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Leicester vs Saracens to open ITV's three-match Gallagher Premiership free-to-air slate

ITV has confirmed three free-to-air Gallagher Premiership fixtures for the first half of the 2026/27 season, beginning with Leicester Tigers hosting Saracens on 27 September, followed by Sale vs Exeter in December and Harlequins vs Northampton on Boxing week.

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Leicester vs Saracens to open ITV's three-match Gallagher Premiership free-to-air slate
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ITV will broadcast three Gallagher Premiership matches across the opening eight rounds of the 2026/27 season, with PREM Rugby confirming the schedule on Thursday.

The free-to-air coverage opens on Sunday, 27 September, when Leicester Tigers host Saracens at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in what promises to be one of the season’s marquee early-round contests. Kick-off is at 3pm.

The second fixture arrives on Sunday, 6 December, as Sale Sharks welcome Exeter Chiefs in a meeting of two clubs with genuine play-off ambitions. That match also kicks off at 3pm.

The festive slot goes to Big Game 18, with Harlequins facing Northampton Saints at Allianz Stadium on Monday, 28 December — a fixture that has become one of the Premiership calendar’s most anticipated annual occasions.

All three matches form part of a renewed two-season agreement between ITV and PREM Rugby, under which the broadcaster is committed to showing seven live matches per season — including the final — across both the 2026/27 and 2027/28 campaigns. The deal extends a longstanding partnership between the two parties.

Further ITV fixtures for the remainder of the 2026/27 season are expected to be announced at a later date.

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