PREM Rugby Cup: Round 1 - Newcastle Red Bulls start new era with win over Harlequins

Unlike the past two seasons, this year's PREM Rugby Cup does not feature the CHAMP Rugby clubs from tier two. This follows the decision which saw the CHAMP clubs withdrawn from the competition, over protest that they were not given equal involvement for the development of the tournament.

Whilst Bath and Northampton Saints filled their respective bye weekends with friendly clashes, eight of the 10 PREM Rugby clubs marked a long awaited return to competitive fixtures. Here's our first weekly recap of the tournament.

Gloucester opened their 2025/26 campaign in style with a commanding 29-15 win over Exeter Chiefs at Kingsholm on Friday night. The visitors were first on the board, with lock Lewis Pearson crashing over after relentless pressure in the Cherry & Whites’ 22. Harvey Skinner was off target with the conversion, but Exeter had the early edge.

Gloucester soon found their rhythm, and it was club stalwart Lewis Ludlow who restored parity, finishing off Will Joseph’s break down the wing. Ross Byrne added the extras to edge the hosts ahead. Exeter responded through Rusi Tuima’s try from a rolling maul, but the Chiefs couldn’t pull clear, and Gloucester struck back in emphatic fashion. Returning from injury, Max Llewellyn lit up the first half, linking up with Clement, Atkinson and Englefield before racing in under the sticks.

Ethan Roots gave the visitors a slender 15-14 lead at the break with a carbon-copy maul score, but Gloucester came flying out of the blocks after the restart. Josiah Edwards-Giraud touched down following Byrne’s pinpoint cross-field kick, before hooker Jack Innard sealed the bonus point with a powerful lineout drive.

Byrne and George Barton kept the scoreboard ticking, with Barton’s late penalty putting daylight between the sides. Exeter pushed for a late consolation, but Gloucester’s pack forced them into touch to close out a deserved victory in front of a raucous Shed. A statement start for George Skivington’s men.

Gloucester 29
Tries: 4 (Lewis Ludlow, Max Llewellyn, Josiah Edwards-Giraud, Jack Innard)
Cons: 3 (Ross Byrne 3)
Pen: 1 (George Barton)

Exeter Chiefs 15
Tries: 3 (Lewis Pearson, Rusi Tuima, Ethan Roots)
Cons: 0

A new chapter began in the North East as Newcastle Red Bulls marked their rebrand with a bonus-point 26-14 win over Harlequins at Kingston Park. In front of a record home PREM Cup crowd of 9,089, the Red Bulls delivered an emphatic performance to launch their new era in style.

The atmosphere crackled from the outset, with Newcastle’s pack asserting dominance early. Skipper George McGuigan etched his name into club history, steering over from a rolling maul for the side’s first-ever try. Brett Connon converted before Nathan Greenwood was denied a spectacular finish by the TMO.

Quins struck back through Bryn Bradley’s powerful crash-ball effort, levelled by Jamie Benson’s boot. But the hosts regained the initiative before half-time as prop Murray McCallum powered over, Connon adding the extras for a 14-7 lead at the break.

The second half belonged to the Red Bulls. As heavy rain lashed Kingston Park, Oli Spencer seized on a grubber kick to extend the margin, Connon converting from the touchline. Newcastle’s dominance was rewarded again when Spencer broke the line and fed Alex Hearle for the bonus-point try.

Even a late yellow card for Callum Hancock couldn’t spoil the party. With the Shed roaring approval, Newcastle held firm to close out a statement win, cementing their arrival under a new identity with four well-taken tries and an unrelenting defensive effort. It was a night to remember on and off the pitch – a dream debut for the Red Bulls era.

Newcastle Red Bulls 26
Tries: 4 (George McGuigan, Murray McCallum, Oli Spencer, Alex Hearle)
Cons: 3 (Brett Connon 3)

Harlequins 14
Tries: 2 (Bryn Bradley, Sam Riley)
Cons: 2 (Jamie Benson 2)

Leicester Tigers launched their PREM Rugby Cup campaign with a battling 20-7 win over Saracens at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, overcoming a sluggish start to run in four tries and secure a bonus-point victory.

On a day of shifting conditions – from downpour to bright sunshine – Geoff Parling’s new-look Tigers showed grit and patience to overturn an early deficit. The visitors made the brighter start, with Nathan Michelow crashing over after just four minutes. Louie Johnson added the extras to put Saracens 7-0 up.

Leicester needed time to settle, and it wasn’t until the 35th minute that their forward power paid dividends, Hanro Liebenberg finishing off a dominant maul. Orlando Bailey’s conversion drifted wide, leaving Tigers two points behind at the break. Their task was made harder when Izaia Perese was yellow-carded for repeated infringements just before half-time.

After the interval, Tigers’ pack took control. Jamie Blamire marked his debut with a well-worked maul try to hand the hosts the lead. Emeka Ilione repeated the trick midway through the half, extending the advantage as Saracens struggled to stem Leicester’s rolling momentum.

With the game entering the closing stages, debutant Will Wand provided the icing on the cake, darting down the short side after Bailey’s sharp distribution to notch the bonus-point try.

It was a convincing second-half performance from Tigers, whose set-piece dominance laid the foundation for a morale-boosting win to open their Cup campaign.

Leicester Tigers 20
Tries: 4 (Hanro Liebenberg, Jamie Blamire, Emeka Ilione, Will Wand)
Cons: 0

Saracens 7
Tries: 1 (Nathan Michelow)
Cons: 1 (Louie Johnson)

Sale Sharks kicked off their 2025/26 campaign with a second-half surge to overcome Bristol Bears 24-15 at the Salford Stadium. It was a victory defined by youthful energy and set-piece dominance, as Alex Sanderson’s men turned a seven-point half-time deficit into a bonus-point triumph.

The opening forty was scrappy, punctuated by a thunderous hit from debutant Nathan Jibulu that brought the home crowd to life. But it was Bristol who struck first, Joe Jenkins finishing off Harry Thacker’s break with AJ MacGinty converting against his former club. Sale replied soon after through Tom O’Flaherty, who powered in at the corner following slick interplay from Obi Ene, though the conversion went astray.

Bristol kept their noses in front at the interval, debutant Josh Carrington crossing late on to make it 12-5. Yet the game’s momentum shifted after the break when Bears captain Fitz Harding was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul. Sale punished the infringement instantly, Jibulu crashing over from the ensuing drive before Tom Curtis levelled the scores with the boot.

From there, the Sharks smelt blood. Academy scrum-half Dom Hanson marked his senior breakthrough with a smart try after excellent build-up play from Rekeiti Ma-asi-White and Ollie Davies. Curtis converted to edge his side ahead. Although MacGinty clawed three points back, Sale sealed the contest with Davies himself finishing in the corner after a dominant scrum set the platform.

It was a performance that showcased Sale’s next generation, with Jibulu, Hanson and Davies all etching their names into Sharks folklore.

Sale Sharks 24
Tries: 4 (Tom O’Flaherty, Nathan Jibulu, Dom Hanson, Ollie Davies)
Cons: 2 (Tom Curtis 2)

Bristol Bears 15
Tries: 2 (Joe Jenkins, Josh Carrington)
Cons: 1 (AJ MacGinty)
Pen: 1 (AJ MacGinty)