Exeter Chiefs fans are set to miss out on a festive Boxing Day fixture this season.
Premiership Rugby’s decision to suspend relegation this season means there will be 13 teams in the English top-flight in 2021/22 with Saracens promoted from the Greene King IPA Championship having thrashed Ealing Trailfinders 117-15 in the two-legged play-off final.
That means the regular Premiership season is expanding from 22 rounds to 26 rounds, with each club given two of those weekends off to play 24 regular-season league games.
Unfortunately for Exeter Chiefs fans the club’s first break weekend comes on one of most people’s favourite rugby dates - Boxing Day.
As a result, unless Chiefs field the vacant date with a friendly fixture, there will be no festive game for the club.
Chiefs do have one of the games of the season at Sandy Park the following weekend over the New Years with Bristol Bears coming to town.
Bristol finished top of the table in 2020/21 with Exeter in second, with each side winning away from home but losing on their own turf.
In fact, Bristol have won on their last two visits to Devon, running out 20-7 victors back in January 2020 and 20-17 in November 2019.
But of course, Exeter have won on their recent visits to Ashton Gate with a 20-12 triumph back in April.
Exeter’s second bye weekend comes in Round 24 which is the final weekend in April, with the European Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final scheduled for the following weekend.
