Among the highlights of Round 18 of the regular season will be Bristol’s first ever fixture against West Country rivals Bath at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The Bears will replace Ashton Gate at the 75,000-capacity South Wales Stadium for their Round 16 match on May 10 in a move billed as a “big day out”, with the aim of “attracting new audiences and increasing (Bristol’s) commercial revenue”.
The match will aim to replicate the success that Harlequins and Saracens have enjoyed in recent years, with spectacular performances at major stadiums.
Saracens host their London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 22, while Queens host Gloucester at Twickenham Stadium on May 10.
After three clubs closed two seasons ago, chief executive Simon Massey-Taylor has described the new Premier League campaign as “a relaunch of the league”.
There was no promotion or relegation from the Championship last season, but there is a chance it could return in the 2024-25 season.
The Rugby Football Union Council has proposed a two-legged play-off, which if approved would see the bottom teams face each other in the Premiership and the top teams in the Championship.
However, second-tier teams must meet the Premier League’s minimum criteria, which they have failed to meet in recent competitions.
