English rugby bans high-ranking official from Twickenham for using N-word May 10, 2023 A former Rugby Football Union council member has been banned from Twickenham after admitting making racist comments at a Six Nations match last year. Alex Murphy said to an unnamed volunteer as they walked to the council box at the England v Wales game in 2022, “You realise they don’t let n****** in the Royal [...]
Premiership enjoys attendance bounce, but figures little for rugby to cheer about May 9, 2023 Premiership rugby’s average match attendance is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels as the sport shows signs of recovery following a turbulent period. Average attendance in the Premiership this season was 12,569, up by more than 1,000 on last year and almost back to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to data crunched by Morning Wire The figures [...]
Worcester fan group: We don’t want ‘cuckoo club’ Wasps May 9, 2023 A new fan group representing recently purchased rugby team Worcester Warriors have called on the sport’s governing body to block a proposition that would see fellow strugglers Wasps move to their stadium. Following the completion of a deal between the Atlas consortium and administrators Begbies Traynor for Worcester Warriors, it emerged that Wasps owner Chris [...]
Meet the man who quit the City to reinvent the film industry, one documentary at a time May 9, 2023 City banker Julian Bird set up Lorton Entertainment to show that investing in films could be profitable, and documentaries on Diego Maradona, Oasis and Wayne Rooney have proven him spectacularly right. “I’m not really a massive film fan,” says City banker-turned-unlikely movie mogul Julian Bird. It’s perhaps a surprising statement from someone who has been [...]
Everton hold talks about new investment, reports May 4, 2023 Premier League strugglers Everton have reportedly held discussions with 777 Partners and MSP Sports Capital. The discussions, reported by BBC Sport, would appear to back up comments made by 777 Partners to Morning Wire in relation to the Toffees. “We are looking for interesting assets,” a senior figure at the firm told Morning Wire last month [...]
DCMS chair reiterates need for sanctions on Russians amid ex-F1 driver Mazepin’s case May 4, 2023 The acting chair of a key parliamentary committee has reiterated the need for sanctions on Russian sportspeople amid news former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin is challenging the UK Foreign Secretary to overturn his. Mazepin and his father Dmitry were sanctioned by the UK, European Union and Canada as part of wide-reaching measures taken after Russian [...]
Ed Warner: English cricket must accept that The Hundred is dead in the water May 4, 2023 England gave cricket to the world. It followed up with the generous present of T20. The Hundred, though, remains a gift unwrapped and a spurned England and Wales Cricket Board is now scrambling to secure its place in the crowded T20 world market. It’s not too melodramatic to say that the future of first class [...]
Lord’s cricket ground to open its doors to food festival in autumn May 4, 2023 Sports stadiums such as Lord’s can gather dust for much of the year. Whether to do with the length of the off-season, the time between home matches or the circumstances surrounding a given season, venues often need to be used for non-sporting purposes to ensure they turn a profit throughout the calendar. Some turn into conference [...]
Exclusive: Wasps apply to RFU to use Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium May 3, 2023 Former Premiership club Wasps have applied to the Rugby Football Union to play at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium from next season, Morning Wire understands. The Coventry-based club fell into administration just weeks after the Warriors but with news of the Atlas consortium’s purchase of Worcester earlier today, it is understood that Wasps have asked the [...]
Play it again, Sam: Leeds confirm Allardyce appointment for four-game rescue mission May 3, 2023 Leeds United have confirmed the appointment of former England manager Sam Allardyce in a bid to swerve relegation from the Premier League. Allardyce becomes the club’s third manager this season and replaces Javi Gracia, who has been sacked after winning just three times in his 12 games. Leeds currently sit 17th in the Premier League, [...]