2. News: London Irish 20-24 Exeter Chiefs (AET) . BBC Sport . 19 March 2023 . 10 May 2023 . en-UK.
  3. News: Wasps' licence to play in 2023/24 Championship season withdrawn by RFU; club moved to bottom of playing pyramid . 18 May 2023 . . 18 May 2023.
  4. News: London Irish suspended from Gallagher Premiership after takeover fails . . Latham-Coyle . Harry . 6 June 2023 . 6 June 2023 . en-UK.
  5. News: Fixtures Revealed For New-look Premiership Rugby Cup . . 14 July 2023 . 14 July 2023 . en-UK.
  6. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 782 . 10 September 2023 . 18–21, 39.
  7. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 783 . 17 September 2023 . 19–23, 38.
  8. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 785 . 1 October 2023 . 18–23, 38.
  9. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 785 . 1 October 2023 . 19–23, 38.
  10. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 786 . 8 October 2023 . 16–19, 40.
  11. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 806 . 17 February 2024 . 8, 36.
  12. News: Results . The RugbyPaper . 809 . 17 March 2024 . 12, 40.
  13. Web site: Hurcom . Sophie . Premiership Rugby Cup final: Gloucester 23-13 Leicester: Gloucester clinch first trophy in nine years . . 15 March 2024 . 15 March 2024.

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