The new Prem Rugby season kicks off on Friday, 25th September, and a summer of heavy investment plus intriguing player moves should herald a thrilling campaign.
Every game will be shown live on TV as we play through 18 rounds followed by the winner-takes-all play-offs between the top four and the Grand Final in June.
Northampton and Bath, Prem Rugby champions in the last two seasons, have set themselves apart as the teams to catch in English rugby and they top the betting in both the regular season and Grand Final winner markets.
When betting on the Prem Rugby outright markets you can either predict the team who will sit top of the table after 18 games - the regular-season winners - or the club that wins the top-four play-off - the Grand Final winner.
For the last five years the team has taken both accolades, but Saracens and Harlequins have both been crowned champions in the last decade despite not finishing top.
Prem Rugby Tips and Predictions
Saracens to win the Grand Final: 6/1
Sale to reach the play-offs: 6/5
Noah Caluori (Saracens) top tryscorer: 7/1
Prem Rugby Favourites
Bath, champions in 2025 and the only team to have finished first or second in each of the last three seasons, narrowly head the market from defending champions Northampton. Both clubs have kept hold of the bulk of their squad from last season.
Leicester and Saracens, both title-winners in the last five years, are the two teams expected by the market to complete the play-off line-up, while Exeter and Sale come next in the outright betting.
Bristol have been thrilling to watch in attack but have struggled for consistency while last season’s bottom three Gloucester, Harlequins and Newcastle are expected to fill those places again.
Top Tryscorer Favourites
Premiership academies seem to have been production lines for powerful and pacey wingers over the last few years and the market on who tops the tryscoring charts is wide open.
Northampton’s Tommy Freeman, who led the way last year jointly with Noah Caluori of Saracens, is joint-favourite with Bath’s Henry Arundell, while Exeter’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Adam Radwan of Leicester are just behind them.
Prem Rugby Outright Prediction
Saracens missed out on the play-offs last season and start this campaign without long-serving coach Mark McCall.
But there’s a familiar face at the helm in no-nonsense South African Brendan Venter, who was McCall’s predecessor and has been credited with putting the foundations in place for the club’s huge subsequent success.
Quality over quantity appears to have been the watchword in their transfer activities as forwards George Martin and Alfie Barbeary bolster a solid pack while Wales and Lions scrum-half Tomos Williams arrives from Gloucester.
A total of 10 wins in each of the last two seasons wasn’t enough to get them in the play-offs but their tally of 92 tries last season was bettered only by top two Northampton and Bath. That could be key to picking up more wins as attack has become the name of the game and Sarries clearly have the resources.
Saracens’ success has often been based on timing their run and building their way to peak form. They won the Grand Final in four of five years from 2014 to 2019 but only once finished top of the table and under Venter they can reinforce their reputation as a big-game team.
Alternative Tip
Sale finished a disappointing seventh last season after making the play-offs for three seasons in a row and that’s something hardline head coach Alex Sanderson will want to put right.
A more expansive game has been promised but the pack has also been reinforced by the signing of heavyweight forwards Nicky Smith, Tomas Francis, Courtney Lawes and Christ Tshiunza.
Just five wins last season was a poor return but their tallies of 14, 12 and 12 in the previous three seasons puts them right in the play-off mix, and Exeter have shown how that kind of turnaround can be achieved after picking up just four wins in 2024/25 then reaching the final last season.
A strong-minded coach and a hard-working squad were keys to Exeter’s success, and Sale tick the same boxes.
Top Tryscorer
Noah Caluori was joint top-tryscorer in last season’s Premiership with a haul of 18 - level with Northampton’s Tommy Freeman and five more than next-best Henry Arundell - and is a tempting price at 7/1 to top the charts again.
Wrist surgery over the summer means he will miss at least the opening round, but the 20-year-old has shown he knows how to play catch-up, famously bagging five tries in one match against Northampton and four against Newcastle soon after.
He will be a marked man this season having also made a tryscoring debut for England this year but he is blessed with so much natural ability and given he reached his remarkable tally in his first season while playing through pain in his wrist, the chances are he can only get better.
Who Wins the 2026/27 Prem Rugby title?
Bath and Northampton have the squad strength and consistency to lead the battle to finish top of the table but many of the chasing pack look in a stronger position to challenge.
Saracens have a new coach at the helm and have made some big-name signings while Leicester, semi-finalists last season, can be expected to build in Geoff Parling’s second season in charge.
Exeter were the surprise package last season, moving from ninth place in 2024/25 to third and reaching the final, and Sale will be looking to emulate that turnaround after a major squad overhaul.
Newcastle have been even busier signing players but they have a lot to find after picking up just two wins last season, while Harlequins and Gloucester also look set to struggle to break into the top half.
The regular season looks set to have many twists and turns but Saracens are the bet for Grand Final glory, when their big-game pedigree can come to the fore.
Read more rugby union betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
