Gallagher PREM

Premiership Rugby, currently known as the Gallagher Prem for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier of English rugby union’s club structure. It is overseen by England Rugby (the Rugby Football Union), English rugby union’s governing body. The Gallagher Premiership’s domestic fanbase stretches across the length and breadth of England; unlike much of the professional club rugby in the rest of the UK and Ireland, the Premiership is largely comprised of teams which represent cities or towns, instead of provinces or regions. The Gallagher Premiership is a hugely celebrated and widely-watched league containing many of the world’s best players and most renowned rugby institutions. It enjoys a far-reaching international audience.

Northampton Saints are the reigning Gallagher Prem champions.

📜 Gallagher Prem History

Until the 1970s, many of England’s top clubs generally played ad hoc or traditional fixtures, meaning there were no overall national rankings. Efforts to establish a domestic league had for a long time been resisted by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), with reasons ranging from fears of on-pitch violence, to the supposed dilution of rugby union’s amateur ethos.

Eventually these concerns were outweighed by the perceived benefits, and the first national rankings were introduced in the 1980s. In 1987 the first “National Division One” season took place, with Leicester claiming the inaugural title. The league system proved a great success, and it became a professional venture in 1996. Premiership Rugby has been sponsored by many companies since its inception, with each lending its name to the league; Gallagher insurance is the current sponsor. In 2025, the league rebranded to Gallagher Prem Rugby.

💯 Gallagher Prem Format & Scoring

There are 13 teams in the Gallagher Prem, with one team promoted from the second tier (Championship) each year. Previously, one team was also relegated down into the Championship, however this is currently on hold as the English league system is being restructured.

In the regular season, every team plays each other – once at home and once away - in standard 80-minute rugby union matches comprised of 2 halves of 40 minutes each. These fixtures and the points accrued determine the league standings. After the conclusion of all regular season matches – 24 in total, for each team - the top 4 teams enter a play-off, with first and second taking home advantage into a semifinal against fourth and third respectively. The 2 semifinal winners play against each other in the Gallagher Prem Rugby final, held at a neutral venue, the world famous “home of rugby” Twickenham Stadium, with the winning team crowned Gallagher Prem champions!

Premiership teams also battle to qualify for European competition, with places in the elite European Champions Cup available for the Premiership’s top 8 teams, and places in the second-tier Challenge Cup available for those that finish 9th to 12th. If an English team wins the Challenge Cup, they automatically qualify for the next season's Champions Cup.