132-675: Premiership Rugby , officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby , or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby union system . Premiership clubs qualify for Europe's two main club competitions, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup . The winner of
264-563: A British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand—although a private venture, it laid the foundations for future British and Irish Lions tours; and the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team brought the first overseas team to British spectators. During the early history of rugby union, a time before commercial air travel, teams from different continents rarely met. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by
396-488: A haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau , as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event. In 1905 France played England in its first international match. Rugby union
528-440: A deal worth £200m. A previous offer to purchase a 51% majority share was rejected. The money from the investment was planned to be used to improve facilities at clubs and grow the game globally. In March 2019, allegations emerged that Saracens may have broken the league's salary cap . In June, Premiership Rugby announced that they would investigate the allegations. In November 2019, Saracens were found to have been in breach of
660-502: A joint venture that would eventually merge BT Sport with its local Eurosport business. The transaction was approved in July 2022 and on 18 July 2023 BT Sport rebranded as TNT Sports , with Eurosport UK to be folded into the brand no later than early-2026. News of BT's first foray into sports broadcasting first came about on 12 June 2012, when it was announced that it had won the rights to 38 live Premier League matches for three seasons from
792-419: A joint venture with BT to combine their respective networks. In February 2022, the two companies entered exclusive negotiations. On 11 May 2022 Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA announced that it had reached an agreement to combine its Eurosport UK business with BT Sport in a 50/50 joint venture, in a transaction scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022 pending approval from regulators and sports bodies. Under
924-426: A laptop or PC which is a stark contrast to how BT Sports used to work. On Sky , TNT Sports 1 only is currently offered for free to broadband subscribers as 'TNT Sports Lite', regardless of what subscription they have. Plusnet TV also offered the same until 1 November 2021 when their TV brand was discontinued, however, TNT Sports is still available to Plusnet customers via the app service. Customers who wish to view
1056-506: A later date, expected to be no later than the 2026 Winter Olympics . The network's new brand identity was developed by DixonBaxi, using a " viewfinder " formed from rotated "T" letters as a visual motif, and using the "N" from the logo as a homophone of "and" to join pairs of concepts (such as fixtures). In the UK, TNT Sports is available in standard definition with all BT TV packages for BT Broadband customers. The 4K channel TNT Sports Ultimate
1188-580: A limited number of games, and Cambridge and Oxford continued their annual University Match . The first officially sanctioned international rugby sevens tournament took place in 1973 at Murrayfield, one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, as part of the Scottish Rugby Union centenary celebrations. In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament
1320-415: A lineout throw is generally awarded to the opposition at the spot on the sideline where they left the field. Exceptions include a kick out "on the full" (i.e. the ball did not land in the field-of-play before going into touch) in which case the lineout would still take place on the sideline but back in line with where the ball was kicked, or when a team takes a free kick from a penalty where they would retain
1452-542: A play-off between the bottom placed Premiership Club and top placed Championship club in 2023–24. New minimum standards criteria were announced in September 2022, confirming that promotion from the championship was still due to take place in 2023. Rugby union Rugby union football , commonly known simply as rugby union or often just rugby , is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in
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#17330933460961584-530: A preferred or standard 68 metre width, this is often used unless a ground has been specifically designed to accommodate a 70-metre rugby field. 100 metres is the typical length, with a line (see below) often marked at halfway with "50" on it, representing 50 metres from each goal line. The variations have been allowed in the Laws, possibly to accommodate older grounds (perhaps even pre-metrification when yards and feet were specified) and developing nations. The field of play
1716-472: A reduced timeframe of 32 weeks (down from 42). The financial impact of the pandemic also caused the salary cap to be temporarily reduced for a maximum of 3 seasons from the 2021–22 season. A moratorium on relegation was also approved in February 2021, meaning no teams would be relegated as a potential consequence of another team receiving more points due to games cancelled because of COVID-19. With this news it
1848-560: A season, including the end-of-season play-offs. In January 2014, it was reported that BT Sport had acquired the rights to broadcast the World Rally Championship for the 2014 season. BT Sport has carried the Premier League since its launch; as of the 2020–21 season, BT Sport holds rights to around 52 live matches per-season, including 32 Saturday matches with 12:30 p.m. kickoffs, and 20 midweek fixtures scheduled around
1980-611: A season. In 1972 the RFU sanctioned a national knock-out cup – the RFU Club Competition, the predecessor to the Anglo-Welsh Cup – followed first by regional merit tables and then, in the mid-1980s, by national merit tables. One of the casualties of the move to competitive leagues was the loss of some traditional games as the new fixture lists didn't allow time for all of them. The league system has evolved since its start in 1987 when
2112-407: A seven-year deal, allowing it to continue operating an ESPN-branded network as part of BT Sport, and hold rights to ESPN original programming, and event broadcast rights that are distributed internationally by ESPN. On 9 June 2015, BT announced it would launch a new channel, BT Sport Europe, which would carry all UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches. Concurrently it was announced that only
2244-466: A successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. The values of each of these scoring methods have been changed over the years. According to World Rugby's Laws of the Game, a typical rugby ground, formally known as the "playing enclosure", is formed by two major zones: The referee (and their assistants) generally have full authority and responsibility for all players and other officials inside
2376-411: A three-week wait until the final. Having lost their momentum, they were beaten by second-placed Wasps (who had defeated third-placed Northampton) in the play-offs. The playoff structure was reformatted in the 2005–06 season in which the first-placed team would play the fourth placed team in a semi-final (a Shaughnessy playoff ). Since the implementation of the playoff system, only six teams have won both
2508-534: Is Chatswood Oval in Sydney, Australia, an elliptically shaped cricket ground which is the home of Gordon rugby club, that has curved dead-ball lines to maximise the available in-goal space. Where multiple sports share a field (e.g. a rugby league and a rugby union club sharing one field), lines may be overlaid on top of each other, sometimes in different colours. However, particularly for television, rugby union line markings are generally painted white. Some exceptions include
2640-609: Is also available to BT Superfast Fibre customers for an additional fee. TNT Sports operates six part-time overflow channels, originally branded as BT Sport Extra, but branded since July 2023 as TNT Sports 5–10. They are carried via the red button on Sky, and displayed as individual channels on the BT and Virgin Media EPGs. TNT Sports is also available to EE mobile phone contract customers to view via TNT Sports & Discovery+ apps or to stream via Discovery Plus' website. This can be streamed on
2772-408: Is considered "out-of-bounds" for the ball and the players, normally resulting in the non-infringing team receiving possession of the ball at a restart. The perimeter area can be divided into two areas: For the purposes of determining if a ball is "out-of-bounds" (i.e. has left the playing area), the perimeter area extends indefinitely away from the playing area. When a ball or player goes into touch,
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#17330933460962904-445: Is divided by a solid "halfway" line, drawn perpendicular to the sidelines at their midpoint. A 0.5m line is marked perpendicular to the halfway lines at its midpoint, designating the spot where the kickoffs shall be taken. The areas between each goal line and the halfway line are known as "halves" as in other football codes. A pair of solid lines are also drawn perpendicular to the sidelines, 22 metres (formerly 25 yards) from each end of
3036-860: Is followed primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands - Fiji , Tonga , Samoa , Georgia , Oceania , Southern Africa , Argentina , and in recent times also, Italy , Japan , South America , the United States , Canada and Eastern Europe , its growth occurring during the expansion of the British Empire and through French proponents ( Rugby Europe ) in Europe. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji , Georgia, Madagascar , New Zealand, Samoa , Tonga , and Wales . International matches have taken place since 1871 when
3168-520: Is no promotion. In the 2011–12 season London Welsh won promotion from the Championship but were initially denied promotion under the criteria, reprieving Newcastle Falcons from relegation. However London Welsh were found eligible on appeal and Newcastle were relegated. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , a moratorium was approved in February 2021 for a halt on top-flight clubs being relegated from
3300-948: Is provided by Gavin Emmett and Hodgson, with Charlie Hiscott joined for Friday sessions coverage. Natalie Quirk appears as reporter. Emmett also presents Chequered Flag which is aired after the MotoGP race has finished. The channel also has live broadcasts of the World Rally Championship (since 2014) and Formula E (since 2024). Previous coverage included the FIA World Endurance Championship , FIA European Formula Three Championship , British Formula Three Championship , World Series by Renault , BRDC Formula 4 Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters , International GT Open and Supercars Championship . BT Sport showed extensive coverage of American sports, including Major League Baseball (MLB), College sport , Major League Lacrosse and
3432-568: Is the streaming platform of Eurosport—at no charge to most BT TV subscribers, and those who subscribe to BT Sport via the company directly. The venture was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 22 July 2022, and the merger was completed on 1 September. On 1 August 2022, BT Sport ESPN was rebranded as BT Sport 4, while the BT Sport Extra overflow channels were rebranded as BT Sport 5 through 10. On 21 February 2023, it
3564-440: Is the third and final row of the forward positions, who are often referred to as the loose forwards. The three positions in the back row are the two flankers and the number 8 . The two flanker positions, known as the blindside flanker and openside flanker, are the final row in the scrum. They are usually the most mobile forwards in the game. Their main role is to win possession through 'turn overs'. The number 8 packs down between
3696-518: The 2005–06 season due to relegation. Six other clubs have appeared in at least 20 seasons — Saracens , Northampton Saints , Sale Sharks , London Irish , Bristol Bears and Newcastle Falcons . The financial insolvency, expulsion and automatic relegation of Wasps during the 2022–23 season means their record of being ever-present effectively ended at the end of the 2021–22 season . Coventry , Liverpool St Helens , Moseley , Nottingham , Rosslyn Park , Rugby and Waterloo only appeared during
3828-528: The 2013–14 Premier League , although admitting that the majority of them were BT internet subscribers. On 9 November 2013, BT Sport announced its acquisition of rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League beginning in 2015–16 , under a three-year deal valued at £897 million, replacing Sky and ITV. The interactive service BT Sport Extra launched in 2014. In January 2015, BT Sport renewed its licensing agreement with ESPN International under
3960-573: The 2013–14 season , beating ESPN UK , which had held the shared rights with Sky Sports the previous season . BT announced at the same time that it would be launching its own channel for its new football coverage. The news followed speculation that ESPN was reconsidering its position in the UK. The following months also saw BT win rights to Premiership Rugby and its associated 7s Series , as well as American , Brazilian , French and Italian top-flight football. On 25 February 2013, BT announced an agreement to acquire ESPN's television networks in
4092-581: The 2016–17 season and allowed BT Sport to exclusively broadcast up to 69 live games per season. The Aviva Premiership's viewing figures rose by 40% in TV audiences in its first season with BT Sport. A third deal was signed in December 2020 to cover Premiership Rugby and the Premiership Rugby Cup until 2024. The deal covers up to 80 matches a season from 2016–17 and introduced an extended highlights programme from
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4224-588: The FA Cup , UEFA Europa League , Scottish Premier League , Bundesliga and NASCAR . This led to the shutting down of ESPN Classic and ESPN America in favour of the BT Sport channels. On 7 May 2013, BT Sport acquired the rights to air Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events and taped programming in the UK and Ireland for three years, from 1 August. Two days later it was announced that BT Sport had acquired an exclusive five-year deal to broadcast MotoGP races from
4356-569: The FA Trophy and FA Vase matches. It has also carried France's Ligue 1 since 2013, and Italy's Serie A (which most recently returned to the network in 2021). On 15 February 2024, it was announced that TNT Sports had agreed a four-year deal with the Football Association to show the FA Cup from the 2025-26 season. BT became a senior broadcast partner of Premiership Rugby in 2013–14 . The original Premiership coverage deal ran until
4488-505: The Premiership Rugby Cup . BT Sport also had exclusive live rights to the Anglo-Welsh Cup from 2016–17 until its final competition in 2017–18 . BT originally shared rights to European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)'s champions and challenge cups with Sky Sports. The shared nature of the deal meant each broadcaster would exclusively broadcast up to 30 pool matches, 2 quarter-finals and 1 semi-final from each competition with
4620-627: The RFU Championship for the 2020–21 season . Premiership Rugby CEO Darren Childs said this punishment was due to Saracens lack of cooperation in a mid-season audit to prove compliance in the 2019–20 season. On 23 January 2020, Lord Dyson 's full report into Saracens' spending was published, it revealed that Saracens had overspent the salary cap by £1.1m in 2016–17, £98,000 in 2017-18 and £906,000 in 2018–19. These included £923,947.63 of property investments between Nigel Wray and three unnamed Saracens players. It also included Saracens claim that
4752-656: The Red Bull Arena in the New York Metropolitan Area . This match was intended to be the first of a three-year deal which would have seen London Irish play one home match each season in the US, but their relegation from the Premiership at the end of the 2015–16 season scuttled that plan. A new deal was reached with American sports marketing company AEG in 2017 which was intended to see at least one Premiership match taken to
4884-976: The Top 14 in France, the Bunnings NPC in New Zealand, the League One in Japan and the Currie Cup in South Africa. Other transnational club competitions include the United Rugby Championship of club teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, European Rugby Champions Cup in Europe, and Super Rugby in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Primitive forms of football included harpastum , played by
5016-411: The X Games . This was supplemented by BT Sport's a long-term agreement with ESPN to carry its original programming (including original documentaries and studio programmes), and events whose international rights are owned by ESPN International . However, when TNT Sports replaced BT Sport in 2023, it continued its coverage of baseball, but dropped its coverage of college sport. BT Sport had inherited
5148-556: The split between rugby union and rugby league . Historically rugby union was an amateur sport, but in 1995 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed, making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of the United Kingdom and Ireland , with other early exponents of the sport including Australia , New Zealand , South Africa and France . The sport
5280-456: The 1830s, "running in" with the ball in hand was allowed but subject to hacking and "collaring". Former Rugby School student Albert Pell is credited with having formed the first "football" team while a student at Cambridge University . Major private schools each used different rules during this early period, with former pupils from Rugby and Eton attempting to carry their preferred rules through to their universities. A significant event in
5412-640: The 2014 season, including free practices and qualifying as well as full coverage of Moto2 and Moto3. BT Sport also broadcasts the FA WSL , A-League and programming from Red Bull Media House. On 9 May 2013, BT announced that it had acquired the exclusive UK TV rights to MotoGP along with the Moto2 and Moto3 championships. Later in May, BT Sport acquired rights to the Football Conference for two years with 25-30 live games
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5544-421: The 2015–16 season. Subsequently, in 2017 Channel 5 announced a deal that would see them simulcast five matches per season until the end of the 2020–21 season. ITV subsequently took over the simulcasting rights, broadcasting up to 6 league season matches and the final between the 2021–22 and 2023–24 seasons. The deal with BT Sport also sees them exclusively broadcast the league's associated sevens series and
5676-459: The BT Sport 1 channel would be free to BT internet subscribers, and that BT Sport 2, BT Sport Europe and BT Sport ESPN would require viewers to subscribe for £5 extra. BT also announced a Freeview HD channel known as BT Sport Showcase, which would carry 12 Champions League matches and 14 Europa League matches per season on a free-to-air basis, including at least one match per-round, each English club featured at least once per-season, and coverage of
5808-545: The BT Sport Showcase channel). For the 2016–17 season, BT Sport premiered the studio programme BT Sport Score , which airs on Saturday matchdays and competes primarily with Sky's Soccer Saturday . BT Sport has held rights to the National League since 2013, which were most recently renewed in 2020; BT Sport carries a weekly match on Saturdays, and the weekly National League highlights show. It has also carried
5940-524: The BT Sport service, and that BT Sport and BoxNation would co-produce 20 cards per-year, which would air on Saturday nights and be simulcast by both networks. In April 2018, BT Sport announced a pay-per-view service, BT Sport Box Office , with an intent to broadcast premium boxing events. On 2 August 2019, BT Sport relaunched its 4K channel as BT Sport Ultimate, and began to offer Dolby Atmos sound and high dynamic range (HDR) on supported devices. On 20 June 2019, BT Sport announced an agreement to carry
6072-593: The Champions League and Europa League finals. BT Sport also announced that it would launch BT Sport Ultra HD, the first 4K sports channel in the UK, on 2 August for the 2015 FA Community Shield . The channel would initially be exclusive to BT TV on BT Infinity , with a 4K service package and compatible YouView set-top box. In 2016, BT Sport Europe was renamed BT Sport 3. In 2017, BT Sport began an agreement with boxing promoter Frank Warren , under which Warren's channel BoxNation would be distributed as part of
6204-456: The Championship season. Newcastle Falcons, who topped the Championship table at the time of the season's premature end were promoted based on their playing record and would replace Saracens in the Premiership the following season. The 2019–20 Premiership Rugby season recommenced on 14 August and the final was held 24 October 2020. The disruption of the 2019–20 season meant the 2020–21 season commenced 10 weeks late on 20 November 2020 and ran over
6336-514: The County Cups and County Championship – the former played by clubs and the latter by County representative teams e.g. 1980- 81 Rugby Union County Championship . The Daily Telegraph and a few local newspapers – such as the Yorkshire Post – compiled 'pennants' based on teams' performances, but as the strength of fixture lists varied, it was at best an estimate of a team's performance throughout
6468-473: The Courage Leagues were formed – a league pyramid with roughly 1,000 clubs playing in 108 leagues, each with promotion and relegation. In the first season , clubs were expected to arrange the fixtures on mutually convenient dates. The clubs involved were Bath , Bristol , Coventry , Gloucester , Harlequins , Leicester , Moseley , Nottingham , Orrell , Sale , Wasps and Waterloo . That first season
6600-586: The International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886, and currently has 116 countries as full members and 18 associate members. In 1845, the first laws were written by pupils at Rugby School; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the decision by Blackheath F.C. to leave The Football Association in 1863 and, in 1895,
6732-506: The Laws: Generally, points where the dashed lines intersect other lines will be marked with a "T" or cross shape, although the extensions of dashed lines are generally not drawn within 5 metres of the goal lines or sidelines, to allow a clear demarcation of the field of play's boundaries. The Laws require the playing area to be rectangular in shape, however variations may be permitted with the approval of relevant unions. A notable example
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#17330933460966864-801: The New Zealand team touring Europe. Traditionally the most prestigious tours were the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa making a tour of a Northern Hemisphere, and the return tours made by a joint British and Irish team. Tours would last for months, due to long traveling times and the number of games undertaken; the 1888 New Zealand team began their tour in Hawkes Bay in June and did not complete their schedule until August 1889, having played 107 rugby matches. Touring international sides would play Test matches against international opponents, including national, club and county sides in
6996-538: The Premiership and the RFU Championship. Originally this meant a season-winning Championship club was promoted, replacing the lowest placed Premiership club which was relegated (between 2021 and 2023 promotion continued but no Level 1 club has been relegated). Promotion from the Championship is subject to the Minimum Standards Criteria. If a promotion-winning team does not meet these standards then there
7128-540: The Premiership are selected from the RFU's Professional Referee Unit. The Professional Referee Unit consists of 15 referees with match appointments decided by PRU management team of ex-international referees Ed Morrison , Brian Campsall and Tony Spreadbury . List of Premiership Referees Source: They are supported by a large team of assistant referees. The Premiership Rugby league season typically runs from September to June and comprises 18 rounds of matches, with each club playing each other home and away. The results of
7260-404: The Premiership beginning that season . As promotion from the Championship would not be stopped, this meant the Premiership would expand to 13 teams in the following year . The moratorium was extended by an additional two seasons in June 2021. New regulations would also include a moratorium on promotion from the Championship in the same season had the Premiership expanded to 14 teams and introduce
7392-472: The Romans, where two opposing teams competed to throw a large ball into an opposition net, fighting for possession of the ball. Medieval Irishmen played caid , carrying an inflated bladder and using arched trees as goals. The Welsh played an inter-parish game using a wooden ball called cnapan . Frenchmen played soule and Georgians played lelo. "Football" as a game was well established by 1803 at Rugby School and by
7524-471: The Salary Cap was unenforceable under competition law, this defence was rejected. On 28 January 2020, Premiership Rugby applied a further 70 point deduction for the 2019–20 season to ensure Saracens would finish bottom of the league table. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all elite sports in England in spring 2020. The RFU initially suspended both the Premiership and Championship before eventually cancelling
7656-525: The U.S. and London, but those plans fell through, and the matches were indefinitely delayed. In August 2013, Peter Tom, the chairman of Leicester Tigers, confirmed that discussions had taken place within Premiership Rugby Limited about the possibility of hosting selected Premiership matches in the US. The first match played in the USA was on 12 March 2016 when London Irish were defeated by Saracens at
7788-522: The UK and Virgin Media Sport in the Republic of Ireland until 2022 and with ITV and RTÉ from 2022 to 2024. Both channels simulcast one match from each round and the final. BT Sport originally only had rights to show both the semi-finals and the final of Premiership Women's Rugby in the 2022–23 season . Ahead of the 2023–24 season, TNT gained broadcasting rights to one game per weekend as well as both
7920-552: The UK and Ireland, including ESPN and international sports channel ESPN America ; this agreement gave BT rights to the FA Cup beginning in 2013–14 , the Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League through 2015, and the Scottish Premier League through 2017, as well as other international event rights licensed through ESPN. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but BT was understood to be paying "low tens of millions". The deal
8052-609: The US of a Premiership Rugby game. The game was shown live on NBC . In 2019–20, and 2020–21 once again no matches were scheduled to take place in the US. 2018 also saw a revamp of the league's secondary competition with the launch of the Premiership Rugby Shield . In December 2018, it was announced that the Luxembourg based investment advisory firm CVC Capital Partners had bought a 27% stake in Premiership Rugby in
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#17330933460968184-550: The US for four seasons starting in 2017–18. The first match under the new deal was held on 16 September 2017, with Newcastle Falcons taking their home fixture against Saracens to the Talen Energy Stadium in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennsylvania . In 2018–19, although no match was scheduled to take place in the US, the round 6 match between Saracens and Harlequins was the first broadcast on network television in
8316-475: The Wallabies (Australia's national team) who often have yellow markings. Local clubs may use black, yellow, or other colours on grass, with other surfaces possibly requiring different marking techniques. Unlike association football, where on-field advertising is strictly forbidden in the laws, World Rugby allows sponsors logos to be painted on the playing surface. This is another way in which clubs can make money in
8448-453: The agreement, WBD would assume the operations of BT Sport, and merge them with Eurosport under a new brand at a later date. WBD will pay £93 million to BT over three years; if performance targets are met, WBD will pay a bonus of up to £540 million. The company will also have the option to buy out more of BT's stake in the venture. As part of the agreement, BT agreed to distribute Warner Bros. Discovery's factual streaming service Discovery+ —which
8580-421: The amateur era, whereas Exeter Chiefs , Leeds Tykes , London Welsh , Richmond , Rotherham Titans and Worcester Warriors have only appeared during the professional era. Below, the 2024–25 clubs are listed in bold ; ever-present clubs are listed in bold italics . Years listed are the calendar years in which the seasons ended. All current teams will remain in the league until at least 2024. Referees in
8712-431: The backs and the forwards is that the backs are expected to have superior kicking and ball-handling skills, especially the fly-half, scrum-half, and full-back. The half-backs consist of two positions, the scrum-half and the fly-half , also known in the Southern Hemisphere as half-back and first five-eighth respectively. The fly-half is crucial to a team's game plan, orchestrating the team's performance. They are usually
8844-422: The ball is kicked into touch by a player who had at least one foot on or behind their own 22-metre line, the line-out formed at the spot where the ball crossed the touch-line instead of being taken in line with the spot from where it was kicked. Additional broken or dashed lines (of 5 metre dash lengths, according to the Laws ) are drawn in each half or on each side of, the field, each with specific purposes under
8976-417: The ball. Forwards play a vital role in tackling and rucking opposing players. Players in these positions are generally bigger and stronger and take part in the scrum and line-out. The forwards are often collectively referred to as the 'pack', especially when in the scrum formation. The front row consists of three players: two props (the loosehead prop and the tighthead prop) and the hooker . The role of
9108-578: The case of Northern Hemisphere rugby, or provincial/state sides in the case of Southern Hemisphere rugby. Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: New Zealand in 1905, followed by South Africa in 1906 and Australia in 1908. All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed
9240-524: The clubs that had favoured the Rugby Rules formed the Rugby Football Union in 1871, and their code became known as " rugby football ". In 1895, there was a major schism within rugby football in England in which numerous clubs from Northern England resigned from the RFU over the issue of reimbursing players for time lost from their workplaces. The split highlighted the social and class divisions in
9372-480: The clubs' responsibility for scheduling matches. There was no home and away structure to the leagues in those early seasons, as sides played one another only once. Initially two teams, Bath and Leicester , proved to be head and shoulders above the rest in the Courage League, and between them dominated the top of the table. In 1994, the league structure expanded to include a full rota of home and away matches for
9504-485: The current Premiership system. The current champions are Northampton Saints who won the league in 2024. The governing body of rugby union in England, the Rugby Football Union (RFU), long resisted leagues as it was believed that the introduction of leagues would increase 'dirty' play and put pressure on clubs to pay their players (thereby contravening the amateur ethos). Instead, clubs arranged their own fixtures and had traditional games. The only organised tournaments were
9636-513: The domestic Big Bash League . BT Sport renewed its rights in the 2021–22 season , holding rights to Australian internationals through the 2025 season (including the 2021–22 Ashes series ); the rights to the BBL and Women's Big Bash League were sold separately to Sky Sports. In February 2021, BT also reached deals for New Zealand and West Indies home matches. In January 2024, TNT announced its first major cricket rights acquisition when it obtained
9768-489: The early development of rugby football was the production of a written set of rules at Rugby School in 1845, followed by the Cambridge Rules that were drawn up in 1848. Formed in 1863, the national governing body The Football Association (FA) began codifying a set of universal football rules. These new rules specifically banned players from running with the ball in hand and also disallowed hacking (kicking players in
9900-617: The entire range of channels. In addition, Freeview HD customers received BT Sport Showcase and Virgin Media customers received BT Sport Free . They closed on 30 June 2018. On 4 December 2018, the SD versions of BT Sport and BT Sport ESPN stopped broadcasting on Virgin Media. On 6 February 2019, BT Sport released the app for Xbox One . It was later released for PlayStation 4 on 31 May 2019. On 8 September 2020, BT Sport also launched on Fire TV , Android TV and Roku TV. On 18 July 2023, following
10032-480: The field are divided into eight forwards (two more than in rugby league ) and seven backs . There are typically significantly more forwards on the bench than backs with, for example, South Africa having a 7-1 split in favour of forwards in their August 2023 match against New Zealand in Twickenham. A 6-2 or 5-3 split is more common. The main responsibilities of the forward players are to gain and retain possession of
10164-401: The field of play and called the 22-metre lines, or "22"s. An area at each end, also known as the "22", is bounded by, but does not include, the sidelines, goal line and 22-metre line. In this area, a defensive player who cleanly catches a ball kicked by the other team, without the ball having already touched the ground after the kick, is entitled to claim a free kick, or " mark ". Additionally, if
10296-630: The field to accommodate fitter and faster (or heavier) players. Fixed cameras on tripods and advertising hoardings are often the main culprits for injuring players in the perimeter area. BT Sport TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport ) is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland . Now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group , they first launched as BT Sport on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at Warner Bros. Discovery's complex in Chiswick Business Park , London , having been based at Here East ,
10428-528: The finals being shown by both. BT also received first pick on Champions Cup matches involving Premiership Rugby clubs. For seven seasons from the 2018–19 season, BT Sport became the official broadcast partner of the Champions and Challenge cups and broadcast up to 134 matches per season. The Challenge Cup will be shown exclusively on BT Sport whilst broadcasting of the Champions Cup was shared with Channel 4 in
10560-511: The first game was played between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. The Rugby World Cup , first held in 1987, is held every four years. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are other important international competitions that are held annually. National club and provincial competitions include the Premiership in England,
10692-539: The first half of the 19th century. Rugby is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends. Rugby union is a popular sport around the world, played by people regardless of gender, age or size. In 2023, there were more than 10 million people playing worldwide, of whom 8.4 million were registered players. World Rugby , previously called
10824-403: The first time. The 1994–95 season was the first to be shown live on Sky Sports , a relationship which continued until the 2013–14 season when BT Sport acquired the exclusive rights in a deal which is currently scheduled to end after the 2023–24 season. The league turned professional for the 1996–97 season when the first winners were Wasps , joining Bath and Leicester as the only champions in
10956-425: The first to receive the ball from the scrum-half following a breakdown, lineout, or scrum, and need to be decisive with what actions to take and be effective at communicating with the outside backs. Many fly-halves are also their team's goal kickers. The scrum-half is the link between the forwards and the backs. They receive the ball from the lineout and remove the ball from the back of the scrum, usually passing it to
11088-407: The fixture, they will be awarded 4 points, while the team unable to field a matchday squad due to a COVID-19 outbreak will be given 2 points – otherwise, if both teams are impacted by COVID-19, they will each receive 2 points for the affected fixture. Following the completion of the regular season, the top 4 teams enter the play-offs , which are held in June. The top two teams receive home advantage,
11220-537: The fly-half. They also feed the scrum and sometimes have to act as a fourth loose forward. There are four three quarter positions: two centres (inside and outside) and two wings (left and right). In the Southern Hemisphere, the inside centre is commonly referred to as the second five-eighth, while the outside centre is simply known as the centre. The centres will attempt to tackle attacking players; whilst in attack, they should employ speed and strength to breach opposition defences. The wings are generally positioned on
11352-716: The former International Broadcast Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London until July 2023. The channels are available on the EE TV , Sky and Virgin Media television platforms in the UK and Sky and Vodafone TV in the Republic of Ireland. The networks were established in 2013 after BT Group's acquisition of rights to the Premier League . BT also acquired the operations of previous rightsholder ESPN prior to launch, integrating them with BT Sport. In 2022, BT Group announced an agreement with Warner Media to form
11484-414: The goal lines, equivalent to American football's "end zones". The in-goal areas must be between 6 and 22 metres (6.6 and 24.1 yards) deep and cover the full width of the field. A ball grounded in this area by an attacking player will generally result in a try being awarded, unless there has been a previous infringement, or the player has gone out-of-bounds whilst in possession of the ball. The perimeter area
11616-409: The league leaders hosting the 4th ranked team, and the 2nd place team hosting the 3rd place team. The winners of these semi-finals progress to the final, held at Twickenham Stadium , with the winner of the final being crowned champions. Admittance to the Premiership, which is Level 1 of the men's 106-league English rugby union system , is achieved through a system of promotion and relegation between
11748-457: The league standings at the end of the season in any of these years. Conversely, Gloucester have garnered an unfortunate reputation for leading the table at the end of the regular season, only to fall short of winning the Premiership title, losing finals in 2003, 2007, and 2008. Gloucester's single victory in the playoffs, in 2002, occurred when league leaders Leicester were still considered English champions, meaning Gloucester's Championship victory
11880-493: The league's first decade. Clubs like Saracens , Newcastle and Northampton were able to attract wealthy benefactors, but the professional era also had its casualties, as clubs like West Hartlepool , Richmond and London Scottish were forced into administration when their backers pulled out. The start of the 2000–01 season brought with it a re-vamping of the season structure. In 2000–2001 an 8-team playoff (the Championship)
12012-556: The league, and automatically relegated, after going into administration . Ahead of the 2023–24 season , London Irish also dropped out of the league, as a result of financial insolvency. A total of 28 clubs have been involved in the top-flight since the league's inception in the 1987–88 season. The most recent club to make its debut in the Premiership was London Welsh , which made their top flight debut in 2012–13. Three clubs — Bath , Gloucester and Leicester Tigers — have appeared in every season to date. Harlequins have only missed
12144-405: The league. Their upcoming fixture against Gloucester on 1 October, was also cancelled. On 6 October, Worcester Warriors were suspended for the rest of the season, relegated from the premiership, and all past and future fixtures for that season expunged. On 17 October 2022, Wasps went into administration and were suspended from the league. Their upcoming fixture against Sale Sharks on 18 October,
12276-460: The matches contribute points to the league as follows : Since the restart of the 2019–20 season, scheduled fixtures which are cancelled because of a COVID-19 outbreak in one of the competing teams will have their outcome and points allocation decided by a Premiership Rugby panel. As of the start of the 2021–22 season, if the fixture cannot be rescheduled, it is recorded as a 0–0 draw. In this situation, if one team would have been able to fulfil
12408-414: The most important attributes of a good full-back are dependable catching skills and a good kicking game. Rugby union is played between two teams – the one that scores more points wins the game. Points can be scored in several ways: a try , scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area (between the goal line and the dead-ball line), is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points;
12540-414: The outside of the backline. Their primary function is to finish off moves and score tries. Wings are usually the fastest players in the team and are elusive runners who use their speed to avoid tackles. The full-back is normally positioned several metres behind the back line. They often field opposition kicks and are usually the last line of defence should an opponent break through the back line. Two of
12672-440: The playing area and perimeter area, although depending on how large the perimeter is, other surfaces such as dirt, artificial turf, etc. may be used outside of a "sliding" perimeter from the bounds of the playing area. For the most part, the "playing area" is where the majority of play occurs. The ball is generally considered live whilst in this area, so long as players do not infringe, with special rules applied to specific zones of
12804-442: The playing area. The playing area consists of: A typical "field of play" is generally 100 metres long by 68–70 metres wide for senior rugby, depending on the specific requirements of each ground. The Laws require the field of play to be between 94 and 100 metres (103 and 109 yards) long, with a width of between 68 and 70 metres (74 and 77 yards). As other football codes, such as association football and rugby league, have specified
12936-432: The playing enclosure. Fences or ropes (particularly at amateur clubs) are generally used to mark the extent of this area, although in modern stadia this may include the entire arena floor or other designated space. The Laws, above all, require that the playing enclosure's surface be safe, whilst also permitting grass, sand, clay, snow or conforming artificial turf to be used; the surface would generally be uniform across both
13068-699: The pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of " shamateurism ", including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995. Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the Heineken Cup in the Northern Hemisphere and Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. The Tri Nations , an annual international tournament involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, kicked off in 1996. In 2012 , this competition
13200-415: The professional era and is also often used by host nations, professional leagues and tournaments as additional revenue streams, particularly when games are broadcast. In recent years, augmented reality technology has been used to replace painting to protect the surface or save costs on painting fields, producing a similar effect for broadcast albeit sometimes with poorer results. The in-goal areas sit behind
13332-477: The programming and pay-per-views of U.S. professional wrestling promotion WWE , ending a relationship with Sky Sports that dated back to the network's launch in 1989. In April 2021, it was reported that BT was exploring a sale of all or part of BT Sport, in order to focus more on its fibreoptic services. Rumoured suitors included Amazon.com Inc. (which is one of the Premier League's current rightsholders),
13464-477: The rebrand to TNT Sports, the channels became available on the Discovery+ service for viewers in the UK, with the BT Sport application discontinued on all platforms from October 12, 2023. Plans for the channels launch came about when it was announced in June 2012 that the broadcast rights to the Premier League from the 2013–14 to 2015–16 seasons were awarded to BT and Sky , outbidding existing broadcaster ESPN for
13596-490: The regular season and playoffs in the same year: Leicester twice in 2000–01 (the first year of the playoffs), 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2021–22 Sale Sharks in 2005–06, Harlequins in 2011–12, Saracens in 2015–16, Exeter in 2019–20, and Northampton Saints in 2023–24 Of all the Premiership teams, Wasps have made a reputation for playing the competition format to perfection, peaking at the right time to be crowned English Champions in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. Wasps did not lead
13728-526: The remaining channels can subscribe to the 'TNT Sports Pack' in either standard or high definition. BT also provide broadband subscribers access to the channels via the Discovery+ app. Virgin Media customers receive TNT Sports 1, 2, 3, 4, and Ultimate as part of their "Full House" bundle however, they do not receive AMC from BT. TalkTalk TV customers subscribed to the TNT Sports Pack in order to receive
13860-425: The right to throw-in. The perimeter area should be clear and free of obstructions and heavy, solid objects which could pose a danger to players for at least 5 metres from the playing area, according to the Laws. Players often leave the playing area whether accidentally or due to being forced off of the field, sometimes sliding or needing to slow down from a sprint. Many venues at elite levels leave larger spaces around
13992-632: The rights to the India national cricket team from 2024 to 2028. The deal is signed just a few days prior to the start of the India v England test series . BT Sport's flagship motorsports event is MotoGP . In addition it shows the Moto2 , Moto3 , Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and JuniorGP . Suzi Perry hosts the coverage alongside pundits Colin Edwards , Sylvain Guintoli , Michael Laverty and Neil Hodgson . Commentary
14124-627: The rights. BT showed 38 live matches from the Premier League each season, including 18 first pick matches, from the 2013/14 season til the end of the 2015/16 season. In October 2012, BT announced it had also agreed deals to air Serie A , Ligue 1 , Brasileirão and Major League Soccer , all of which were previously broadcast on ESPN, as well as Premiership Rugby . In January 2013, BT announced it would also broadcast Women's Tennis Association matches from 21 tournaments. On 25 February 2013, BT announced that it had acquired ESPN 's UK channels and their sports broadcasting rights, including rights to
14256-492: The salary cap regulations due to failure to disclose player payments in the 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, which would have taken them over the senior player cap. They were handed a 35-point deduction for the 2019–20 season and fined £5.3 million. The judgement found that Saracens had been reckless in entering into the arrangements with players without disclosing them to Premiership Rugby. On 18 January 2020, Premiership Rugby announced that Saracens would be relegated to
14388-579: The second division, the RFU Championship is promoted to the Premiership and until 2020, the team finishing at the bottom of the Premiership each season was relegated to the Championship. The competition is regarded as one of the three top-level professional leagues in the Northern and Western Hemispheres , along with the Top 14 in France, and the cross-border United Rugby Championship for teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. The competition has been played since 1987, and has evolved into
14520-442: The semi-finals and the final. As part of the deal, there is provision for a free-to-air provider to show both the semi-finals and final alongside TNT. In August 2015, BT Sport acquired rights to Cricket Australia under a five-year deal starting in the 2016–17 season ; the package included rights to internationals hosted by Australia (including English tours of Australia such as the 2017–18 Ashes series ), as well as rights to
14652-574: The shins), both of which were legal and common tactics under the Rugby School's rules of the sport. In protest at the imposition of the new rules, the Blackheath Club left the FA followed by several other clubs that also favoured the "Rugby Rules". Although these clubs decided to ban hacking soon afterwards, the split was permanent, and the FA's codified rules became known as " association football " whilst
14784-427: The sport in England. Although the rules of the game were not a factor in the split, the breakaway teams subsequently adopted some rule changes and this became the separate code of " rugby league ". The RFU's code thereafter took on the name "rugby union" to differentiate it from rugby league, but both versions of the sport are known simply as "rugby" throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international
14916-407: The sport market was an effort to help strengthen its triple play business and, in particular, help retain internet subscribers lost to Sky (which he believed would result in greater financial loss than those that would be sustained by operating BT Sport). BT Sport launched on 1 August 2013. On 12 August, BT reported that over 1,000,000 households had subscribed to the service ahead of the start of
15048-704: The sport's governing bodies on the other, Premiership Rugby Limited explored several moves toward expanding its brand into the United States . In May 2013, Premiership Rugby Limited and U.S.-based RugbyLaw entered into a plan by which the two organisations were to help back a proposed U.S. professional league that could have begun play as early as 2014. The first phase of the plan was to involve two preseason exhibitions featuring an "American Barbarians" side that would combine international veterans and young American talent. The "Barbarians" were intended to play matches in August 2013 in
15180-470: The sports streaming provider DAZN (which had notably beat out Sky Italia for exclusive domestic rights to Serie A football), and ESPN majority-owner Disney . By September 2021, DAZN was reported to be in "advanced talks" with BT. However, in December, it was reported that negotiations had stalled, and that Discovery Inc. —who owns competitor Eurosport and was preparing to merge with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)—was negotiating
15312-432: The tallest players in the team and specialise as line-out jumpers. The main role of the lock in line-outs is to make a standing jump, often supported by the other forwards, to either collect the thrown ball or ensure the ball comes down on their side. Locks also have an important role in the scrum, binding directly behind the three front row players and providing forward drive. The back row, not to be confused with 'Backs',
15444-424: The two locks at the back of the scrum. The role of the number 8 in the scrum is to control the ball after it has been heeled back from the front of the pack, and the position provides a link between the forwards and backs during attacking phases. The role of the backs is to create and convert point-scoring opportunities. They are generally smaller, faster and more agile than the forwards. Another distinction between
15576-453: The two props is to support the hooker during scrums, to provide support for the jumpers during line-outs and to provide strength and power in rucks and mauls. The third position in the front row is the hooker. The hooker is a key position in attacking and defensive play and is responsible for winning the ball in the scrum. Hookers normally throw the ball in at line-outs. The second row consists of two locks or lock forwards. Locks are usually
15708-610: The winter break in January and February. On 9 November 2013, BT announced a £897 million deal with UEFA to broadcast the Champions League and Europa League exclusively on BT Sport from the 2015–16 season for three years. The deal ended two decades of the competition being broadcast free-to-air on ITV , although BT stated that the finals of both competitions and at least one match per season involving each participating British team would still be broadcast free-to-air (doing so via
15840-409: Was achieved when they defeated Leicester Tigers in the semi-final 21–20, thus denying Leicester a 10th Consecutive Final. In the final, they defeated Saracens 20–24 with a try in the last minute of extra time to win the 2013–14 Aviva Premiership . With the future of the Heineken Cup uncertain beyond 2013–14, due to a row between England's Premiership Rugby Limited and France's LNR on one side and
15972-474: Was also cancelled. On 28 October, Wasps were suspended for the rest of the season, relegated from the premiership, and all past and future fixtures for that season expunged. On 6 June 2023, London Irish were suspended from the Premiership after missing a deadline to pay players and staff. Irish subsequently went into administration on 7 June. The Premiership began the recent 2022–23 season with 13 clubs, but both Wasps and Worcester Warriors were removed from
16104-451: Was also confirmed that the league's minimum standards criteria for promotion would be reviewed as would league structure from the 2021–22 season. The new structure extended the moratorium on relegation for a further two-years. A playoff between the top team in the Championship and the bottom team in the Premiership is also introduced in the 2023–24 season. On 26 September 2022, Worcester Warriors went into administration and were suspended from
16236-421: Was an unqualified success, with clubs in the upper echelons of the national leagues reporting increased crowds, interest from both local backers and national companies, and higher skill levels among players exposed to regular competition. The fears that leagues would lead to greater violence on the field proved largely unfounded. By the next season , the RFU allocated fixed Saturdays to the league season, removing
16368-545: Was announced that BT Sport would rebrand as TNT Sports on 18 July 2023, ahead of the 2023–24 football season; the branding is derived from WBD's U.S. general entertainment channel TNT (which has historically carried sports coverage, such as the NBA ; the brand had also previously operated in the UK ), and has also been used by WarnerMedia sports networks in Latin and South America. The Eurosport UK channels will be folded into TNT Sports at
16500-407: Was considered secondary. The 2011–12 season saw Harlequins add their name to the trophy on their first attempt, winning 30–23 against the nine-times champions Leicester. Leicester would have to wait until 2012–13 for their 10th championship, where they defeated Northampton in the final. The 2013–14 Aviva Premiership season saw Northampton become the 8th different team to win the trophy. This
16632-490: Was dropped. From the beginning of the 2002–03 season, a new playoff format was introduced to replace the 8-team Championship. The format required the first-placed team in the league to play the winner of a match between the second- and third-placed teams. Critically, the winner of this game (the Premiership Final) would be recognised as English champions. Although Gloucester won the league by a clear margin, they then faced
16764-483: Was expected to close by 31 July, and BT was expected to operate at least one ESPN-branded channel as part of the BT Sport service. BT made other notable rights deals ahead of BT Sport's launch, including UFC mixed martial arts under a three-year deal, and MotoGP beginning in 2014, under a five-year deal. In May 2013, BT announced that BT Sport would be offered for free to its internet subscribers via streaming . Media analyst Steve Hewlett felt that BT's entry into
16896-463: Was extended to include Argentina , a country whose impressive performances in international games (especially finishing in third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) was deemed to merit inclusion in the competition. As a result of the expansion to four teams, the tournament was renamed The Rugby Championship. Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field and typically seven or eight substitutes but this varies at amateur level. The 15 players on
17028-629: Was held at Murrayfield in 1993. Rugby Sevens was introduced into the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and was added to the Olympic Games of 2016. Both men and women's Sevens took place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game "open" in August 1995 (shortly after the completion of the 1995 World Cup), removing restrictions on payments to players. However,
17160-576: Was included as an event in the Olympic Games four times during the early 20th century. No international rugby games and union-sponsored club matches were played during the First World War, but competitions continued through service teams such as the New Zealand Army team . During the Second World War no international matches were played by most countries, though Italy, Germany and Romania played
17292-411: Was introduced. However, the team finishing top of the table at the end of the regular season was still considered English champions ("Premiership title"). Halfway through the 2001–02 season, with Leicester odds-on to win their fourth title in succession, it was controversially decided that the winners of the 8-team playoff would be crowned English champions. There was an outcry from fans and this proposal
17424-629: Was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England in Edinburgh . Scotland won the game by one goal and one try to one goal. By 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby sevens tournament, the Melrose Sevens , which is still held annually. Two important overseas tours took place in 1888:
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