Chiefs Women lock in new JAECOO Next Gen Cup fixtures

Exeter Chiefs Women will kick off their 2026/27 JAECOO Next Gen Cup campaign hosting Leicester Tigers Women at Sandy Park on Sunday, 27 September.

Included in Pool A, Chiefs receive a bye in the first round before new assistant coach Ross Bundy comes up against his former side in round two in Devon on the last weekend of September.

Women’s assistant coach Oli Bishop said: “The cup competition is a significant part of our season. Firstly, it’s a great opportunity for us to go out there and compete, to play a brand of rugby that we’re proud of.

“Secondly, it can be a huge reward for the effort and work rate that a lot of our players put in throughout pre-season. We’ve got a huge amount of talented young athletes who get the chance to showcase the hard work and skills they have been working on.

“It’s really good for us to go out and play in four competitive pool matches and hopefully have an opportunity to get into the knockout rounds.

“The cup is there as a development competition for us. We look at the standard and style of rugby that we’ll play in the cup and use it as a kickstart for when we hit the main league season and our internationals return.”

Round three includes a trip to Morson Stadium in Manchester to take on Sale Sharks Women on Saturday, 3 October before returning home on Saturday, 10 October to face Loughborough Lightning.

Round five concludes the regular rounds as Chiefs face old foes Saracens Women at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday, 17 October. The knockout rounds will then take place in the weeks following.

Ticketing information for the first of Chiefs Women’s home pool games against Leicester Tigers will be confirmed later this month.