What are the highest-scoring PREM Rugby matches of all time?

Northampton Saints’ 71-48 win over Bath at Franklin’s Gardens on October 10 was the second highest total in Premiership Rugby history. It comes amid a flurry of “basketball results” in English rugby’s top flight, and just five months after the Saints were top-scoring PREM Rugby match in history against another West Country club, Bristol Bears.

So, as English rugby enters an era where attack seems to take precedence over defense (for now), we take a look back at PREM rugby’s best-scoring games of all time, ten matches where spectators were treated to 100 points or more.

Top 10 PREM Rugby Matches of All Time

1. Northampton Saints 94 v 33 Bristol Bears

• Overall score: 127
• Date: May 15, 2026

Northampton scored 14 tries – including four for George Hendy – en route to their highest ever PREM score – a record 61 points coming before half-time. The score is effectively over BristolThey hope to make the play-offs, but at least they walked away with a bonus point – and went on to inflict the reigning champions’ first defeat of the season when Saints visit Ashton Gate in October 2026.

2. Northampton Saints 71 v 48 Bath Rugby

(David Rogers/Getty Images)

• Overall score: 119
• Date: October 10, 2026

The Franklin’s Gardens faithful were treated to another thriller at the start of the season, although few would have predicted that the Saints would run in 11 tries against Bath, their most likely challengers for the PREM title. Bathfor their part, they returned to the West Country knowing they had scored an impressive 48 points away from home – but still ended up beaten.

3. Richmond 106 v 12 Bedford

• Overall score: 118
• Date: May 16, 1999

A record holder for 27 years (almost to the day), this was English rugby’s ultimate mismatch and remains the league’s biggest margin of defeat. With their Premiership status hanging on a pair of play-offs against second-tier Rotherham, Bedford rested their entire first team for the game in Richmond. League organizers, it’s fair to say, weren’t thrilled. “This does no good to the Premiership,” said chief executive Howard Thomas.

4. West Hartlepool 21 v 91 Harlequins

• Overall score: 112
• Date: March 23, 1996

West Hartlepool can currently be found in Regional 2 North, the sixth tier of the English rugby pyramid, but in the 90s they were a top club. They finished at the bottom of the table in 1996, and only the expansion of the league from 10 to 12 clubs saved them from relegation. This record home defeat was the nadir of a forgettable season.

5. Leicester Tigers 72 v 37 West Hartlepool

Leicester lifted the Premiership trophy. It wasn’t such a good day for West Hartlepool (David Rogers /Allsport)

• Overall score: 109
• Date: May 16, 1999

West Hartlepool were relegated the following season in 1997, but returned to the Premiership at the first time of asking. It turned into another season to forget, as they finished the season five points adrift at the bottom of the table. This huge defeat to the newly crowned champions Leicester Tigers it was, unfortunately, their last performance (to date) in the top flight.

6. Harlequins 89 v 18 Orrell

• Overall score: 107
• Date: October 6, 1996

Orrell has fallen even further than West Hartlepool, and can now be found in the eighth tier 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire counties. The arrival of professionalism has not gone down well with the Wigan-based club, who have been given a lesson in the direction rugby is heading against big spending Harlequins a side boasting the talents of Keith Wood and rugby league recruits Robbie Paul and Gary Connolly. Orrell was dropped a season later.

7. Sale Sharks 19 v 85 Saracens

(David Rogers/Getty Images)

• Overall score: 104
• Date: April 19, 2026

Sale Sharks they would probably prefer to have two matches in 2025-26 Saracens expunged from the record. After losing 65-14 at the StoneX Stadium, things got even worse in the second leg as Saracens racked up 85 points away from home. A teenager Noah Caluori scored five tries in both matches, and now has to haunt the nightmares of the CorpAcq Stadium regulars.

8. Saracens 75 v 28 Newcastle Falcons

(Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

• Overall score: 103
• Date: May 10, 2025

Whether it’s the Falcons or the Red Bulls, Newcastle used to support the PREM table. Even so, such a defeat would be a shock to the system, as Saracens ran in 11 tries in their (ultimately unsuccessful) fight for a place in the play-offs. Ironically, the 28 points Newcastle scored was well above their average of 16 points per game during the season.

9. Bristol Bears 57 v 44 Bath Rugby

(Bob Bradford – CameraSport via Getty Images)

• Overall score: 101
• Date: January 27, 2024

Arguably the rugby equivalent of the 4-3 in football, this was a local derby for the ages. Trailing 33-15 at the interval, Bath fought back to ensure this one went down, with Rich Lane’s last-minute try (after a Finn Russell miss) guaranteeing victory for the hosts. Bristol have tended to have the edge over their West Country rivals in recent meetings, but never in a game like this.

10. Sale Sharks 53 v 47 Bristol Shoguns

• Overall score: 100
• Date: April 13, 2002

The toughest match of the century ended with both sides separated by one score. At one point in the first half, the score was 15-13, and those present would have no idea about the attempt they were witnessing. The Sharks then built a substantial lead before Bristol (then known as Shoguni as part of their sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi) made a comeback. Unfortunately for them, two late tries were not enough to spoil the hosts.

Top scores of PREM Rugby matches: the facts

• Five of the ten totals of over 100 have been achieved since January 2024 – three of them in 2026 alone. The era of basketball results in PREM is well and truly upon us.
• That Bristol Bears v Bath match in January 2024 was the first time any match had exceeded 100 points since April 2002, when Bristol (then known as the Shoguns) lost to Sale Sharks.
• The other four 100-pointers took place last century, in the early days of professionalism.
• Six of the top ten PREM matches took place in April or May, suggesting that fatigue – or the view of the beach – may play a role in defensive porosity.
• Richmond is the only team to score more than 100 points in a single game.
• The majority of PREM’s highest-scoring matches have been home wins, although two entries on the list (West Hartlepool v Harlequins in March 1996 and Sale Sharks v Saracens in April 2026) were away wins.
• The most points ua Six Nations The match came in England’s 80-23 win over Italy in 2001. The total on the day was 103.