Derby weekend can ignite spark in Premiership

This weekend Premiership Rugby has deliberately created drama with the continuation of derby weekend, where all five fixtures are focused on local rivalries.

Sale Sharks play Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester host Bath, Northampton travel to Leicester, Exeter Chiefs take on Bristol Bears and unbeaten Saracens head south to Harlequins.

Derby days are always special days as they bring with them a heightened challenge and spice that you don’t get anywhere else.

There is a hype there, a heritage that comes with them that, as a player, ensures you give it your all. You also know the chances of a sell-out are higher which, in the current climate, players should not take for granted.

But I do think there is work to do in promoting these derbies. I know those at Newcastle Falcons have said that it would be wrong to misconstrue hatred for hatred’s sake but what’s a bit of drama?

When I was at Stade Francais we used to train doubly hard in the week preceding a fixture against our Parisian neighbours Racing 92 – it was embedded into our culture to hate the blue side of the capital. And every year we had two chances to ensure that Paris was draped in the colours of our hot pink jerseys.

Derby day delights

Those kinds of games just felt so huge at the time, and I commend Premiership Rugby for leaning into it and ensuring that fans have a derby weekend where the tension is heightened no matter what. Just look at the United Rugby Championship, where the match between Leinster and Munster is heading for an 80,000 sell-out. It’s great.

And the derby weekends in England and beyond can be a marketing focus point too. Premiership Rugby is struggling for long-term consistency, with the likes of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish all going under in recent seasons.

So the showpiece extravaganza of full stadiums and tries can undoubtedly fuel interest.

For the clubs, however, this weekend can be pivotal going forward. Take Gloucester: they’re playing better than last season and are picking up bonus points where they struggled in the 2023-24 season, but if they lose to Bath they’ll be winless from two at home and under the cosh from their own fans.

Throw in Exeter, who were great last season but without a win so far this year. Should the former European champions go four in a row without a win, panic will undoubtedly set in.

And, on the other hand, Leicester could take a disappointing recent run, with Michael Cheika missing out last week and losing to Bath at home, and turn it into a super first block of matches with a win over the champions.

Major unknown

The one major unknown here – besides the matches, of course – is the impact of players being away on a training camp with England.

For Newcastle Falcons and Gloucester there’s little worry because they had no players selected for the sessions, but Northampton Saints lost eight men to Steve Borthwick’s squad while the other seven clubs also had players away.

Saints having so many away might actually have a smaller impact because they will still have been training together, albeit it somewhere else in the country. But for the clubs who have lost three or four key players it could be detrimental to preparations and the management of squad workload in training. 

Derby weekends are a good addition to the calendar and while I will be in Celtic Manor this weekend, I will be tuning in to watch the battles. It should be a great weekend.

Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11