Bath Rugby Confirm Trio of 2026/27 Pre-Season Fixtures as Johann van Graan Leads Preparations

Bath Rugby’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, has announced a trio of pre-season friendly fixtures ahead of the 2026/27 season, reinforcing his hands-on approach to the club’s preparations. Despite the upcoming clash with some weekends of the PREM Rugby Cup, van Graan prefers to organise separate pre-season matches to better manage the squad’s game time and conditioning.

Continuing the trend since his arrival in 2022, van Graan has chosen to take the team on mini pre-season tours. This year, Bath will travel to France to face Top 14 side Perpignan, then head north to Scotland to challenge United Rugby Championship rivals Glasgow Warriors, and finally return to England to meet Championship side Bedford Blues.

The pre-season will kick off on Thursday, 27 August, with Bath visiting Perpignan at the Stade Aimé Giral, with kickoff at 7:30pm local time. On Friday, 11 September, Bath will face Bedford Blues at Goldington Road at 7:30pm, marking their second friendly against Bedford this year following a dominant 94-14 victory earlier at the Rec. The pre-season calendar concludes with a match against Glasgow Warriors on Friday, 18 September at Old Anniesland, beginning at 7:30pm.

Van Graan has maintained his preference for running an autonomous pre-season programme separate from PREM Rugby Cup fixtures, which are set to be announced on 28 July. This approach grants him greater control over squad selection and player workload, avoiding the limitations of naming a full 23-man match-day roster during developmental phases.

Last season, when pre-season clashes occurred with the PREM Rugby Cup, van Graan deployed developmental squads for the Cup, reserving key international stars for dedicated pre-season matches. Such strategic planning aims to have Bath primed and ready for the Gallagher Premiership campaign, which is scheduled to commence the weekend of 25 September.

Bath Rugby 2026/27 pre-season fixtures: