A MIDLANDS derby with Leicester Tigers at Sixways will kick off the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season for Worcester Warriors.
Alan Solomons’ men completed their first-ever league double over Leicester last season and also beat the Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup at Welford Road.
They will welcome the Tigers to Sixways on Saturday, October 19 on the opening day of the Premiership season which kicks off six weeks later than usual due to the Rugby World Cup taking place in September.
Last season’s Premiership runners-up Exeter Chiefs will be early-season visitors when they come to Sixways on Sunday November 3 for a match that will be televised live by BT Sport (kick-off 3pm).
Last season Warriors took two valuable bonus points from a titanic struggle against Exeter which the Chiefs eventually won by three points.
Sale Sharks – beaten at Sixways in April – will be the visitors in round five on November 30 with newly-promoted London Irish due at Sixways for the big Christmas fixture on December 28.
New Year home matches include a derby against Wasps on the weekend of January 25, Bath (February 15), Northampton Saints (March 7), Gloucester (March 21), Harlequins (April 11) and Bristol Bears (April 25).
Reigning Premiership champions Saracens, who were beaten by Duncan Weir’s last-gasp penalty at Sixways at the end of last season, will bring down the curtain on Warriors’ home programme on the weekend of May 30.
The derby against Gloucester at Kingsholm will be televised by BT Sport and will be played on Friday December 20 (kick-off 7.45pm).
Warriors will be aiming to play home games on Saturday afternoons but fixtures are subject to change for TV coverage.
The domestic season for Premiership clubs will begin with the Premiership Rugby Sevens at Northampton on September 13 and 14 followed by four consecutive rounds of the Premiership Rugby Cup between the weekends of September 21 and October 12.
Worcester Warriors 19/20 Gallagher Premiership fixtures
Sat 19 Oct Leicester Tigers (H) 3pm
Sat 26 Oct Northampton Saints (A) 2pm
Sun 3 Nov Exeter Chiefs (H) 3pm | BT Sport
Sat 9 Nov Harlequins (A) 3pm
Sat 30 Nov Sale Sharks (H) 3pm
Fri 20 Dec Gloucester Rugby (A) 7.45pm | BT Sport
Sat 28 Dec London Irish (H) 3pm
Sat 4 Jan Saracens (A) 3pm
*Sat 25 Jan Wasps (H) 3pm
*Sat 15 Feb Bath Rugby (H) 3pm
*Sat 22 Feb Bristol Bears (A) 3pm
*Sat 29 Feb Leicester Tigers (A) 3pm
*Sat 7 Mar Northampton Saints (H) 3pm
*Sat 21 Mar Gloucester Rugby (H) 3pm
*Sat 28 Mar Wasps (A) 3pm
*Sat 11 Apr Harlequins (H) 3pm
*Sat 18 Apr Exeter Chiefs (A) 3pm
*Sat 25 Apr Bristol Bears (H) 3pm
*Sat 9 May Bath Rugby (A) 3pm
*Sat 16 May London Irish (A) 3pm
*Sat 30 May Saracens (H) 3pm
*Sat 6 Jun Sale Sharks (A) 3pm
*Sat 13 Jun Gallagher Premiership Semi-Finals
*Sat 20 Jun Gallagher Premiership Final
- The first eight rounds are confirmed but all others are subject to change.