Who Will Be Crowned Gallagher Prem Champions in 2026?

It's finally here... And no, I'm not talking about that little football tournament across the pond...

Yeah, okay, the World Cup may be stealing most of the headlines this month but before you all break into a drunken chorus of "Three Lions" let's shift our focus to another exciting sporting event this weekend --

The Gallagher Prem play-offs! 

Two semis, two derbies. Forget about the razzmatazz. This is why most of us fell in love with rugby. 

First up; we have the hotly anticipated derby clash between table-toppers Northampton and their East Midland rivals Leicester Tigers - a winner-takes-all clash under the lights at Franklin's Gardens in front of a sell-out crowd.

Saints may have finished the regular season top of the Prem 11 points ahead of fourth placed Leicester but everyone knows the scoreboard resets to zero on Friday night. 

For Saints captain, George Furbank, it will be his final home game before joining Harlequins next season.

Win, and the 29-year-old will have the chance to sign off as a Saints player by lifting silverware at Twickenham later this month. Lose, and have his Northampton career ended by the most bitter of foes on home turf.

"I'm desperate to go out on a high and lift that trophy again," he said, "I'm always hungry for silverware and to be at the top. I'd love a fairytale ending, but they don't just happen - you have got to go out and earn those fairytale endings. So the first thing to do is put in a performance on Friday."

Statistically, Northampton will have history stacked in their favour, with 86% of all teams to host a semi-final over the years going on to earn a place in the Grand Final.

And yet, despite the track record of success for home teams and the manner in which Northampton finished top of the heap, there are arguments against making them obvious favourites for this latest high-stakes meeting. 

The way Tigers thumped Saints 41-17 just four weeks earlier at Mattioli Woods Welford Road has ensured Leicester's billing as genuine title contenders.

"We'll create our own buzz, we will create our own excitement," Tigers winger Adam Radwan said. "It's a big game with a lot of outside noise, and it doesn't matter who expects us to win or lose. The group is ready for it and we are in a good place - we will be gunning for it on Friday."

If this wasn't mouth watering enough, then on Saturday we have current Champions Bath taking on those dark horses from Devon - The Exeter Chiefs.

Since Bath were knocked out by Bordeaux in the Champions Cup Semi-final last month, they have seemed a little 'off'. The emotional toll of that defeat may be creeping into their psyche.

Having said that, the defending Prem champions go into this weekend's semi-finals with Exeter Chiefs having been the only team to spend every week of the season inside the league's top four in 2025-26.

Indeed, Van Grann's side have spent every week of the past three seasons inside the play-off positions, a run of 54 matches. 

Not only have Bath secured a play-off place for the third consecutive season, but it will be their third year in a row playing a semi-final in front of a home crowd at The Rec. They have won the previous two, defeating Sale in 2024 and Bristol in 2025.

The biggest concern will be if their talisman Finn Russell will be back from injury. The self-labelled 'Messi of rugby' has been sidelined these last few weeks with an iffy calf, but if he is back fit and firing, Bath will really fancy their chances.

Last, but not least, we have the boys from Devon - the Exeter Chiefs! 

Not since 2021 have Exeter finished in the top four. And with Henry Slade playing even silkier than that well-groomed quiff of his, Exeter come into this with a real chance. 

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says Slade's current form makes him one of the best centres in the world.

The 33-year old has been absolutely purring lately. His 187 points is the most in the league this season - 44 in front of second-placed George Ford - while he is tied as the league's 10th-highest try scorer with eight.

"He was very good at the end of our double-winning season," Baxter said. "I think back then he'd have been considered one of the top centres in the world, and that's probably the kind of level he's almost playing at now." 

Whoever prevails and reaches the final on 20 June will be playing for a new super-sized trophy at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium. The freshly minted silverware weighs in at a hefty 26kg, making it the heaviest major trophy in British sport. 

Not too shabby.