The Prem Rugby Next Gen League enters Round 4 this weekend, the first of three weekends of academy rugby on the spin to kick off the New Year.
Three rounds have already taken place, two towards the end of August and one during October half term, but now the meat of the Prem Rugby Next Gen campaign is upon us, with six further rounds to be played ahead of finals day on the 21st February.
Bath currently sit at the top of the table with two wins and a draw from their three games, a point ahead of Leicester Tigers. Newcastle Red Bulls and Saracens are also undefeated but sit in 6th and 7th respectively, with a game in hand. Bristol Bears also have a game in hand as they seek out their first victory of the campaign, they are level on points with Yorkshire Academy, who have the bye week this round.
Prem Rugby Next Gen Round 4 Fixtures:
Saturday 3rd January
Bath v Gloucester – 12pm, Chippenham RFC
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs – 2pm, Dings Crusaders
Leicester Tigers v Northampton Saints – 1pm, Oval Park
Sunday 4th January
Harlequins v Saracens – 2pm, Gordon’s School
Sale Sharks v Newcastle Red Bulls – 1pm, Lymm RFC
The Round 4 fixtures are spread over Saturday and Sunday, kicking off on Saturday with Bath hosting Gloucester in a midday kick off at Chippenham RFC. After an epic 45-45 draw with Saracens on the opening day, Bath have since beaten Harlequins and Bristol Bears, but Gloucester will be a huge test. The Cherry and Whites have beaten Yorkshire and the reigning champions Northampton Saints before a tight defeat to Exeter Chiefs. Bath are co-captained by two Beechen Cliff pupils, fly half Max Hooper and inside centre Declan Treacey, who also has experience captaining England U18. They are among 9 of the ACE champions in the starting XV, with a further two on the bench. Meanwhile Gloucester are led by England’s Henry Horsfall at number 8, part of an imposing looking line-up that includes Hartpury College skipper Rakhat Clarkson on the blindside flank.
Along the road at Dings Crusaders Bristol Bears look for that first victory as they host third placed Exeter Chiefs. Bristol’s two games have seen them lose out to Harlequins and Bath, while Exeter Chiefs have been impressive, losing a staggering 64-51 game at Saints in Round 1 before back to back victories over Sale Sharks and Gloucester. Bristol are skippered by Taunton School second row Monty Wells, with Clifton College skipper Jake Smith in the back row, one of four Clifton players in the starting side, along with four from SGS College as well, who have a further two pupils on the bench. Meanwhile Exeter Chiefs are led by loosehead Mawgan Talling of Exeter College, one of a stunning eighteen Exeter College pupils in the 23.
The third game on Saturday is an East Midlands derby as Leicester Tigers host Northampton Saints in a 1pm kick off at Oval Park. Tigers are second in the table thanks to a healthy collection of bonus points, they have beaten Sale and Yorkshire but sandwiched between them was an away defeat at Newcastle. Reigning champions Northampton Saints currently sit in 5th, they too have won two from three, thrilling victories over Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks in Rounds 1 and 3, with a defeat at Gloucester in between. Tigers are co-captained by Oakham number 8 Henry Johnson, son of the legendary Martin, and City of Oxford College centre Ollie Myall, two keys cogs in a very handy looking side. Saints also have an exciting side. Sonny Goode starts at 10 in the absence of injured Hugh Shields, the Bloxham player will captain the side as well, while Shields’ younger brother Fin is in line for a debut off the bench, one of 8 Northampton School for Boys players in the 23.
On Sunday, a London derby as Harlequins host Saracens at Gordon’s School. Quins’ campaign started with a thrilling win over Bristol Bears before back to back defeats against Bath and Newcastle, they will be itching to get back on track against their great rivals who started with that stunning draw with Bath and then had a fantastic win on the road at Yorkshire in their only other game so far. Quins are led by Trinity second row Henry Laidlow, who has captained England U18, fellow England man Sam Marshall is at fly half, fresh from dramatically sending Whitgift into the Cup semi finals before Christmas. Saracens are led by the returning Zac Jones of Mill Hill at inside centre. He is one of five Mill Hill players in the 23, with Harrow and Berkhamsted both also well represented, six Berkhamsted players are in the squad alongside four from Harrow.
Also on Sunday, a trip to Lymm RFC for Newcastle Red Bulls as they are hosted by Sale Sharks. Sale are yet to get off the mark after defeats to Leicester Tigers, Exeter Chiefs, and Northampton Saints, but this is their first home game – expect a determined performance. For Newcastle Red Bulls it has been an ideal campaign so far, with two wins from two, a bye in Round 1 followed by home wins over Leicester Tigers and Harlequins, they will be excited to challenge themselves on the road. Sale Sharks are led by England U18 and U19 cap Charlie Bray of Kirkham Grammar School, with Stockport Grammar’s Jordan Ikeh and Macclesfield Campus’ Austin Keogh as his vice captains. Kirkham and Sedbergh dominate the lineup, with eight and seven players in the 23 respectively. Newcastle Red Bulls are led by Gosforth Academy number 9 Jono Broadbent, one of seven Gosforth pupils in the side, with a further two on the bench. Sedbergh’s Charlie Dineen in at fly half, one of four from the schools rugby giants in the 23. Jack Nesbitt, and Sam Parks are in line for debuts from the bench for Newcastle.
Standings:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | BPs | Points |
| 1 | Bath | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| 2 | Leicester Tigers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | Exeter Chiefs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Gloucester | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Northampton Saints | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Newcastle Red Bulls | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 7 | Saracens | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Harlequins | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | Sale Sharks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | Bristol Bears | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Yorkshire Academy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Round 4 Team News:
Bath:
15 Sam Bunch (Beechen Cliff), 14 Harry Jones (Beechen Cliff), 13 Aston Barrington-Hibbert (Millfield), 12 Declan Treacey (Beechen Cliff, co-captain), 11 Ryan Carr (The Forest), 10 Max Hooper (Beechen Cliff, co-captain), 9 Ollie Lewis (Beechen Cliff), 1 Henry Veale (Beechen Cliff), 2 Freddie Beasley (Millfield), 3 Ned Cartwright (Beechen Cliff), 4 Ben Allen (Wellington College), 5 Henry Ball (Beechen Cliff), 6 Alex Yeabsley (Millfield), 7 Caspar Dalby-Welsh (Beechen Cliff), 8 Georgia Faosiliva (Hartpury College).
Replacements: 16 Malachi Randolph (Harrow), 17 Theo Lewis-Zydbel (Beechen Cliff), 18 Sid Moore (Millfield), 19 Taotafa Faosiliva (Hartpury College), 20 Harry Hellier (Wells Cathedral), 21 Oscar Harrison (Marlborough College), 22 Cynyr MacRae (Hartpury College), 23 Tom Meredith (Beechen Cliff).
Gloucester:
15 Tomos Evans (Hartpury College), 14 Kwabena Ofosu-Apea (King’s Gloucester), 13 Krystof Wood (Bromsgrove), 12 Max Jefferies (Stourport HS), 11 Kai Wilkinson (St Edward’s, Oxford), 10 Oli Hewitt (Bromsgrove), 9 Luca Woodyatt (Wycliffe College), 1 Sam Bryant (Hartpury College), 2 Teddy Smith-Milne (Clifton College), 3 Ben Koolen (Bloxham), 4 Jamie Wallace (Dean Close), 5 Ed Bowyer (The Piggot), 6 Rakhat Clarkson (Hartpury College), 7 Felix Baker (Hartpury College), 8 Henry Horsfall (King’s Worcester, captain).
Replacements: 16 Ned Holt (Abingdon), 17 Dan Jones (Cheltenham College), 18 Arjun Mann (KES Stratford), 19 Josh de Waal (St Edward’s, Oxford), 20 Jack Bennett (Cheltenham College), 21 Theo Rogers (Hartpury College), 22 Mukeah Turay (St Edward’s, Oxford), 23 Ieuan Jeffreys-Steel (Stourport HS).
Bristol Bears:
15 Glen Gammell (Clifton College), 14 Caspar Reeves (Taunton), 13 Will Moore (Clifton College), 12 Bruno Lamb (SGS College), 11 George Williams (UCS College), 10 Lewis Popple (Clifton College), 9 Monty Jones (King’s Gloucester), 1 Kaiden Corbett (SGS College), 2 Casper Wheeler (Hartpury College), 3 Evan Davies (Clifton College), 4 Will Papp (SGS College), 5 Monty Wells (Taunton, captain), 6 Jake Smith (Clifton College), 7 Austin Parsons (SGS College), 8 Michael Whittaker (Collegiate).
Replacements: 16 Harry Edwards (Wellington), 17 Ben Thomas (Hartpury College), 18 Jamie McKelvey (Collegiate), 19 Ned Hill (SGS College), 20 Jayjay Hancock (Richard Huish), 21 Evan Russell (SGS College), 22 Harry Randall (Collegiate).
Exeter Chiefs:
15 Ruben Chugg (Exeter College), 14 Archie Guyver (Exeter College), 13 Charlie Bosanko (Exeter College), 12 George Blackburn (Exeter College), 11 Brandon Mua (Truro College), 10 Will Lane (Exeter College), 9 Alistair Kennedy (Truro College), 1 Mawgan Talling (Exeter College, captain), 2 Diego Lerro (Exeter College), 3 Josh Bratt (Exeter College), 4 Harry Friggens (Truro College), 5 Jeremy Keys (Exeter College), 6 Oisin Smith (Exeter College), 7 Harry Westlake (Exeter College), 8 Alfie Johns (Exeter College).
Replacements: 16 Theo McKay (Exeter College), 17 Louis Tout (Ivybridge), 19 Hudson Edkins (Exeter College), 20 Harrison Riley (Exeter College), 21 Alex Evans (Exeter College), 22 Charlie Hill (Exeter College), 23 Bailey Stapleton (Exeter College).
Leicester Tigers:
15 Will Payton (Warwick) O, 14 Nathaniel Robinson (Bromsgrove) N, 13 Ollie Myall (City of Oxford, co-captain) M, 12 Lochie Glackin (Denstone College) L, 11 Christian Gordon-Astbury (Hartpury College) K, 10 Oscar Talbot (Rugby) J, 9 James Townsend (Warwick) I, 1 Kajetan Lewandowski (Loughborough College) A, 2 Alex Catcheside (Loughborough College) B, 3 Seva Batikora (Loughborough College) C, 4 Fin Charles (Denstone College) D, 5 Kwame Bekoe (Norwich) E, 6 Dylan Chessum (Loughborough College) F, 7 Mackinley Jones (Oakham) H, 8 Henry Johnson (Oakham, co-captain) G.
Replacements: 16 Oliver Robinson (Loughborough College) P, 17 Thomas Court (Loughborough College) Q, 18 Joe Edmunds (Denstone College) R, 19 Josh Poyser (Loughborough College) S, 20 Joe Henstock (Denstone College) T, 21 James Alcock (Loughborough College) U, 22 Harrison Brooks (Stamford) V, 23 Abdul Bah-Bah (Coventry College) W.
Northampton Saints:
15 Hardy Linnell (Bloxham), 14 William Howes (Moulton College), 13 Will Catley (Stowe), 12 Ashton Cox (Northampton School for Boys), 11 Charlie Tamani (Finborough), 10 Sonny Goode (Bloxham, captain), 9 Jack Woods (Impington College), 1 Aiden Reid (Northampton School for Boys), 2 Ferdi Barnett-Vincent (Northampton School for Boys), 3 Noah Buxton (Moulton College), 4 Rafferty Hewitt (Bedford), 5 George Tonga’uiha (Northampton School for Boys), 6 Ronan Perkins (Bedford Modern), 7 Jack Lewis (Northampton School for Boys), 8 Will Hepher (Northampton School for Boys).
Replacements: 16 Kingsley Gallimore (City of Oxford), 17 Lucas Veevers (Moulton College), 19 Connor Wright (Stowe), 20 Charlie Hammick (Harrow), 21 Caelin Chin (Northampton School for Boys), 22 Fin Shields (Northampton School for Boys), 23 Elijah Jeyes (Wellington College).
Harlequins:
15 Ben Perkins (Bishop Wand), 14 Luc Springate (Epsom College), 13 Jack Tyler (Newman College), 12 Jack Cosgrove (Seaford College), 11 Louis Elsom (Gordon’s), 10 Sam Marshall (Whitgift), 9 Max Rawlinson (KCS Wimbledon), 1 Josh Andrews (Seaford College), 2 Jakob Thompson (Gordon’s), 3 Josh Steel (Newman College), 4 Jack Beswick (Epsom College), 5 Henry Laidlow (Trinity, captain), 6 Kaiden Watson (Trinity), 7 Harry Chilcott (RGS Guildford), 8 Jack Kemp (Cranleigh).
Replacements: 17 Louca Harrison (Bishop Wand), 18 Sam Smith (Gordon’s), 19 Jonny Fleming (Gordon’s), 20 Ben Hislop (Bishop Wand), 21 Stan Amor (Hampton), 22 Jaiden King (Newman College), 23 Flynn Roberts (Epsom College).
Saracens:
15 Austen Burns (Berkhamsted), 14 Barney Hooks (Oaklands College), 13 Rory Humphries (Berkhamsted), 12 Zac Jones (Mill Hill, captain), 11 Freddie Stewart (Berkhamsted), 10 Henry Hodgson (Mill Hill), 9 Charlie Heard (Berkhamsted), 1 Ben Beadle (Sedbergh), 2 Tiane Elone (Mill Hill), 3 Tom Dargan (Harrow), 4 Gus Chukwuemeka (Harrow), 5 Freddie Jones (Sutton Valence), 6 PJ Judlow (Berkhamsted), 7 AJ Henry (Mill Hill), 8 Ediz Karsak (The Judd).
Replacements: 16 Charles Rotimi (Campion), 17 Dylan Jenkins (Campion), 18 Jesse Gill (Hartpury College), 19 Oli Knight (Berkhamsted), 20 Obi Spencer (Oaklands College), 21 Will Birbeck (Harrow), 22 Eli de Venecia (Harrow), 23 Charlie Morgan (Mill Hill).
Sale Sharks:
15 Austin Keogh (Macclesfield Campus, vc), 14 Alex Wood (Kirkham GS), 13 Ed Millachip (Kirkham GS), 12 Adam Jacques (Sedbergh), 11 Charlie Fletcher (Ellesmere College), 10 Tom Jacques (Sedbergh), 9 Will Bayston (Sedbergh), 1 Fergus Hayles (Kirkham GS), 2 Morgan Simmonds (Bishop Heber), 3 Lawrence Ogbonnaya (Kirkham GS), 4 Nico Jones (Sedbergh), 5 James Moore (Sedbergh), 6 Ethan Banks (AKS Lytham), 7 Charlie Bray (Kirkham GS, captain), 8 Jordan Ikeh (Stockport GS, vc).
Replacements: 16 Ben Rosenthal (Sedbergh), 17 Archie Blackburn (Kirkham GS), 18 Olly McCall (Sedbergh), 19 Isaac Whalley (Kirkham GS), 20 Victor Joulie (Ellesmere College), 21 Jack Bowbeer (Sandbach), 22 Cieran Milligan (Kirkham GS), 23 Vojtech Nevicky.
Newcastle Red Bulls:
15 Ajay Edwards (Durham), 14 Alfie Warwick (Gosforth Academy), 13 Sam Owens (Gosforth Academy), 12 Matty Dunn (Gosforth Academy), 11 Jonny Douglas (Gosforth Academy), 10 Charlie Dineen (Sedbergh), 9 Toby Somersall (Newcastle School for Boys), 1 Sonny Hopper (Barnard Castle), 2 Josh Doran (Gosforth Academy), 3 Myles Alder (Bede Academy), 4 Dom Henderson (Gosforth Academy), 5 Joe Browell (Hartlepool 6th form College), 6 Ben Jewsbury (Sedbergh), 7 Charlie Evans (Hartlepool 6th form College), 8 Jono Broadbent (Gosforth Academy, captain).
Replacements: 16 Will Graham (Dame Allan’s), 17 Jack Nesbitt (Sedbergh), 18 Mason Proudlock (Gosforth Academy), 19 Adam Rocks (Park View), 20 Sam Parks (Gosforth Academy), 21 Joe Syson (Hartlepool 6thform College), 22 Ted Fletcher (Newcastle School for Boys), 23 Ollie Ashton (Sedbergh).
Prem Rugby Next Gen Results:
Round 3:
Bath 31-5 Bristol Bears
Exeter Chiefs 27-14 Gloucester
Leicester Tigers 31-10 Yorkshire Academy
Northampton Saints 67-40 Sale Sharks
Newcastle Red Bulls 26-19 Harlequins
Round 2:
Bath 38-19 Harlequins
Exeter Chiefs 62-7 Sale Sharks
Gloucester 33-7 Northampton Saints
Newcastle Red Bulls 29-22 Leicester Tigers
Yorkshire Academy 12-52 Saracens
Round 1:
Bristol Bears 33-66 Harlequins
Leicester Tigers 38-31 Sale Sharks
Northampton Saints 64-51 Exeter Chiefs
Saracens 45-45 Bath
Yorkshire Academy 26-40 Gloucester
Prem Rugby Next Gen Fixture List 2025/26:
Round 5
Saturday 10th January
Exeter Chiefs v Bath – 2pm, Flowerpot Playing Fields
Gloucester v Bristol Bears – 1pm, 4Ed Hartpury Stadium with Vodafone
Harlequins v Yorkshire Academy – 3pm, Gordon’s School
Newcastle Red Bulls v Northampton Saints – 3pm, Kingston Park
Sale Sharks v Saracens – 3pm, TBC
Round 6
Saturday 17th January
Gloucester v Sale Sharks – 1pm, 4Ed Hartpury Stadium with Vodafone
Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs – 3pm, Gordon’s School
Newcastle Red Bulls v Bath – 3pm, TBC
Saracens v Leicester Tigers – 1pm, StoneX
Yorkshire Academy v Bristol Bears – 2pm, TBC
Round 7
Saturday 31st January
Bath v Leicester Tigers – 2pm, Allington Fields
Bristol Beas v Newcastle Red Bulls – 3pm, Bristol Uni (Coombe Dingle)
Exeter Chiefs v Yorkshire Academy – 12.30pm, Flowerpot Playing Fields
Harlequins v Northampton Saints – 3pm, Gordon’s School
Saracens v Gloucester – 1pm, StoneX
Round 8
Saturday 7th February
Bristol Bears v Saracens – 3pm, Shaftesbury Park
Leicester Tigers v Exeter Chiefs – 2pm, TBC
Northampton Saints v Bath – 3pm, TBC
Sale Sharks v Harlequins – 3pm, TBC
Yorkshire Academy v Newcastle Red Bulls – 1pm, Keighley RUFC
Round 9
Saturday 14th February
Gloucester v Leicester Tigers – 11am, 4Ed Hartpury Stadium with Vodafone
Northampton Saints v Bristol Bears – 3pm, TBC
Sale Sharks v Yorkshire Academy – 3pm, TBC
Saracens v Newcastle Red Bulls – 11am, StoneX
Round 10
Saturday 21st February – Finals Day
Past Champions:
2025 Northampton Saints
2024 Bath Rugby
2023 London Irish
2022 Bristol Bears
2021 N/A
2020 Leicester Tigers/London Irish
2019 Leicester Tigers
2018 Leicester Tigers
2017 Harlequins
2016 London Irish
2015 Saracens
2014 Northampton Saints
2013 Northampton Saints
