The Showdown (previously known as Derby Day) is the annual showpiece rugby union match hosted by Saracens in Premiership Rugby, the top-flight professional rugby competition in England. Starting in 2009, the event has served as the club's marquee home fixture during each domestic season, usually against their closest rivals, fellow London club Harlequins. To date, the fixture has taken place at three large-capacity stadiums around the team's home city of London – Wembley Stadium, London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and it has regularly achieved among the biggest crowds in the league since the 2009–10 season.
The event is notable for holding the current record for the highest ever attendance for a Premiership Rugby match, under its previous branding of 'Derby Day'. This record was set during the match between Saracens and Harlequins at Wembley on 28 March 2015, which had a live gate of 84,068 people – then a world record for a domestic club rugby union match, until this was broken by the 2016 Top 14 final. Furthermore, under its current branding of 'The Showdown', the fixture also held the record as the most-watched Premiership game in the competition's 26-year history. This record was set during the match between Saracens and Harlequins on 25 March 2023, which attracted a combined peak television audience of 1.516 million people, accounting for 7.1 per cent share of all British TV viewers at that time.
The rivalry between Saracens and Harlequins also extends into women's rugby. Beginning in 2021, Premiership Women's Rugby clubs Saracens Women and Harlequins Women have met at Barnet Copthall each season for their own version of the annual showpiece match, under the banner of The London Derby (previously known as The Duel). In addition, the women's team will also feature in The Showdown for the first time in 2026, as part of a double-header with the men's team.
History
Prior to launching their own showpiece event, Saracens had frequently been involved in the London Double Header at Twickenham Stadium, which took place between 2004 and 2017. Subsequently, for the 2009–10 season, the club announced it would stage three of its Premiership home games – as well as a special exhibition match against South Africa – at Wembley Stadium, in a bid to boost supporter numbers.
The event then moved to a once-a-year schedule, before being formally branded as 'Derby Day' in 2012, with local rivals Harlequins as the regular opponents. Between 2012 and 2015, this fixture broke the world record for a club rugby attendance on three occasions. After eight years at Wembley Stadium, Derby Day switched over to the London Stadium – the home of Premier League football club West Ham – in 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, Saracens announced an initial five-year stadium partnership with Tottenham Hotspur to host fixtures annually, under the new banner of 'The Showdown', at the Premier League club's ground. A four-year extension to this collaboration was agreed in 2024, with matches continuing to be staged at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until at least 2028.
The opening instalment of The Showdown was originally due to occur March 2020 – however, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of the 2019–20 season before this date. As a consequence, when the league resumed, games were played behind closed doors over the next six months. Once full-capacity crowds were allowed to return to stadia at the start of the 2021–22 season, Saracens finally held their first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March 2022, against Bristol. Thereafter, the fixture reverted to the usual rivalry match-up with Harlequins from 2023 to 2025.
Results summary The following table outlines the results of each showpiece match hosted by Saracens in Premiership Rugby: Season Round Date Opponent Score Stadium Attendance 2009–10 2 12 September 2009 Northampton Saints 19–16 Wembley Stadium 44,832 14 13 February 2010 Worcester Warriors 25–20 Wembley Stadium 40,163 20 17 April 2010 Harlequins 37–18 Wembley Stadium 47,106 2010–11 11 26 December 2010 Wasps 13–6 Wembley Stadium 38,425 2011–12 19 31 March 2012 Harlequins 19–24 Wembley Stadium 83,761 2012–13 3 15 September 2012 Leicester Tigers 9–9 Wembley Stadium 41,063 2013–14 17 22 March 2014 Harlequins 39–17 Wembley Stadium 83,889 2014–15 18 28 March 2015 Harlequins 42–14 Wembley Stadium 84,068 2015–16 20 16 April 2016 Harlequins 22–12 Wembley Stadium 80,650 2016–17 19 8 April 2017 Harlequins 40–19 Wembley Stadium 71,324 2017–18 18 24 March 2018 Harlequins 24–11 London Stadium 55,329 2018–19 17 23 March 2019 Harlequins 27–20 London Stadium 42,717 2019–20 15 22 August 2020 Harlequins 38–24 Allianz Park 0 2021–22 21 26 March 2022 Bristol Bears 27–23 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 49,376 2022–23 21 25 March 2023 Harlequins 36–24 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 55,109 2023–24 13 23 March 2024 Harlequins 52–7 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 61,214 2024–25 12 22 March 2025 Harlequins 12–23 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 54,414 2025–26 12 28 March 2026 Northampton Saints 17–21 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium —
Match details Saracens vs Northampton (2009)
Saracens held their first ever standalone showpiece match at Wembley Stadium in September 2009, defeating Northampton Saints by a score of 19–16. With a crowd of almost 45,000, the club also smashed its record attendance for a home game, with the next best figure recorded as 19,000, which was set during a league match at Vicarage Road in 1998.
Team details FB 15 Alex GoodeRW 14 Noah CatoOC 13 Kameli RatuvouIC 12 Brad BarrittLW 11 Chris WylesFH 10 Glen JacksonSH 9 Neil de KockN8 8 Ernst JoubertOF 7 Andy SaullBF 6 Wikus van HeerdenRL 5 Hugh VyvyanLL 4 Steve Borthwick (c)TP 3 Carlos NietoHK 2 Schalk BritsLP 1 Rhys GillSubstitutions:HK 16 Fabio OngaroPR 17 Tom MerceyPR 18 Richard SkuseLK 19 Mouritz BothaN8 20 Michael OwenSH 21 Justin MarshallFH 22 Derick HougaardWG 23 Richard HaughtonCoach: Brendan Venter FB 15 Ben FodenRW 14 Paul DigginOC 13 Jon ClarkeIC 12 James DowneyLW 11 Bruce ReihanaFH 10 Shane GeraghtySH 9 Lee DicksonN8 8 Roger WilsonOF 7 Scott GrayBF 6 Phil DowsonRL 5 Juandre KrugerLL 4 Ignacio Fernández LobbeTP 3 Santiago González BonorinoHK 2 Dylan Hartley (c)LP 1 Soane TongaʻuihaSubstitutions:HK 16 Brett SharmanPR 17 Regardt DreyerPR 18 Brian MujatiLK 19 Courtney LawesFL 20 Neil BestSH 21 Alan DickensFH 22 Barry EverittCE 23 Chris MayorCoach: Jim Mallinder
Saracens vs Worcester (2010)
After setting a club attendance record in their inaugural appearance at Wembley Stadium, Saracens announced that they would stage two additional home fixtures at the ground during the 2009–10 season. In the first of these two extra games at Wembley, they beat Worcester Warriors by a score of 25–20.
Team details FB 15 Alex GoodeRW 14 Michael TagicakibauOC 13 Kameli RatuvouIC 12 Brad BarrittLW 11 Chris WylesFH 10 Glen JacksonSH 9 Neil de Kock (c)N8 8 Ernst JoubertOF 7 Andy SaullBF 6 Wikus van HeerdenRL 5 Tom RyderLL 4 Hayden SmithTP 3 Richard SkuseHK 2 Schalk BritsLP 1 Kas LealamanuaSubstitutions:HK 16 Ethienne ReyneckePR 17 Rhys GillPR 18 Carlos NietoLK 19 Mouritz BothaFL 20 Jacques BurgerSH 21 Justin MarshallFH 22 Derick HougaardWG 23 Noah CatoCoach: Brendan Venter FB 15 Chris LathamRW 14 Chris PennellOC 13 Dale RasmussenIC 12 Sam TuitupouLW 11 Miles BenjaminFH 10 Willie WalkerSH 9 Jonny ArrN8 8 Kai HorstmannOF 7 Pat Sanderson (c)BF 6 Tom WoodRL 5 Craig GilliesLL 4 Greg RawlinsonTP 3 Tevita TaumoepeauHK 2 Chris ForteyLP 1 Adam BlackSubstitutions:HK 16 Jack GildingPR 17 Aleki LutuiPR 18 Olivier SourgensLK 19 Graham KitchenerFL 20 Chris CracknellSH 21 Ryan PowellFH 22 Matt JonesWG 23 Rico GearCoach: Mike Ruddock
Saracens vs Harlequins (2010)
For the club's third and final visit to Wembley Stadium in the 2009–10 season, Saracens faced rivals Harlequins for the first time, establishing the basis for the showpiece fixture's future identity as 'Derby Day' and 'The Showdown'. Saracens were victorious, with the final score of 37–18.
Team details FB 15 Alex GoodeRW 14 Michael TagicakibauOC 13 Adam PowellIC 12 Brad BarrittLW 11 Rodd PenneyFH 10 Derick HougaardSH 9 Justin MarshallN8 8 Ernst Joubert (c)OF 7 Andy SaullBF 6 Justin MelckRL 5 Tom RyderLL 4 Hugh VyvyanTP 3 Petrus du PlessisHK 2 Schalk BritsLP 1 Matías AgüeroSubstitutions:HK 16 Fabio OngaroPR 17 Kas LealamanuaPR 18 Richard SkuseLK 19 Mouritz BothaFL 20 Jacques BurgerSH 21 Neil de KockFH 22 Glen JacksonCE 23 Kameli RatuvouCoach: Brendan Venter FB 15 Mike BrownRW 14 David StrettleOC 13 George LoweIC 12 Jordan Turner-HallLW 11 Tom WilliamsFH 10 Nick EvansSH 9 Danny CareN8 8 Nick Easter (c)OF 7 Will SkinnerBF 6 Tom GuestRL 5 George RobsonLL 4 James PercivalTP 3 John AndressHK 2 Chris BrookerLP 1 Ceri JonesSubstitutions:HK 16 Matt CairnsPR 17 Aston CroallPR 18 James JohnstonLK 19 Lewis StevensonN8 20 Chris YorkSH 21 Karl DicksonCE 22 Rory CleggWG 23 Ugo MonyeCoach: Conor O'Shea
Saracens vs Wasps (2010)
Saracens welcomed London Wasps for their return to Wembley Stadium on Boxing Day 2010. The home team picked up the victory with a final score of 13–6.
Team details FB 15 Chris WylesRW 14 David StrettleOC 13 Michael TagicakibauIC 12 Brad BarrittLW 11 James ShortFH 10 Owen FarrellSH 9 Neil de KockN8 8 Ernst JoubertOF 7 Justin MelckBF 6 Kelly BrownRL 5 Hugh VyvyanLL 4 Steve Borthwick (c)TP 3 Carlos NietoHK 2 Schalk BritsLP 1 Deon CarstensSubstitutions:HK 16 Jamie GeorgePR 17 Rhys GillPR 18 Petrus du PlessisLK 19 Hayden SmithFL 20 Andy SaullSH 21 Richard WigglesworthFH 22 Gavin HensonFB 23 Alex GoodeCoach: Brendan Venter FB 15 Mark van GisbergenRW 14 Tom VarndellOC 13 Ben JacobsIC 12 Steve KefuLW 11 David LemiFH 10 Dave WalderSH 9 Joe SimpsonN8 8 Andy PowellOF 7 Serge BetsenBF 6 Joe WorsleyRL 5 James CannonLL 4 Simon Shaw (c)TP 3 Ben BrosterHK 2 Tom LindsayLP 1 Sakaria TaulafoSubstitutions:HK 16 Jason HobsonPR 17 Tim PaynePR 18 Bob BakerLK 19 Marty VealeFL 20 Sam JonesSH 21 Nic BerryCE 22 Seb JewellWG 23 Richard HaughtonCoach: Tony Hanks
Derby Day 1 (2012)
Saracens and Harlequins contested the first incarnation of Derby Day at Wembley Stadium in March 2012, with the visitors emerging as the winners by 24–19 – the first away victory in this showpiece fixture. The match-day gate of 83,761 set a new world record for a rugby union club match, which was previously held by the 2009–10 Heineken Cup quarter-final match between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park.
Team details FB 15 Alex GoodeRW 14 David StrettleOC 13 Chris WylesIC 12 Owen FarrellLW 11 James ShortFH 10 Charlie HodgsonSH 9 Neil de KockN8 8 Ernst JoubertOF 7 Will FraserBF 6 Justin MelckRL 5 Mouritz BothaLL 4 Steve Borthwick (c)TP 3 Carlos NietoHK 2 Schalk BritsLP 1 Matt StevensSubstitutions:HK 16 Jamie GeorgePR 17 Mako VunipolaPR 18 Petrus du PlessisLK 19 George KruisFL 20 Jackson WraySH 21 Richard WigglesworthCE 22 Adam PowellWG 23 Michael TagicakibauCoach: Mark McCall FB 15 Mike BrownRW 14 Tom WilliamsOC 13 George LoweIC 12 Jordan Turner-HallLW 11 Ugo MonyeFH 10 Nick EvansSH 9 Danny CareN8 8 Nick EasterOF 7 Chris Robshaw (c)BF 6 Maurie Fa'asavaluRL 5 George RobsonLL 4 Ollie KohnTP 3 James JohnstonHK 2 Rob BuchananLP 1 Joe MarlerSubstitutions:HK 16 Aston CroallPR 17 Mark LambertPR 18 Will CollierLK 19 Tomás VallejosN8 20 Tom GuestSH 21 Karl DicksonFH 22 Rory CleggCE 23 Ross ChisholmCoach: Conor O'Shea
Saracens vs Leicester (2012)
Saracens hosted Leicester Tigers for the 2012–13 showpiece at Wembley Stadium, instead of regular visitors Harlequins. The match ended in 9–9 draw – the first and, to date, only deadlocked result in the event's history.