The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the 2011 final.

Harlequins won their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the final at Twickenham having also topped the regular season table.

As usual, round 1 included the London Double Header at Twickenham, the eighth instance since its inception in 2004.

This season saw the first major change in the Premiership's salary cap, which at the time stood at £4 million per team.

In addition, a standard provision of the cap system that applies only in seasons that run up against the Rugby World Cup provided each team with a credit of £30,000 for each senior squad player that participated in the World Cup.