BT confirms live Aviva Premiership games for festive period

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BT Sport will deliver a huge Christmas present for fans of Aviva Premiership rugby by broadcasting a bumper 14 live matches over the entire festive and New Year period.

Fans can look forward to watching a host of top-flight games covering rounds 10 to 13 from late December to early January, featuring eight of the 12 Premiership sides.

Standout matches include two mouth-watering local derbies, the East Midlands showdown between Northampton and Leicester and Gloucester v Bath in the West Country derby, plus Wasps’ first-ever game at the Ricoh Arena, following their controversial move to Coventry, on December 21.

Two of four rounds will feature four televised matches across the weekend, with the first quadruple-header followed over the Christmas period by another set of absorbing back-to-back matches on December 27, with Exeter Chiefs travelling to Bath Rugby and Harlequins hosting Northampton Saints at Twickenham in Big Game 7.

The New Year begins with another weekend of four live matches, starting with Newcastle Falcons’ trip to Franklin’s Gardens on January 2 and ending with one of the most famous club fixtures, Leicester Tigers hosting Bath Rugby on January 4.

The current set of TV selections ends in Round 13 with Gloucester Rugby at home to Saracens on January 9, kicking off a weekend that ends with Newcastle Falcons at home to London Welsh.

Commenting on BT Sport’s match picks, Dominic Hayes, commercial director of Premiership Rugby, said: “The last weekend before Christmas is already a bumper time for attendances in Aviva Premiership Rugby and now there is even more for the armchair fan to watch.

“Included in this breathtaking weekend of live action are two of world rugby’s most compelling derby fixtures.

“At 3.15pm on Saturday 20 December fans will see the East Midlands clash between Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, followed by the West Country battle between Gloucester Rugby and Bath Rugby.

“Even the supporters at home will be out of breath after those two encounters!”

BT Sport will once again screen 69 exclusively live Aviva Premiership matches throughout the season, featuring all 12 sides in English club rugby’s top flight from the opening round in September through to the play-offs in May, with ITV and ITV4 again screening regular free-to-air highlights on Sunday evenings.

The channel is in the second of a four-year deal with Premiership Rugby – which expires in 2017 – and will share live coverage of European club rugby for the first time with Sky Sports this season with both networks carrying live games from the new European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup, starting in October.

Craig Doyle presents BT Sport’s rugby coverage alongside analysts Lawrence Dallaglio, Ben Kay, Matt Dawson and Austin Healey, with match commentary provided by Nick Mullins and Alastair Eykyn, while Sarra Elgan and Martin Bayfield lead the pitchside reporting team.

For more information about BT Sport and its rugby union coverage, visit btsport.com, or for further background on the Aviva Premiership, visit premiershiprugby.com.

RUGBY UNION ON THE BOX – LIVE TV GAMES

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 AVIVA PREMIERSHIP 2014/15 – LIVE on BT SPORT
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 FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER
 
 Sale Sharks v Exeter Chiefs
 Aviva Premiership – Round 10
 
 
 
19:45
 
 SATURDAY 20th DECEMBER
 
 Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers
 Aviva Premiership – Round 10
 
 
15:15
 
 Gloucester v Bath
 Aviva Premiership – Round 10
 
 
17:30
 SUNDAY 21st DECEMBER
 
 Wasps v London Irish
 Aviva Premiership – Round 10
 
 
 
14:00
 
 SATURDAY 27th DECEMBER
 
 Bath v Exeter Chiefs
 Aviva Premiership – Round 11
 
 
14:00
 
 Harlequins v Northampton Saints
 Aviva Premiership – Round 11
 
 
16:30
 SUNDAY 28th DECEMBER
 
 Gloucester v Wasps
 Aviva Premiership – Round 11
 
 
 
14:30
 
 FRIDAY 2nd JANUARY
 
 Northampton Saints v Newcastle Falcons
 Aviva Premiership – Round 12
 
 
 
19:45
 
 SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY
 
 Saracens v London Irish
 Aviva Premiership – Round 12
 
 
14:00
 
 Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester
 Aviva Premiership – Round 12
 
 
16:30
 SUNDAY 4th JANUARY
 
 Leicester Tigers v Bath
 Aviva Premiership – Round 12
 
 
 
14:00
 
 FRIDAY 9th JANUARY
 
 Gloucester v Saracens
 Aviva Premiership – Round 13
 
 
 
19:45
 
 SATURDAY 10th JANUARY
 
 Harlequins v Leicester Tigers
 Aviva Premiership – Round 13
 
 
 
15:15
 
 SUNDAY 11th JANUARY
 
 Newcastle Falcons v London Welsh
 Aviva Premiership – Round 13
 
 
14:00
 

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