Premiership Rugby 24/25 Season: Favourites and Betting Odds
The new Premiership Rugby season kicked off on September 20 and will conclude on June 14. In the past five seasons, five different teams have claimed the title. Before the first round, bookmakers had labelled last year's champions, Northampton Saints, as the main favourites. However, the opening matches have reshuffled the deck, and now the odds suggest that the tradition of a new champion will continue, with Bath Rugby being tipped to take the crown this season.
Who will win Premiership 2024/2025
2024-25 Premiership Rugby Betting Odds
Among the main favourites are both of last year's finalists — Saints and Bath — as well as the champions of the previous season, Saracens. Let's take a closer look and see how justified these predictions are.
Top 5 favourites to win the Cup
Bath Rugby
The team with the second-highest number of championship titles hasn't given its fans much to celebrate in recent years. Still, the supporters remain loyal and hopeful—last season, their stadiums were consistently filled to 92% capacity on average. Forgive us for jumping from numbers to history, but Bath's triumphs seem to have stayed behind in the '90s.
However, last season they came tantalisingly close to the coveted prize, much like Bayern Munich did against Manchester United in '99. Johann van Graan's rebuild since 2022 has been remarkable, lifting Bath from the bottom to nearly reaching the top. First, Bath finished second in the regular season, amassing the same number of points as first-place Saints. Then, in the final, they fought valiantly despite being down a man, but once again had to settle for second place.
The addition of Springbok prop Thomas du Toit has been a major success—leading last season with 12 tries in 25 games—while Scotland fly-half Finn Russell, third in points last season (128), has seamlessly integrated into the team. Former Worcester captain Ted Hill and England’s Sam Underhill have further strengthened the back row, while Van Graan's ability to bring out the best in his players continues to improve.
Bath lost only full-back Matt Gallagher from last season’s final line-up. With a backline featuring internationals like Ollie Lawrence and Cam Redpath, Bath seems well-placed to claim the trophy this time. After their convincing season-opening victory against top contenders Northampton, the odds for Bath winning the regular season have dropped even lower. The depth of their squad and its impact over the course of a long season is clearly being factored in.
Saracens
The champions of the 2022/23 season barely made it into the playoffs last year, blocking the surging Bristol from advancing. With the best point difference in the playoff zone (+135), Saracens fought valiantly in the semi-final but narrowly lost to the eventual champions (22-20).
Saracens are a team that has seen more marquee players leave than join. Most notably, their captain and fly-half Owen Farrell, who finished in the top five scorers last season (103 points), along with the Vunipola brothers, have departed from StoneX Stadium.
However, with seasoned players like Jamie George, Ben Earl, and Elliot Daly, Saracens still possess plenty of big-game experience, and the return of Wales prop Rhys Carré is a significant boost.
The captaincy has now passed from Owen Farrell to 29-year-old England second-row Maro Itoje. When introducing the new captain, director of rugby Mark McCall highlighted the "DNA" of a player raised in the academy, embodying the team spirit and will to win. And while that’s certainly true, we know that if there’s one name synonymous with victory, it’s McCall himself. Over the past 13 years, he’s won the championship almost every other year, and reaching the final has become routine.
Saracens have started this season with a victory, improving their odds for making the grand final and potentially clinching another title. Rotimi Segun, after a successful try, has emerged as one of the top five players to watch in the tournament.
The match against Gloucester showed that the lineup changes haven't had as dramatic an impact on Saracens as they did on Northampton.
Bookmakers’ preseason predictions hit the mark about one time in three. Over the past three years, they have favoured Saracens twice, and only once were they correct. However, in the 2021/22 season, Exeter didn’t even make the playoffs. But the magic number three plays its part. In the last five seasons, the champion has always come from the top three bookmaker favourites. Here's the irony: this time, Saracens once again seem to be the best fit for those conditions.
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints delivered an outstanding, steady season, topping the regular standings, battling Saracens in the semi-finals, and nervously defeating Bath in the final (25-21). They were the second-highest scoring team with 555 points, only behind Bristol, who had an explosive finish to the season, perhaps knowing they wouldn't make the playoffs and thus had no reason to conserve energy.
Northampton, however, managed their resources well, benefiting from depth across the squad. Two Saints players, wing Ollie Sleightholme and fly-half Fin Smith, ranked among the top 10 for points scored, with Sleightholme leading the league in tries (14). Flanker Courtney Lawes was named the best player in December. If you combine backs and forwards into a team of the year, five Northampton players would make the cut: aside from Lawes, Sleightholme, and Smith, lock Alex Coles and hooker Curtis Langdon were also standouts.
Now for the bad news. In the new season, the Saints can no longer rely on long-time leader and hero of the previous paragraph, Courtney Lawes. He has moved to France, vaguely citing “new opportunities for his family.” The departure of Lewis Ludlam, along with brothers Ethan and Alex Waller, has further weakened the front row.
However, the backline remains one of the strongest in the league. Alongside Smith and Sleightholme, the Saints have retained Alex Mitchell and exciting players like Tommy Freeman and George Furbank. But will this be enough to replicate their success? The first match against Bath provided a discouraging answer to that question.
Sale Sharks
The bronze medalists of last season’s regular championship excelled primarily in preventing opponents from scoring. In this regard, they were the best in the league with only 384 points conceded. However, they encountered a rejuvenated Bath in the semifinals and rightfully lost.
The forward-thinking coach Alex Sanderson signed a new three-year contract as Sale marks 25 years as the Sharks rather than Sale FC. Manu Tuilagi has moved to Bayonne, while Waisea Nayacalevu joined from Toulon, one of the few prominent players to come into the Premiership this summer rather than leave.
Among last season's top-four teams, Sale experienced minimal changes to their squad, and their 12 regular-season victories were matched only by champions Northampton. However, the Sharks often won their games the hard way, grinding out victories rather than playing expansively. Only the bottom two clubs, Gloucester and Newcastle, scored fewer points and tries than Sale.
A mid-season dip in form was a stumbling block last year, but there’s no reason why Sale can’t continue to exceed expectations—especially with the incomparable George Ford, sixth in points scored (97), orchestrating their attack from fly-half.
Exeter Chiefs
The only team among the favourites not to have made the playoffs last season. However, three Chiefs players were named in the league's Team of the Season.
Rob Baxter’s coaching expertise was clear last year, as a largely inexperienced and restructured squad delivered some promising performances both in the Premiership and Europe. Finishing seventh was disappointing, especially with everything still up for grabs towards the end, but it also showcased the progress of a youthful team under the leadership of the Premiership's longest-serving coach. England’s Henry Slade, last season's standout player with 152 points, was instrumental in their resurgence.
The Chiefs are facing a tough start this season, with Henry Slade sidelined for the first few months due to shoulder surgery and Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins recovering from knee and shoulder injuries. Ross Molony, a powerful lock from Leinster, has joined the team and fits well into the Chiefs' system. However, Sandy Park has lost its fortress-like reputation from previous seasons, and this year looks more like a season of rebuilding rather than competing for the top spots.
After their loss to Leicester, the Chiefs have fallen out of the top five favourites according to many bookmakers. Nonetheless, last season’s breakout star, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, continues to prove his potential, currently ranking among the top three favourites for the title of best Tryscorer this season.
Sure, the tournament has only just begun, but it's already worth keeping an eye on those who score more than one try per game. Back in 2020/21, Sam Simmonds from Exeter set the record for tries—20 in a season. But that was before the number of teams was reduced to 10, and there were other teams besides Newcastle who were candidates for a blowout. So far, two players meet the necessary criteria: Max Malins from Bristol and Andy Oneyama-Christie from Saracens.
Premiership Rugby History
Gallagher Premiership Rugby is a professional rugby union competition and one of the three top-level professional leagues in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, alongside France's Top 14 and the cross-border United Rugby Championship for teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy, and South Africa. The league was founded in 1987. For the second consecutive year, 10 teams participate in the regular season. The top four teams advance to the playoffs in June, where they compete in two semifinals and a grand final to determine the winner of the main trophy.
The reduction to three teams aims to enhance competition while also alleviating the calendar, allowing for breaks for international matches. This is especially important for teams with a significant number of players on national teams, particularly England.
Premiership Rugby Winners
This season, the most decorated team, Leicester Tigers, is not among the favourites. They have only lifted the Cup once in the last 11 years, but that was just three seasons ago, so their muscle memory isn’t lost.
Summary of winners
Team | Champions Titles |
Leicester Tigers | 11 |
Bath Wasps Saracens | 6 |
Exeter Chiefs Northampton Saints Harlequins | 2 |
Sale Sharks Newcastle Falcons | 1 |
Bayern Munich
Augsburg
Al-Feiha FC
Al-Ahli
Al-Okhdood
Al-Shabab Riyadh
Al-Nassr
Al-Qadsiah
Monaco
Brest
