The reigning champions Bath face a visit from West Country rivals in the second of this weekend’s play-offs. Here is how we see it going…
A place in the Gallagher PREM final at Twickenham is at stake as Bath Rugby take on Exeter Chiefs in a high-stakes West Country derby on Saturday.
These two sides finished second and third in the league table, so there’s very little to choose between them on paper. Reigning champions Bath have home advantage on their side, but Exeter (who’ve made a colossal improvement from last year’s ninth place) know they can beat their hosts, having come out on top in May’s PREM Rugby encounter.
Below you’ll find Rugby World’s prediction for the match, along with team news and key information ahead of the game.
Read more: How to watch PREM Rugby wherever you are
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs predictions
Joseph Robinson, Editor of Rugby World
Finn Russell’s absence from the Bath team through calf injury is a problem but not as terminal as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s for Exeter.
Yes, Russell is absolutely crucial to how Johann van Graan’s team operate and is, on his day, the best fly-half in the world. And yes replacement Santi Carreras has struggled to hit the heady heights he achieved while at Gloucester.
But when you boast a team as deep and accomplished as Bath’s, you are set up to deal with adversity like this. This is still a team that has Max Ojomoh and Ollie Lawrence in the centres, Thomas du Toit at prop and Sam Underhill in the back-row.
Read more: How to watch the PREM rugby play-offs from anywhere in the world!
Exeter Chiefs, on the other hand, will struggle with the absence of Feyi-Waboso. His ability to create attacking opportunities from anywhere has been a huge success driver this season and will be sorely missed on the weekend.
The depth of Bath’s bench alongside the steady hand of Ben Spencer at 9 will prove too much for Chiefs with Bath advancing to a third consecutive PREM final.
And for us, with the stresses of a East Midlands derby still in the system, they will be too good for whoever progresses out of Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, seeing them to become the first team to defend their title since Saracens in 2019.
Henry Slade is one of the few survivors from Exeter Chiefs’ last PREM Rugby victory in 2020 (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs: key details, kick-off time and TV channel
- Kick-off time: 3.00pm BST, Saturday 13 June
- TV channel: TNT Sports/HBO Max (UK)
- Venue: The Rec, Bath
- Capacity: 14,509
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs facts
- History is on Bath’s side. Over the past 20 seasons, 85% of play-off semi-finals have been won by the home team. Only one of the last 10 finals was not a contest between the top two teams.
- Finishing runner-up in the league table isn’t a disaster, either. Eight of the last 20 titles have been claimed by the team that finished second.
- The omens don’t look so good for Exeter Chiefs. In the last 20 years, only two third-placed teams have reached the final, and none has claimed the title.
- That said, reigning champions Bath might get nervous about the fact that it’s seven years since a club retained the Premiership trophy. Saracens went back-to-back in 2017-18 and 2018-2019.
- Exeter‘s last win came in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season, though they did reach the final the following year, when they lost to Harlequins.
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs head-to-head results
- Exeter Chiefs 35 v 12 Bath Rugby (Gallagher PREM, 10 May 2026)
- Exeter Chiefs 31 v 19 Bath Rugby (PREM Rugby Cup, 21 February 2026)
- Bath Rugby 33 v 26 Exeter Chiefs (Gallagher PREM, 3 January 2026)
- Bath Rugby 14 v 23 Exeter Chiefs (PREM Rugby Cup, 20 September 2025)
- Exeter Chiefs 24 v 26 Bath Rugby (Gallagher PREM, 19 April 2025)
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs line-ups and officials
Bath Rugby
15. Tom de Glanville
14. Joe Cokanasiga
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Max Ojomoh
11. Henry Arundell
10. Santi Carreras
9. Ben Spencer (captain)
1. Beno Obano
2. Tom Dunn
3. Thomas Du Toit
4. Quinn Roux
5. Charlie Ewels
6. Josh Bayliss
7. Sam Underhill
8. Alfie Barbeary
Replacements:
16. Kepueli Tuipulotu
17. François van Wyk
18. Vilikesa Sela
19. Ross Molony
20. Ted Hill
21. Bernard van der Linde
22. Cameron Redpath`
23. Miles Reid
Exeter Chiefs
15. Olly Woodburn
14. Paul Brown-Bampoe
13. Henry Slade
12. Len Ikitau
11. Campbell Ridl
10. Harvey Skinner
9. Stephen Varney
1. Scott Sio
2. Max Norey
3. Josh Iosefa-Scott
4. Dafydd Jenkins (captain)
5. Andrea Zambonin
6. Tom Hooper
7. Christ Tshiunza
8. Greg Fisilau
Replacements:
16. Joseph Dweba
17. Ethan Burger
18. Bachuki Tchumbadze
19. Rusi Tuima
20. Ross Vintcent
21. Tom Cairns
22. Zack Wimbush
23. Ben Hammersley
Christophe Ridley takes charge of the second of this weekend’s Gallagher PREM semi-finals. His assistants are Karl Dickson and Sara Cox, with Andrew Jackson in the TMO booth.
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