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.
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.
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