The reigning champions entering the season were Harlequins, who had claimed their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the 2012 final.

Leicester Tigers won their tenth title after defeating Northampton Saints in the final at Twickenham, having finished second in the regular season table.

London Welsh were relegated, in part, for having received a 5-point deduction for fielding a player who did not hold an Effective Registration.

Following a lengthy appeal, London Welsh successfully gained promotion to the Premiership, having contested the Professional Game Boards recommendation to refuse them entry based on the Minimum Standards Criteria.

All games in Round 22 kicked off at 15.00 on 4 May 2013, so as to not give any team a potential advantage with regards to knowing how to achieve a play-off berth, Heineken Cup place, or safety from relegation.

Northampton captain Dylan Hartley was sent off for using foul and abusive language just before half-time after calling referee Wayne Barnes a "f*****g cheat" .