Investec Champions Cup organisers should meddle with knockouts Sport Business On Wednesday the amount of tickets still available for Harlequins’ Investec Champions Cup round of 16 fixture against Sale Sharks was well over 6,000. Against their registered capacity of 14,800, that could result in an attendance of less than 9,000 – or around 40 per cent empty – come Saturday night. It is a better [...]
Bedford Blues chief: Champ Rugby clubs are investment opportunities Sport Business When the RFU Council approved plans that would ringfence Prem Rugby for a number of years and create what many described as a franchise league, it is fair to say there were critics. And there still are, with many of them within the second-tier Champ. But Prem Rugby may not be a closed shop forever, [...]
PWR rugby opens door to British and Irish league Sport Business Top flight English rugby could become a British and Irish league after Professional Women’s Rugby launched a tender process for potential new teams. The PWR, seen as the most advanced women’s rugby competition in the world, features nine English teams but could see that number rise after inviting expressions of interest from Wales, Scotland and [...]
Henry Pollock: England rugby star joins Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency March 27, 2026 England rugby star Henry Pollock has signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency, in the multi-sport group’s first foray into the game. The 21-year-old Northampton Saints forward joins MMA fighter Tom Aspinall at the new agency, which Hearn launched earlier this month. Pollock’s ability and showmanship have quickly established himself as one of the stars [...]
Collier-Keywood WRU career decision welcomed by critics March 27, 2026 News that Welsh Rugby Union chair Richard Collier-Keywood will not look to serve another term has been welcomed by his critics. Collier-Keywood has been at the centre of criticism over plans for Welsh rugby’s governing body, the WRU, to cut the number of professional domestic teams from four to three, alongside the organisation’s chief executive [...]
Harlequins: Is owner joining board a cause for concern for Prem Rugby club? March 27, 2026 It is not uncommon for rugby clubs and their associated companies to appoint directors to their boards; it happens quite often and the more eye-catching news tends to relate to individuals who are removed from their posts. Take the departure of Lloyd’s of London’s chief financial officer Alexandra Cliff from the Saracens board after less [...]
Prem Rugby Big Match Bonanza test of sport’s commercial aims March 26, 2026 This weekend will go far in helping onlookers assess how much progress Prem Rugby has made in recent years. Because on Saturday the first match since Australia beat Uruguay in the 2015 Rugby World Cup will take place at Villa Park in Birmingham. The geography is a little bit iffy given the home team – [...]
Rugby resists modern marketing but Les Bleus have created a blueprint March 24, 2026 The sport of rugby union can be confusing. I don’t mean the rules – although they are part of the problem – but more how a sport can both thrive and struggle to survive almost simultaneously. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the 2026 men’s Six Nations. It was a tournament many claim [...]
Bath Rugby debts topped £32m before Dyson investment as club makes £2.8m loss March 23, 2026 Bath Rugby’s debts to its owner reached £32m in their triumphant Prem Rugby season before billionaire Sir James Dyson purchased 50 per cent of the club. The West Country club last week announced a deal that saw the hoover magnate take an equal stake in the club alongside long-time funder Bruce Craig. The deal reportedly [...]
Does Dyson’s Bath investment signal a new era for Prem Rugby? March 21, 2026 If there was major surprise surrounding Red Bull’s entry into Prem Rugby last year, fewer heads would have been turned by news this week of Sir James Dyson’s investment in Bath. Probably because plenty had assumed he was paying for the upkeep of the club anyway. The deal – likely a debt-for-equity swap – by [...]