Two top flight clubs in same league to be owned by same firm after major sport decision January 22, 2026 Two top flight sporting clubs in the same league are set to be owned by the same private stakeholder after a major decision was made in Cardiff. United Rugby Championship teams Ospreys and Cardiff will be owned by the same firm, Y11, after the Welsh Rugby Union agreed to sell their holding in the Cardiff [...]
Springboks and All Blacks to play Test rugby in Baltimore, United States January 22, 2026 The Springboks and All Blacks will face off in the United States as international rugby ramps up its presence across the pond. New Zealand and South Africa will head to the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore – home of NFL franchise Baltimore Ravens – next September as part of their “Greatest Rivalry” series, a version [...]
Prem Rugby signs free-to-air broadcast deal with ITV January 22, 2026 Prem Rugby has extended its deal with ITV to keep England’s top flight league on free-to-air television. The partnership will see the broadcaster show seven matches per season, including the final. It continues a longstanding agreement between the two organisations, with every match each season also broadcast on TNT Sports. The move solidifies the free-to-air [...]
Welsh Rugby Union enters into £55m debt refinancing agreement amid domestic turmoil January 21, 2026 The troubled Welsh Rugby Union has entered into a £55m debt refinancing agreement as the governing body eyes stadium developments amid domestic turmoil. The WRU has borrowed from Goldman Sachs and HSBC in order to pay off existing debts to NatWest and various government bodies in a refinancing package that will play out over a [...]
The Jenga Effect: Why professional rugby’s collapse has already happened January 17, 2026 Professional rugby is not approaching collapse; it is recognising one that already occurred and mistaking that recognition for failure. What we are watching across leagues, unions and competitions is not chaos, bad luck or incompetence finally catching up, but the delayed visibility of a structural outcome that was locked in years ago. What feels sudden [...]
English Investec Champions Cup winner good for franchise investment January 16, 2026 Despite Northampton Saints’ loss at the weekend to tournament favourites Bordeaux Begles, the Investec Champions Cup could see its first English winner in over five years. Phil Dowson’s team, as well as Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby, are flying high in the European competition while Harlequins and others have qualified for the next round with [...]
Exclusive: RFU ready to block London Irish or Ealing move to URC January 15, 2026 The RFU is ready to block London Irish or Ealing Trailfinders from competing in the United Rugby Championship amid interest from the multi-national league, Morning Wire understands. Reports in Wales this week stated that URC chiefs are open to a London team joining the league to fill a gap that will be left by the [...]
Nike returns to British and Irish Lions shirt for first time since 1993 January 15, 2026 Nike will produce the British and Irish Lions shirt for the first time in over 30 years after agreeing a partnership with the touring rugby side. The brand will be the official kit provider of the Lions, and will make the kit for the inaugural Lions Women’s Team tour to New Zealand in 2027. The [...]
Exclusive: London Broncos plan Challenge Cup game at Stoop January 14, 2026 London Broncos plan to take a game to the Twickenham Stoop this year as part of their first season under Australian ownership. Brisbane Broncos NRL legend Darren Lockyer and a consortium of fellow countrymen acquired the Championship team, based at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, in 2025 with ambitions to see a London side [...]
Exclusive: Brits don’t trust football and rugby team owners to run clubs properly January 13, 2026 Less than a third of British adults trust football and rugby team owners to “run their clubs in a financially sustainable manner” amid intensifying scrutiny on those who buy sporting institutions. Exclusive Ipsos polling for Morning Wire shows that just 32 per cent of adults trust the owner of their football or rugby club. It [...]