Premiership Cup semi-final draw and dates confirmed

Exeter Chiefs are still in the running to become the first club to win the Premiership Rugby Cup more than once after making it through to the semi-finals of this year’s competition.

The Chiefs’ reward for their 50-14 demolition of Sale Sharks at Sandy Park on Saturday is a home tie against the only Championship team left in the Cup, Ealing Trailfinders, on Saturday, March 8th, kick off 12.15pm.

Ealing will look to go one better than last year when they lost to Leicester in the semi-finals but they’ll come up against a Chiefs side determined to add to their 2023 title.

While Ealing are overwhelming favourites to win the Championship, the Cup represents Exeter’s only hope of silverware this season.

The same applies to fellow Gallagher Premiership strugglers Newcastle, who booked their place in the last four with a 22-17 win over reigning champions Gloucester. The Falcons face Bath at home on Friday, March 7th, kick-off 19:45pm.

Both semi-finals will be shown live on TNT Sports.

The Falcons have gone 21 years without a major trophy, with the Powergen Cup success in 2004 the last piece of silverware won. But they are now just two wins away from providing boss Steve Diamond with an unprecedented hat-trick. Diamond won the Premiership Rugby Cup with Sale Sharks (2020) and Worcester (2022).

Bath produced a remarkable comeback from 28-7 down to beat Harlequins 39-28 in the other quarter-final.

Semi-finals:
1 – Friday 7th March – Newcastle Falcons (1) vs Bath Rugby (3) (7.45pm KO, TNT Sports)
2 – Saturday 8th March – Exeter Chiefs (2) vs Ealing Trailfinders (4) (12.15pm KO, TNT Sports)

The final will be held at the stadium of the highest seeded club to qualify with the kick-off to be confirmed following the conclusion of the semi-finals. So, as top seeds, Newcastle are guaranteed a third consecutive home tie in the knockout stages if they make it past Bath.