# 2021–22 Premiership Rugby Cup

The 2021–22 Premiership Rugby Cup is the 49th season of England's national rugby union cup competition and the third under the new Premiership Rugby Cup format following the disbanding of the Anglo-Welsh Cup at the end of the 2017–18 season due to the withdrawal of the Welsh Pro14 regions. Although there are no stipulations on player selection, the cup will be seen by many clubs as a development competition, and games will take place during the Autumn internationals and during the Six Nations.
The competition returns after a one-year hiatus due to cancellation of the 2020–21 competition. Sale Sharks enter the competition as reigning champions, becoming the second winners of the Premiership Cup when they defeated Harlequins 27–19 at the AJ Bell Stadium in the 2019–20 final.

## Competition format

The competition consists of the thirteen Premiership Rugby teams arranged in three pools. Pool 1 will consist of five teams whilst pools B and C will consist of four. Each team will play each team in their pool once only and, in the case of pools 2 and 3, also play an additional inter pool match. There will be five rounds of matches meaning each team will receive one bye. The top team in each pool, plus the best overall runner-up, will progress to the semi-finals, with the highest ranked teams having home advantage. The winners of the semi-finals will then meet at the final in May 2022 to be held at the home ground of the highest ranked remaining team.

### Teams

| Club | Director of Rugby/Head Coach | Captain | Kit supplier | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
| Bath | Stuart Hooper | Charlie Ewels | Macron | The Recreation Ground | 14,509 | Bath |
| Bristol Bears | Pat Lam | Steve Luatua | Umbro | Ashton Gate | 27,000 | Bristol |
| Exeter Chiefs | Rob Baxter | Jack Yeandle Joe Simmonds | Samurai Sportswear | Sandy Park | 13,593 | Exeter |
| Gloucester | George Skivington | Lewis Ludlow | Oxen Sports | Kingsholm Stadium | 16,115 | Gloucester |
| Harlequins | Billy Millard | Stephan Lewies | Adidas | Twickenham Stoop | 14,800 | Twickenham, Greater London |
| Leicester Tigers | Steve Borthwick | Ellis Genge | Samurai Sportswear | Mattioli Woods Welford Road | 25,849 | Leicester |
| London Irish | Declan Kidney | Matt Rogerson | BLK | Brentford Community Stadium | 17,250 | Brentford, Greater London |
| Newcastle Falcons | Dean Richards | Mark Wilson | Macron | Kingston Park | 10,200 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Northampton Saints | Chris Boyd | Lewis Ludlam | Macron | cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens | 15,200 | Northampton |
| Sale Sharks | Alex Sanderson | Jono Ross | Macron | AJ Bell Stadium | 12,000 | Salford, Greater Manchester |
| Saracens | Mark McCall | Owen Farrell | Castore | StoneX Stadium | 8,500 | Hendon, Greater London |
| Wasps | Lee Blackett | Joe Launchbury | Hummel | Coventry Building Society Arena | 32,609 | Coventry |
| Worcester Warriors | Alan Solomons | Ted Hill | O'Neills | Sixways Stadium | 11,499 | Worcester |

## Pools
### Pool 1

Pool 1 :
| | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points difference | Tries for | Tries against | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Points |
| 1 | Gloucester | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 71 | +109 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 2 | Worcester Warriors | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 72 | 65 | +19 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 3 | Exeter Chiefs | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 105 | 107 | −2 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 11* |
| 4 | Bristol Bears | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 122 | 157 | -35 | 18 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | Bath | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 173 | −137 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1* |
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Total number of tries scored |||||||||||||||
| Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner. Blue background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as the best pool runner-up. Updated: 14 November 2021 Note that each team plays 4 games. Cancelled fixture: Bath 0 points; Exeter 5 points |||||||||||||||

### Pool 2

Pool 2 :
| | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points difference | Tries for | Tries against | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Points |
| 1 | Leicester Tigers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 156 | 92 | +64 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Newcastle Falcons | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 116 | 114 | +2 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | Wasps | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 115 | 136 | −21 | 17 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 4 | Sale Sharks | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 122 | −14 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 5* |
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Total number of tries scored |||||||||||||||
| Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner. Blue background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as the best pool runner-up. Updated: 14 November 2021 Note that each team plays 4 games; 3 pool games plus a derby game against a team in another pool. Sale Sharks were deducted 5 points for fielding an ineligible player |||||||||||||||

### Pool 3

Pool 3 :
| | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points difference | Tries for | Tries against | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Points |
| 1 | London Irish | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 125 | 106 | +19 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Northampton Saints | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 131 | 123 | +8 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 3 | Harlequins | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 95 | 121 | −26 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Saracens | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 104 | 136 | -32 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Total number of tries scored |||||||||||||||
| Green background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as pool winner. Blue background means the club has qualified for the semi-finals as the best pool runner-up. Updated: 14 November 2021 Note that each team plays 4 games; 3 pool games plus a derby game against a team in another pool. |||||||||||||||

## Fixtures
### Round 1

* 12 November 2021 19:45
| (1 BP) Gloucester | 71 – 10 | Bath |
| Try: Morgan (3) 7' c, 39' c, 43' c Moyle 11' c Ludlow 25' c Ackermann 32' m Davidson 41' c Balmain 47' c Clement (2) 54' c, 75' m Morris 67' m Con: Evans (8/11) 8', 12', 27', 40', 41', 44', 48', 55' | Report | Try: Worboys 60' c Con: Worboys (1/1) 61' Pen: Worboys (1/1) 17' |
* Kingsholm
* 13 November 2021 14:30
| (1 BP) Saracens | 28 – 21 | Harlequins (1 BP) |
| Try: Barrington 14' c Morris 30' c McFarland (2) 39' c, 48' c Con: Man. Vunipola (4/4) 16', 31', 40', 50' | Report | Try: Jurevicius 33' c White 45' c David 73' c Con: Benson (3/3) 34', 46', 74' |
* StoneX Stadium
* 13 November 2021 15:00
| (1 BP) Exeter Chiefs | 27 – 33 | Bristol Bears (1 BP) |
| Try: Kenny 3' c Walsh (2) 17' c, 50' c Con: Hodge (3/3) 4', 18', 51' Pen: Hodge (2/2) 44', 80+4' | Report | Try: Penalty Try 35' Bedlow 37' c Capon 59' m Thomas 62' c Duncan 74' c Con: Bedlow (3/4) 38', 63', 75' |
* Sandy Park
* 13 November 2021 15:00
| Leicester Tigers | 32 – 23 | Sale Sharks |
| Try: van Poortvliet 18' c Porter 78' c Con: Hegarty (1/1) 19' Lancaster (1/1) 79' Pen: Hegarty (5/5) 6', 17', 22', 40', 42' Lancaster (1/1) 53' | Report | Try: Reed 26' c Dugdale (2) 56' m, 67' m Con: Curtis (1/3) 26' Pen: Curtis (2/2) 2', 50' |
* Mattioli Woods Welford Road Attendance: 15,745 Referee: Andrew Jackson
* 13 November 2021 15:00
| (1 BP) Newcastle Falcons | 34 – 27 | Wasps (1 BP) |
| Try: Tait (2) 12' m, 58' c Montgomery 22' m Stephens 40' c Basham 51' m Graham 79' m Con: Hodgson (2/6) 40+1', 59' | Report | Try: Hartley 15' c Tunney 25' c van Vuuren 36' c Con: Mathews (3/3) 16', 26', 37' Pen: Mathews (2/2) 21', 68' |
* Kingston Park
* 13 November 2021 15:30
| (1 BP) Northampton Saints | 26 – 36 | London Irish (1 BP) |
| Try: Hendy 29' c Fish 54' c Gillespie 62' m Litchfield 70' c Con: J. Grayson (3/4) 30', 55', 71' | Report | Try: Stokes 12' c Munga 16' m Sullivan 21' c van Rensburg (2) 40' c, 74' c Con: Jennings (4/5) 13', 22', 40+1', 75' Pen: Jennings (1/1) 78' |
* cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens
* Bye/s: Worcester Warriors

### Round 2

* 19 November 2021 19:45
| Sale Sharks | 25 - 20 | Newcastle Falcons (1 BP) |
| Try: Metclaf ‘26 Reed ‘37 Birch ‘72 Con: du Preez ‘28, ‘74 Pen: du Preez ‘11, ‘49 | | Try: Hayden-Wood ‘19 Earle ‘53 McGuigan ‘68 Con: Connon ‘20 Pen: Connon ‘45 |
* AJ Bell Stadium Attendance: 4,725 Referee: Nick Wood
* 19 November 2021 19:45
| (1 BP) London Irish | 29 - 20 | Saracens |
| Try: Haskell-Collins ‘15 Hepetema ‘21 Mafi ‘28 Redmond ‘50 Con: Jennings ‘16, ‘22, ‘29 Pen: Jennings ‘79 | | Try: Segun ‘45 Harris ‘56, ‘60 Con: Manu Vunipola ‘57 Pen: Manu Vunipola ‘68 |
* Brentford Community Stadium Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
* 19 November 2021 19:45
| (1 BP) Harlequins | 26 - 25 | Northampton Saints (1 BP) |
| Try: Anyanwu ‘4, ‘67 Steele ‘10 Wallace ‘72 Con: Benson ‘5, ‘11, ‘74 | | Try: Henry ‘14 Haywood ‘26 Gillespie ‘31 Con: Grayson ‘15, ‘27 Pen: Grayson ‘49, ‘60 |
* Twickenham Stoop Referee: Mike Hudson
* 20 November 2021 13:00
| (1 BP) Gloucester | 45 - 19 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Try: Taylor ‘14 Morris ‘18 Morgan ‘26, ‘30 Barton ‘43 Reeves ‘75 Con: Evans ‘15, ‘21, ‘27, ‘32, ‘44 Twelvetrees ‘77 Pen: Evans ‘7 | | Try: Tuikma ‘36 Relton ’53 Hidalgo-Clyne’63 Con: Hodge ‘37 Walsh ‘64 |
* Kingsholm Referee: Jack Makepeace
* 20 November 2021 13:30
| Wasps | 7 - 55 | Leicester Tigers (1 BP) |
| Try: Hartley ‘71 Con: Mathews ‘71 | | Try: Murimurivalu ‘6 Green ‘42 Porter ‘47, ‘55 Whitcombe ‘58 Saumaki ‘66, ‘75, ‘79 Con: Lancaster ‘2, ‘43, ‘46, ‘59, ‘76, ‘80+1 Pen: Lancaster ‘26 |
* Coventry Building Society Arena Referee: Hamish Smales
* 20 November 2021 15:00
| (1 BP) Worcester Warriors | 68 - 13 | Bristol Bears |
| Try: Simpson ‘4, ‘26 Doel ‘10 Howe ‘31, ‘43 Thomas ‘36 Johnson ‘45 Dodd ‘56 Smith ‘61 Searle ‘78 Con: Searle ‘5, ‘11, ‘27, ‘32, ‘37, ‘43, ‘57, ‘62, ‘79 | | Try: Strang ‘7 Eadie ‘52 Pen: Lloyd ‘17 |
* Sixways Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
* Bye/s: Bath

### Round 3

* 29 December 2021
| Bath | Cancelled 0 - 28 | Exeter Chiefs (1 BP) |
* The Recreation Ground
* 29 December 2021 19:45
| (1 BP) Worcester Warriors | 27 - 21 | Gloucester (1 BP) |
* Sixways
* Bye/s: Bristol Bears Harlequins Leicester Tigers London Irish Newcastle Falcons Northampton Saints Sale Sharks Saracens Wasps

### Round 4

* 18 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Bristol Bears | 61 - 19 | Bath |
* Ashton Gate
* 18 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) London Irish | 34 - 19 | Harlequins |
* Brentford Community Stadium
* 18 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Newcastle Falcons | 36 - 28 | Leicester Tigers (1 BP) |
* Kingston Park
* 19 March 2022 13:00
| (1 BP) Sale Sharks | 26 - 41 | Wasps (1 BP) |
* AJ Bell Stadium
* 19 March 2022 15:00
| (1 BP) Exeter Chiefs | 31 - 29 | Worcester Warriors (2 BP) |
* Sandy Park
* 19 March 2022 15:00
| (1 BP) Saracens | 34 - 46 | Northampton Saints (1 BP) |
* StoneX Stadium
* Bye/s: Gloucester

### Round 5

* 29 March 2022 19:45
| (2 BP) Harlequins | 29 - 34 | Sale Sharks (1 BP) |
* Twickenham Stoop
* 29 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Leicester Tigers | 41 - 26 | London Irish (1 BP) |
* Mattioli Woods Welford Road
* 29 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Wasps | 40 - 21 | Saracens |
* Coventry Building Society Arena
* 30 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Bath | 7 - 13 | Worcester Warriors |
* Recreation Ground
* 30 March 2022 19:45
| Bristol Bears | 15 - 43 | Gloucester (1 BP) |
* Ashton Gate
* 30 March 2022 19:45
| (1 BP) Northampton Saints | 34 - 26 | Newcastle Falcons (1 BP) |
* cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens
* Bye/s: Exeter Chiefs

### Semi-final

* 26 April 2022 19:45
| London Irish | 59 - 20 | Leicester Tigers |
* Brentford Community Stadium
* 27 April 2022 19:45
| Gloucester Rugby | 25 - 39 | Worcester Warriors |
* Kingsholm

### Final

* 17 May 2022 19:45
| London Irish | 25–25 (a.e.t.) | Worcester Warriors |
| Try: White 33' c Con: Jackson 36' Pen: Jackson (5) 5', 28', 48', 58' 64' | Report | Try: Kvesic 12' c Humphreys 40' m Hatherell 80' c Con: Smith (2/3) 13', 80' Pen: Smith (2) 7', 19' |
* Brentford Community Stadium Attendance: 9,531 Referee: Wayne Barnes
| FB | 15 | Henry Arundell |
| RW | 14 | Lucio Cinti |
| OC | 13 | Will Joseph |
| IC | 12 | Benhard Janse van Rensburg |
| LW | 11 | Ollie Hassell-Collins |
| FH | 10 | Paddy Jackson |
| SH | 9 | Ben White |
| N8 | 8 | Albert Tuisue |
| OF | 7 | Juan Martín González |
| BF | 6 | Matt Rogerson (c) |
| RL | 5 | Rob Simmons |
| LL | 4 | Chunya Munga |
| TP | 3 | Marcel van der Merwe |
| HK | 2 | Mike Willemse |
| LP | 1 | Facundo Gigena |
| Substitutions: ||
| HK | 16 | Matt Cornish |
| PR | 17 | Will Goodrick-Clarke |
| PR | 18 | Ciaran Parker |
| LK | 19 | Steven Mafi |
| FL | 20 | Ben Donnell |
| SH | 21 | Caolan Englefield |
| CE | 22 | Curtis Rona |
| WG | 23 | Ben Loader |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||
| FB | 15 | Jamie Shillcock |
| RW | 14 | Perry Humphreys |
| OC | 13 | Francois Venter |
| IC | 12 | Ashley Beck |
| LW | 11 | Duhan van der Merwe |
| FH | 10 | Fin Smith |
| SH | 9 | Gareth Simpson |
| N8 | 8 | Ted Hill (c) |
| OF | 7 | Matt Kvesic |
| BF | 6 | Kyle Hatherell |
| RL | 5 | Graham Kitchener |
| LL | 4 | Joe Batley |
| TP | 3 | Christian Judge |
| HK | 2 | Niall Annett |
| LP | 1 | Ethan Waller |
| Substitutions: ||
| HK | 16 | Isaac Miller |
| PR | 17 | Rory Sutherland |
| PR | 18 | Murray McCallum |
| LK | 19 | Andrew Kitchener |
| FL | 20 | Sam Lewis |
| SH | 21 | Will Chudley |
| FH | 22 | Ollie Lawrence |
| CE | 23 | Alex Hearle |
| Coach: ||
| Steve Diamond ||
* Worcester were crowned champions due to having scored more tries than London Irish during the match