After hosting Irish, the Falcons travel to Gloucester and Saracens respectively before hosting Newport Gwent Dragons in Round 4 of the competition.

Following the fixture announcement, RFU professional rugby director Rob Andrew said: “We have seen the LV= Cup develop as a crucial competition for up and coming new talent over the past few seasons as evident through players such as Jack Nowell, who was crucial in England Under-20s Junior World Championship triumph.

“I’m sure the competition will again identify some promising young talent this season, and one that we will undoubtedly see on the international stage in the years to come.”

LV= head of sponsorship Claire Jeromson added: “Over the course of the last four seasons, we have seen the LV= CUP grow into an incredibly exciting competition and it has been a privilege to be part of that, as title sponsors. In a busy rugby calendar the chance to see some of the most promising young players given their opportunity to break through into the first team for their squads is incredibly important. The likes of Jack Nowell and Jonny May before him have proven the value of the tournament in unearthing the next generation of international stars.

“As domestic rugby continues to grow and become more competitive, we are looking forward to seeing what this season’s LV= Cup holds in store.”

2013-14 LV= Cup

Pool 1
Saracens
Gloucester Rugby
London Irish
Newport Gwent Dragons

Pool 2
Leicester Tigers
Exeter Chiefs
Sale Sharks
Cardiff Blues

Pool 3
Harlequins
Bath Rugby
Worcester Warriors
Ospreys

Pool 4
Northampton Saints
London Wasps
Newcastle Falcons
Scarlets

Fixtures

Round 1 – 8/9/10 November
London Wasps v Saracens
Northampton Saints v Gloucester Rugby
Newcastle Falcons v London Irish
Scarlets v Newport Gwent Dragons
Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins
Leicester Tigers v Ospreys (Friday November 8, KO 19:45, Live on Sky Sports)
Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby
Cardiff Blues v Worcester Warriors

Round 2 – 15/16/17 November
London Irish v Northampton Saints
Newport Gwent Dragons v London Wasps
Saracens v Scarlets
Gloucester Rugby v Newcastle Falcons
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs (Sunday November 17, KO 15:00 Sky Sports)
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Harlequins v Sale Sharks
Ospreys v Cardiff

Round 3 – 24/25/26 January
Scarlets v Gloucester Rugby
London Wasps v London Irish
Saracens v Newcastle Falcons
Newport Gwent Dragons v Northampton Saints
Bath Rugby v Cardiff Blues
Exeter Chiefs v Ospreys
Harlequins v Leicester Tigers
Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors

Round 4 – 31/1/2 January/February
Gloucester Rugby v London Wasps
London Irish v Scarlets
Newcastle Falcons v Newport Gwent Dragons
Northampton Saints v Saracens
Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby
Worcester Warriors v Exeter Chiefs
Cardiff Blues v Harlequins
Ospreys v Sale Sharks

Semi Finals – 7/8/9 March

The pool winner with the best playing record will be at home against the pool winner with the fourth best playing record in Semi Final 1.

The Pool Winner with the second best playing record will be at home against the pool winner with the third best playing record in Semi Final 2.

LV= Cup Final – 16 March
Final venue yet to be confirmed.

Competition format:

The LV= Cup is a 16-team competition involving the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs and 4 Welsh regions.

Played in four pools of four with three English clubs and one Welsh region in each pool

English clubs have been allocated to the pools depending on their finish in last season’s Aviva Premiership Rugby competition.

Welsh regions have been allocated to the pools to avoid repeating fixtures from the Heineken and Amlin Challenge cups where possible.

Teams in Pool 1 play teams in Pool 4 and teams in Pool 2 play teams in Pool 3.

Each team plays four pool matches – two home and two away – with the top team from each pool qualifying for the semi-finals.