The Zurich Premiership is the present name for the leading rugby union league competition for English clubs. From 1987/88 until 1996/97 it was known as the Courage League, and from 1997/98 until 1999/2000 as the Allied Dunbar Premiership. From 2005/6 season it will be known as the Guinness Premiership. The league has traditionally been dominated by two clubs, Bath and Leicester.
The RFU long resisted leagues as they believed that they would increase 'dirty' play and put pressure on clubs to pay their players (thus breaking the amateur ethos). Instead clubs arranged their own friendlies and had traditional games. The only 'competition' that existed was a county championship that was not very popular outside Cornwall.
In 1972 the RFU sanctioned a knock-out cup now known as the Powergen Cup and this was followed in the late 80s by merit tables. One of the casualties of the move to competitive leagues was the loss of traditional games as the new fixture lists did not allow enough time for them.
Clubs in the Zurich Premiership are allocated a £2m wage bill to pay their players in a season. This cap is being raised to £2.25m next season, but many argue it should be higher. The RFU pay clubs £30,000 compensation a year per England player on the understanding they are released for international duty. The trouble is, it is hard to replace players of such calibre even with £30,000. It means many clubs are forced to play large chunks of the season without their best players.
Debate rages over whether promotion and relegation should exist. Benefactors of Premiership clubs are reluctant, in some cases, to add further investment with the fear of relegation looming. Some believe removing that uncertainty would enable more investment, allowing the sport to grow.
The following twelve teams currently (2004-5 season) play in the league:
on all occasions at Twickenham
| * | 13 May 2001 | Leicester | - | Bath | 22-10 | (33,500) |
| * | 08 Jun 2002 | Gloucester | - | Bristol | 28-23 | (28,500) |
| * | 31 May 2003 | Wasps | - | Gloucester | 39-3 | (42,000) |
| * | 29 May 2004 | Wasps | - | Bath | 10-6 | (59,500) |
In 2000/01 an 8-team-play-off system was implemented, but the regular season champion was still considered English champion ("Zurich Premiership title") with the playoff champion claiming the "Zurich Championship title".
In the 2001/02 season a controversial knock-out cup style play-off system was introduced. Half-way through the season, with Leicester odds-on to win their fourth title in succession, the league decided that the winners of the playoffs would be crowned champions. There was an outcry from fans and this proposal was dropped, but the next year a similar proposal was adopted under which the winner of the league had to play the winner of a match between the second- and third-placed teams for the title. Although Gloucester won the league by a clear margin, second-placed Wasps (who had defeated third-placed Northampton) beat them easily in the play-offs. Fans do not generally recognise the winner of this competition as the English champion club.
| Ranking | Team | Times won |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bath | 7 (plus 1 in a playoff year) |
| 2 | Leicester Tigers | 6 |
| 3 | Wasps | 2 (plus 1 playoff) |
| 4= | Gloucester | 1 (in playoff year) |
| 4= | Newcastle Falcons | 1 |