Topic summary
PREM Rugby

PREM Rugby, officially known as Gallagher PREM Rugby, or the "Gallagher PREM" for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as Premiership Rugby, is an English men's professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby union system. From 2000 to 2025, the competition title was "Premiership". Before then, it was known as "Premiership 1" and "National Division One".
Premiership clubs qualify for Europe's two main club competitions, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The competition is regarded as one of the three top-level professional leagues in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, along with the Top 14 in France, and the cross-border United Rugby Championship for teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. Historically, the winner of the second division, the RFU Championship, was promoted to the Premiership, and the team finishing at the bottom of the Premiership each season was relegated to the Championship.
The competition has been played since 1987, and has evolved into the current Premiership system. The current champions are Northampton Saints, who won the league in 2026.