Premiership Rugby - Betting Odds, Favourites, History, Format and Player Records

Premiership Rugby is the highest level of professional Rugby in the United Kingdom as the 13top-tier clubs compete for the prestigious title in the competition. It is basically a professional union of English Rugby and forms the highest division of English Rugby. In the world of Rugby, the Premiership Rugby has great stature and respect as it is considered among the three greatest professional leagues, with the other two being the 'United Rugby Championship' and French 'Top 14.'


History and Evolution:

For most of the 1950s and 1960s, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) discouraged the idea of having a Professional Rugby League as they feared a greater say and control of players over the sport. 1972 saw a change in trend as the RFU Club Competition was started on the basis of a knockout format. This was the beginning of innovation and evolution in English Rugby Union as the sport changed greatly after the introduction of the competition.

1987 was the year when the league system was introduced for the first time, with the inception of the Courage Leagues. Back then, there were a total of 108 tiers of Rugby Clubs that featured more than 1000 clubs. The turn of the century brought the proper season structure in the Rugby World as the new structure was implemented in the 2000-01 season.
Eventually, the competition evolved into its current structure, where Premiership Rugby accounts for its highest division and features great competition and rivalries.


Format:

As per the current format, each team plays the other side in 26 rounds on the basis of home and away matches. Following the completion of the league stage, the playoffs are scheduled among the top 4 teams in the league table. The top-ranked team plays against the fourth-placed team while the other two compete against each other for a berth in the Premiership Rugby final.


Past Winners:

The Inaugural edition of the Premiership Rugby was held in 1987. Over the past 35 years, different teams have won the glittering trophy of Premiership Rugby.

Leicester Tigers:

The professional Rugby club Leicester Tigers has been the most successful team in the history of Premiership Rugby. The Tigers have won 11 titles over the years. Their victories came in the 1987–88, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, and 2021–22 seasons. On top of that, the team has also been runners-up on 7 occasions. Thus, making it to the finals on a record 18 occasions.

Bath:

The iconic Bath Rugby Club has won the Premiership Rugby title 6 times, with victories coming in 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, and 1995–96 seasons. They have also been the runner up 5times.

Wasps:

The Wasps Rugby club has also won 6 Premiership Rugby titles. Their victories came in the 1989–90, 1996–97, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, and 2007–08 seasons. Moreover, they have finished second in the finals five times.

Saracens:

The North London-based Rugby Club Saracens have won the premiership rugby titles 5 times while finishing second four times. Their five titles came in 2010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

Player Records:

Among players, Richard Wigglesworth holds the record for most appearances in league with 319 matches for Sale, Saracens, and Leicester. The interesting part is that he is still active and raring to go. Charlie Hodgson has been the most successful player, with 2,625 points in his 16-year-long career. Among active players, Jimmy Gopperth, who plays for Leicester Tigers leads the records with 1,701 points.


2022-23 Premiership Rugby:

The current edition of the Premiership Rugby started on 10th September 2022, while the final is scheduled to take place on 27th May 2023.