Investec Champions Cup huge for British and Irish Lions selection May 3, 2025 Not only is this a huge weekend for the Investec Champions Cup, but it is a mega couple of days for those British and Irish players hoping to get on the plane to Australia. With the squad to be announced next Thursday in London, the likes of Maro Itoje – unless head coach Andy Farrell [...]
Champions Cup prize money: Why profits in semis are shared May 2, 2025 As the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals get underway, why are the clubs involved not guaranteed all of the profits generated? Over the last couple of days the Uefa Champions League semi-finals have played out at London’s Emirates Stadium and Barcelona’s Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The final four teams are battling for prize money that could [...]
RFU Council should be scrapped, says review it commissioned April 30, 2025 A wide-ranging review of rugby union’s governance has suggested scrapping the RFU Council in what would be the domestic game’s biggest shake-up since the advent of professionalism. The year-long review, which was commissioned by the RFU Council itself, raises the prospect that the 63-strong committee be disbanded or replaced by a smaller group of expert [...]
Exclusive: Macron to announce Gloucester Rugby deal as UK revenues soar April 29, 2025 Italian sportswear brand Macron will today add Gloucester Rugby to their growing English sports kit portfolio as part of a long-term agreement, Morning Wire can reveal. Gloucester, whose deal with Oxen ends this season, will join Premiership Rugby champions Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks under the Macron umbrella, alongside World Rugby and Uefa refereeing agreements. [...]
Ease of Red Roses Six Nations run worries me ahead of Rugby World Cup April 26, 2025 England Rugby’s Red Roses have a problem: nobody looks remotely close to beating them in Europe at the moment. But this was the case ahead of the previous two World Cups and, in both instances, England lost in the final. This year, however, there’s no room for error, with the final set to be staged [...]
Rugby: The Henry hype is far from a load of Pollocks, he’s class April 18, 2025 I did laugh to myself when I saw the abuse Northampton Saints star Henry Pollock got for his celebration during his side’s Investec Champions Cup victory over Castres last weekend. I thought: “What a load of bollocks!” The 20-year-old has a swagger about him, he reminds me of a cross between Lewis Moody and Lawrence [...]
Away ends in Premiership Rugby have arrived, but what do fans think? April 18, 2025 One of the commandments of the “Rugby Values” brigade is the ability for home and away fans to sit next to each other, enjoy a beer and have some healthy banter. For the vast majority of rugby fans this approach is the preferred one, with the kettling of supporters pre-and post-match – as is the [...]
Premier Sports to show 400 rugby games per year after new deal April 17, 2025 Premier Sports is set to show 400 rugby games per season after agreeing a new deal to broadcast the United Rugby Championship (URC). The agreement, which will last four years and take the Irish challenger brand through until 2029, will see the multi-national URC broadcast on a dedicated Premier Sports Rugby channel alongside the likes [...]
Allianz Stadium: What could Twickenham rugby arena look like after facelift? April 17, 2025 We’ve all been there, kettled into Twickenham station after a day out at Allianz Stadium watching England Rugby take on top international opposition. The 82,000-seat national stadium is the biggest purpose-built rugby arena in the world and sits behind only Wembley Stadium’s 90,000 in terms of UK capacity. But Allianz Stadium and its surrounding area [...]
Don’t be dazzled by the hype around The Hundred April 17, 2025 Ed Warner looks at the start of the County Championship season and whether an upcoming ECB review could see new influence from Hundred investors. The ice cream van was doing a steady trade, even at £4 for a Magnum. Made the twenty quid ticket feel especially good value. Around 2,500 people basked in the April [...]