2003–04 Premiership Rugby

The 2003-04 Zurich Premiership was the 17th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.

2003-2004 Zurich Premiership
Countries	England
Champions	London Wasps (4th title)
Runners-up	Bath
Relegated	Rotherham Titans
Matches played	137
Attendance	1,241,557 (average 9,062 per match)
← 2002–03 2004–05 →

Rotherham were relegated after failing to win a single match all season.

Participating teams

Bath

Gloucester

Harlequins

Leeds

Leicester

L Irish

Newcastle

Northampton

Rotherham

Sale

Saracens

L Wasps

Locations of the 2003-04 Zurich Premiership teams

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City/Area
Bath	Recreation Ground	9,980	Bath, Somerset
Gloucester	Kingsholm	11,000	Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Harlequins	The Stoop	8,500	Twickenham, London
Leeds Tykes	Headingley Stadium	22,250	Leeds, West Yorkshire
Leicester Tigers	Welford Road	16,815	Leicester, Leicestershire
London Irish	Madejski Stadium	24,161	Reading, Berkshire
London Wasps	The Causeway Stadium	10,000	High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Newcastle Falcons	Kingston Park	10,000	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Northampton Saints	Franklin's Gardens	12,100	Northampton, Northamptonshire
Rotherham Titans	Millmoor	11,158	Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Sale	Edgeley Park	10,641	Stockport, Greater Manchester
Saracens	Vicarage Road	22,000	Watford, Hertfordshire

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Bath	22	18	0	4	508	311	+197	45	24	4	3	79	Playoff place
2	London Wasps (C)	22	16	0	6	575	406	+169	59	37	6	3	73
3	Northampton Saints	22	15	1	6	574	416	+158	61	48	6	2	70
4	Gloucester	22	14	0	8	491	412	+79	51	41	4	3	63	2004–05 Heineken Cup
5	Leicester Tigers	22	11	3	8	537	430	+107	53	37	4	2	55[a]
6	Harlequins	22	10	2	10	502	449	+53	50	43	4	6	54
7	Sale Sharks	22	9	3	10	510	472	+38	56	50	5	6	53
8	London Irish	22	10	1	11	427	454	−27	30	37	1	6	49
9	Newcastle Falcons	22	7	2	13	497	525	−28	53	55	4	9	45	2004–05 Heineken Cup
10	Saracens	22	8	1	13	397	543	−146	40	56	3	3	39[a]
11	Leeds Tykes	22	7	1	14	449	588	−139	47	59	4	3	37
12	Rotherham Titans (R)	22	0	0	22	309	770	−461	32	90	0	3	3	Relegation place

Source: Guinness Premiership^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Notes:

1. Leicester and Saracens deducted one point each for fielding an ineligible player.

Results

Week 1

12 September 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	37 – 37	Northampton Saints

Edgeley Park Attendance: 8,105

13 September 2003 14:45

Harlequins	33 – 27	London Wasps

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 7,223

13 September 2003 15:00

Gloucester	22 – 8	Rotherham Titans

Kingsholm Attendance: 10,114

13 September 2003 15:00

Leicester Tigers	29 – 19	London Irish

Welford Road Attendance: 16,029

14 September 2003 14:30

Leeds Tykes	32 – 44	Bath

Headingley Attendance: 4,093

14 September 2003 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	20 – 25	Saracens

Kingston Park Attendance: 7,012

Week 2

20 September 2003 14:15

Bath	24 – 6	Northampton Saints

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,381

20 September 2003 14:45

Rotherham Titans	15 – 43	Harlequins

Millmoor Attendance: 4,003

21 September 2003 15:00

London Irish	16 – 10	Gloucester

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 9,968

21 September 2003 15:00

London Wasps	33 – 10	Leeds Tykes

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 5,721

21 September 2003 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	9 – 8	Sale Sharks

Kingston Park Attendance: 5,628

21 September 2003 15:00

Saracens	19 – 19	Leicester Tigers

Vicarage Road Attendance: 7,730

Week 3

26 September 2003 19:45

Leicester Tigers	28 – 21	Newcastle Falcons

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

26 September 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	9 – 14	Bath

Edgeley Park Attendance: 6,500

26 September 2003 20:00

Leeds Tykes	23 – 13	Rotherham Titans

Headingley Attendance: 4,842

27 September 2003 14:45

Gloucester	30 – 7	Saracens

Kingsholm Attendance: 10,050

27 September 2003 15:00

Harlequins	15 – 10	London Irish

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 7,523

27 September 2003 15:00

Northampton Saints	27 – 17	London Wasps

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 10,571

Week 4

4 October 2003 14:45

Leicester Tigers	16 – 22	Sale Sharks

Welford Road Attendance: 15,507

4 October 2003 15:00

Rotherham Titans	13 – 42	Northampton Saints

Millmoor Attendance: 3,118

5 October 2003 14:00

London Wasps	19 – 20	Bath

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 7,767

5 October 2003 15:00

London Irish	31 – 16	Leeds Tykes

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 5,725

5 October 2003 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	42 – 22	Gloucester

Kingston Park Attendance: 6,102

5 October 2003 15:00

Saracens	39 – 33	Harlequins

Vicarage Road Attendance: 6,380

Week 5

10 October 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	33 – 37	London Wasps

Edgeley Park Attendance: 5,803

11 October 2003 14:15

Bath	47 – 3	Rotherham Titans

Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,733

11 October 2003 14:45

Gloucester	24 – 3	Leicester Tigers

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

11 October 2003 15:00

Harlequins	18 – 11	Newcastle Falcons

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 6,523

11 October 2003 15:00

Northampton Saints	24 – 30	London Irish

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 10,384

12 October 2003 15:00

Leeds Tykes	41 – 31	Saracens

Headingley Attendance: 2,888

Week 6

17 October 2003 19:45

Rotherham Titans	14 – 28	Sale Sharks

Millmoor Attendance: 2,229

18 October 2003 15:30

Harlequins	0 – 16	Gloucester

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 6,223

18 October 2003 16:00

Northampton Saints	33 – 20	Newcastle Falcons

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 9,923

19 October 2003 14:00

Bath	25 – 3	Saracens

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,154

19 October 2003 14:30

Leeds Tykes	39 – 18	Leicester Tigers

Headingley Attendance: 4,073

19 October 2003 15:00

London Wasps	22 – 15	London Irish

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 6,463

Week 7

25 October 2003 14:45

Newcastle Falcons	19 – 17	Bath

Kingston Park Attendance: 4,885

25 October 2003 15:00

Gloucester	24 – 19	Leeds Tykes

Kingsholm Attendance: 9,832

25 October 2003 15:00

Leicester Tigers	15 – 32	Northampton Saints

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

25 October 2003 15:00

Harlequins	21 – 30	Sale Sharks

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 5,123

26 October 2003 15:00

London Irish	47 – 26	Rotherham Titans

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 5,831

26 October 2003 15:00

Saracens	3 – 42	London Wasps

Vicarage Road Attendance: 6,950

Week 8

31 October 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	26 – 28	London Irish

Edgeley Park Attendance: 5,605

31 October 2003 20:00

Leeds Tykes	16 – 30	Harlequins

Headingley Attendance: 3,205

1 November 2003 14:15

Bath	31 – 17	Leicester Tigers

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

1 November 2003 14:45

Northampton Saints	30 – 17	Gloucester

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 11,026

1 November 2003 15:00

Rotherham Titans	12 – 25	Saracens

Millmoor Attendance: 2,500

2 November 2003 15:00

London Wasps	30 – 26	Newcastle Falcons

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 5,151

Week 9

8 November 2003 14:45

Sale Sharks	37 – 21	Leeds Tykes

Edgeley Park Attendance: 3,367

8 November 2003 15:00

Gloucester	14 – 20	Bath

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

8 November 2003 15:00

Leicester Tigers	32 – 22	London Wasps

Welford Road Attendance: 15,384

8 November 2003 15:00

Harlequins	43 – 21	Northampton Saints

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 6,223

9 November 2003 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	56 – 10	Rotherham Titans

Kingston Park Attendance: 5,452

9 November 2003 15:00

Saracens	31 – 34	London Irish

Vicarage Road Attendance: 5,013

Week 10

21 November 2003 19:45

London Wasps	20 – 12	Gloucester

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 7,288

21 November 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	33 – 3	Saracens

Edgeley Park Attendance: 5,487

22 November 2003 14:15

Bath	18 – 10	Harlequins

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

22 November 2003 15:00

Northampton Saints	48 – 24	Leeds Tykes

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 11,292

22 November 2003 16:00

Rotherham Titans	17 – 27	Leicester Tigers

Millmoor Attendance: 2,900

23 November 2003 15:00

London Irish	15 – 19	Newcastle Falcons

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 6,791

Week 11

29 November 2003 14:45

Newcastle Falcons	20 – 23	London Wasps

Kingston Park Attendance: 10,001

29 November 2003 15:00

Gloucester	28 – 20	Northampton Saints

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

29 November 2003 15:00

Leicester Tigers	12 – 13	Bath

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

29 November 2003 15:00

Harlequins	9 – 16	Leeds Tykes

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 7,123

30 November 2003 15:00

London Irish	9 – 3	Sale Sharks

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 7,488

30 November 2003 15:00

Saracens	29 – 10	Rotherham Titans

Vicarage Road Attendance: 5,680

Week 12

19 December 2003 19:45

Sale Sharks	27 – 27	Harlequins

Edgeley Park Attendance: 6,643

20 December 2003 13:00

Rotherham Titans	10 – 15	London Irish

Millmoor Attendance: 1,910

20 December 2003 14:15

Bath	20 – 10	Newcastle Falcons

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,800

20 December 2003 14:45

Northampton Saints	14 – 0	Leicester Tigers

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 12,150

21 December 2003 14:30

Leeds Tykes	22 – 18	Gloucester

Headingley Attendance: 7,467

21 December 2003 15:00

London Wasps	41 – 0	Saracens

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 9,350

Week 13

27 December 2003 15:00

Gloucester	18 – 17	Harlequins

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

27 December 2003 15:00

Leicester Tigers	39 – 11	Leeds Tykes

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

27 December 2003 15:00

Sale Sharks	35 – 7	Rotherham Titans

Edgeley Park Attendance: 8,797

27 December 2003 15:00

Saracens	15 – 24	Bath

Vicarage Road Attendance: 11,477

27 December 2003 15:15

London Irish	19 – 34	London Wasps

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 20,318

28 December 2003 14:30

Newcastle Falcons	23 – 19	Northampton Saints

Kingston Park Attendance: 10,000

Week 14

1 January 2004 15:00

Saracens	27 – 3	Leeds Tykes

Vicarage Road Attendance: 9,350

3 January 2004 14:45

Leicester Tigers	18 – 28	Gloucester

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

4 January 2004 14:30

Newcastle Falcons	25 – 29	Harlequins

Kingston Park Attendance: 7,975

4 January 2004 15:00

London Irish	15 – 36	Northampton Saints

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 10,004

4 January 2004 15:00

London Wasps	26 – 10	Sale Sharks

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 9,506

4 January 2004 15:00

Rotherham Titans	18 – 34	Bath

Millmoor Attendance: 6,894

Week 15

6 February 2004 19:45

Sale Sharks	3 – 3	Leicester Tigers

Edgeley Park Attendance: 10,541

6 February 2004 20:00

Leeds Tykes	9 – 16	London Irish

Headingley Attendance: 3,230

7 February 2004 14:40

Bath	6 – 10	London Wasps

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

7 February 2004 15:00

Gloucester	36 – 12	Newcastle Falcons

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

7 February 2004 15:00

Harlequins	12 – 10	Saracens

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 8,170

7 February 2004 15:00

Northampton Saints	18 – 8	Rotherham Titans

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 10,839

Week 16

14 February 2004 15:00

Rotherham Titans	20 – 27	London Wasps

Millmoor Attendance: 2,200

14 February 2004 18:00

Gloucester	38 – 12	Sale Sharks

Kingsholm Attendance: 10,993

15 February 2004 13:00

Saracens	18 – 22	Northampton Saints

Vicarage Road Attendance: 5,651

15 February 2004 13:30

Newcastle Falcons	25 – 28	Leeds Tykes

Kingston Park Attendance: 7,503

Week 17

21 February 2004 14:15

Bath	22 – 13	Leeds Tykes

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,818

21 February 2004 14:30

London Irish	9 – 22	Leicester Tigers

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 10,836

21 February 2004 15:00

Northampton Saints	51 – 12	Sale Sharks

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 11,756

22 February 2004 15:00

Rotherham Titans	21 – 35	Gloucester

Millmoor Attendance: 2,250

22 February 2004 15:00

Saracens	32 – 27	Newcastle Falcons

Vicarage Road Attendance: 7,516

22 February 2004 18:00

London Wasps	22 – 21	Harlequins

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 8,549

Week 18

19 March 2004 19:45

Leicester Tigers	30 – 21	Harlequins

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

21 March 2004 15:00

London Irish	20 – 21	Bath

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 20,840

Week 19

26 March 2004 19:45

Sale Sharks	38 – 20	Gloucester

Edgeley Park Attendance: 6,487

27 March 2004 14:15

Bath	23 – 21	London Irish

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

27 March 2004 15:00

Harlequins	20 – 23	Leicester Tigers

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 7,871

27 March 2004 15:00

Northampton Saints	24 – 3	Saracens

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 12,003

28 March 2004 14:30

Leeds Tykes	30 – 30	Newcastle Falcons

Headingley Attendance: 4,907

28 March 2004 15:00

London Wasps	39 – 11	Rotherham Titans

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 6,757

Week 20

2 April 2004 19:45

Rotherham Titans	20 – 34	Leeds Tykes

Millmoor Attendance: 2,750

3 April 2004 14:15

Bath	16 – 12	Sale Sharks

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

3 April 2004 14:45

Saracens	8 – 16	Gloucester

Vicarage Road Attendance: 6,907

4 April 2004 15:00

London Irish	15 – 15	Harlequins

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 9,574

4 April 2004 15:00

London Wasps	31 – 5	Northampton Saints

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 10,000

4 April 2004 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	25 – 25	Leicester Tigers

Kingston Park Attendance: 10,000

Week 21

16 April 2004 19:45

Leicester Tigers	38 – 10	Saracens

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

16 April 2004 19:45

Harlequins	43 – 20	Rotherham Titans

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 4,758

18 April 2004 14:00

Northampton Saints	16 – 6	Bath

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 12,005

18 April 2004 14:30

Leeds Tykes	7 – 11	London Wasps

Headingley Attendance: 3,194

18 April 2004 16:00

Gloucester	28 – 13	London Irish

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

Week 22

23 April 2004 19:45

Sale Sharks	41 – 16	Newcastle Falcons

Edgeley Park Attendance: 9,486

Week 23

1 May 2004 14:45

Gloucester	28 – 25	London Wasps

Kingsholm Attendance: 11,000

1 May 2004 15:00

Leicester Tigers	75 – 13	Rotherham Titans

Welford Road Attendance: 16,815

2 May 2004 14:00

Harlequins	25 – 22	Bath

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 7,870

2 May 2004 14:30

Leeds Tykes	15 – 31	Northampton Saints

Headingley Attendance: 4,239

2 May 2004 15:00

Newcastle Falcons	15 – 16	London Irish

Kingston Park Attendance: 8,723

2 May 2004 15:00

Saracens	39 – 23	Sale Sharks

Vicarage Road Attendance: 6,917

Week 24

8 May 2004 15:00

Bath	41 – 7	Gloucester

Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,980

8 May 2004 15:00

Leeds Tykes	20 – 31	Sale Sharks

Headingley Attendance: 4,036

8 May 2004 15:00

London Irish	14 – 20	Saracens

Madejski Stadium Attendance: 9,856

8 May 2004 15:00

London Wasps	17 – 48	Leicester Tigers

The Causeway Stadium Attendance: 10,000

8 May 2004 15:00

Northampton Saints	18 – 17	Harlequins

Franklin’s Gardens Attendance: 12,048

8 May 2004 15:00

Rotherham Titans	20 – 26	Newcastle Falcons

Don Valley Stadium Attendance: 5,203

Play-offs

As for the 2002–03 season, the first placed team automatically qualified for the final where they played the winner of the second vs third place semi-final.

Semi-final

16 May 2004 14:00

London Wasps	57 – 20	Northampton Saints
	Report

The Causeway Stadium, High Wycombe Attendance: 6,219

Final

29 May 2004 18:00

Bath	6–10	London Wasps
P-Malone (1) DG-Malone (1)	Report	T-Abbott (1) C-van Gisbergen (1) DG-King (1)

Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 59,500

Team details

Bath London Wasps Mike Catt Andrew Higgins Robbie Fleck Mike Tindall Alex Crockett Chris Malone Martyn Wood Zak Feunati Michael Lipman Andy Beattie Danny Grewcock Steve Borthwick Duncan Bell Jonathan Humphreys (capt) David Barnes Replacements: Hentie Martens Lee Mears Matt Stevens Olly Barkley Spencer Davey James Scaysbrook Rob Fidler Coach: Mark van Gisbergen Josh Lewsey Fraser Waters Stuart Abbott Tom Voyce Alex King Rob Howley Lawrence Dallaglio (capt) Paul Volley Joe Worsley Richard Birkett Simon Shaw Will Green Trevor Leota Tim Payne Replacements: Henry Nwume Mark Lock Ben Gotting Martin Purdy Peter Richards Mark Denney Ayoola Erinle Coach: Warren Gatland

Zurich Wildcard

The Zurich Wildcard was contested by the teams placed fourth through seventh in the final table.

Semi finals

15 May 2004

Gloucester	44 – 35	Sale Sharks

Kingsholm, Gloucester Attendance: 4,859

Despite winning this match, Gloucester forfeited their place in the final as English teams were awarded an additional Heineken Cup qualification place due to London Wasps winning the 2003–04 Heineken Cup. This additional place was awarded to Gloucester as the next highest placed team in the league not automatically qualified.^[1][2]

26 May 2004

Leicester Tigers	43 – 26	Harlequins

Welford Road, Leicester Attendance: 12,004

Final

29 May 2004

Sale Sharks	27 – 48	Leicester Tigers

Twickenham, London Attendance: 30,000

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

Most points Source:[3] Rank Player Club Points 1 Andy Goode Saracens/Leicester Tigers 266 2 Shane Drahm Northampton Saints 243 3 Mark van Gisbergen Wasps 229 4 Olly Barkley Bath 219 5 Henry Paul Gloucester 204 6 Dave Walder Newcastle Falcons 108 7 Barry Everitt London Irish 147 8 Mark Mapletoft London Irish 145 9 Andy Dunne Harlequins 134 10 Braam van Straaten Sale Sharks 131

Most tries Source:[4] Rank Player Club Tries 1 Steve Hanley Sale Sharks 13 Bruce Reihana Northampton Saints 3 Tom May Newcastle Falcons 11 4 Mark Cueto Sale Sharks 10 5 Ugo Monye Harlequins 9 Tom Voyce Wasps 7 Simon Keogh Harlequins 8 Paul Sackey London Irish James Simpson-Daniel Gloucester Michael Stephenson Newcastle Falcons

References

1. "Gloucester 44 Sale 35". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
2. "Gloucester and Sale Win With Wasps!". Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
3. "2003-04 Premiership Rugby top points scorers". ESPNScrum. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
4. "2003-04 Premiership Rugby top try scorers". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 1 September 2020.

External links

• Who Will Play In The Zurich Wildcard Final
• Wildcard and Euro Qualification Explained
• 2003/4 Zurich Premiership Preview - The Finals