Bedford Blues’ new Champ Rugby season is bookended by games against reigning champions, Worcester Warriors, with the new season beginning in the middle of September.
The Blues’ campaign will begin with a trip to the Sixways Stadium to face last season’s Champ Rugby winners on 19 September before hosting the Warriors on the final day of the league season on 24 April 2027.
Their first home game at Goldington Road is against Chinnor on Saturday, 26 September , while Rotherham Titans, Cornish Pirates and Nottingham round up the first chunk of five fixtures.
There is no Boxing Day game at Goldington Road this season, with Bedford Blues facing an away trip to the capital to face Richmond.
They do however face Richmond again the following week, with the possibility of a New Year’s Day home game on the Friday.
Mike Rayer is entering his 22nd season as Director of Rugby at Goldington Road, and he’ll be hoping his men can go one step further than last season, where they lost the Champ Rugby play-off final to Worcester Warriors on home turf.
They reached that stage thanks to a second consecutive second place finish in the regular season, winning 18 out of 26 league games, before blowing away old rivals Coventry in the play-off semi-final on a Friday night lights to remember.
However, Worcester proved a step too far, although Bedford will have the chance to exact a modicum of revenge from the off in 2026/27, as they look to repeat last season’s 28-14 win at the Sixways in the first game.
Read: Blues heartbreak as Worcester Warriors win Champ Rugby title at Goldington Road
All 26 league games lead to the Champ Rugby play-offs, due to begin on the week beginning of 8 May with the final to be played at a neutral venue for the first time.
New clubs and new faces
The Blues will welcome new faces to Goldington Road, thanks to two clubs gaining promotion from National One.
Rotherham Titans, who won the third tier last season, will welcome the Blues to South Yorkshire early in the season in the first weekend of October.
Meanwhile, the world’s oldest club, Blackheath 1858 are due to visit Goldington Road in the first weekend of November.
The return fixtures are in January and February 2027.
They have replaced Cambridge and London Scottish, who both drop down to National One; the latter due to defeat in the Champ Rugby access final to Blackheath.
The Blues will face Cambridge in a pre-season friendly on Friday, 21 August while Premiership club, Bath are also friendly opponents on Friday, 11 September.
Bedford Blues also have the added advantage of taking a largely settled squad into the new campaign.
22 of last season’s runners-up squad will be wearing two shades of blue once more, while Rayer has already added two reinforcements to the pack as new faces begin to arrive at Goldington Road.
Former Cambridge captain, Dan Eckersley became the Blues’ first new face, saying, “I’m over the moon to be joining a club like Bedford” after a standout season for the Blood and Sand despite their relegation to the third tier.
Welsh prop, Will Davies-King is the second new signing, making the trip from Cardiff Blues, with the former Wales Under-20 international adding reinforcements to an already strong front row.
They will join a settled squad, who will once again be looking towards the upper echelons of Champ Rugby.
You can view Bedford Blues’ full Champ Rugby fixture list here.
All dates mentioned in this article are subject to change should both clubs agree closer to the time.
