Leaving the Premiership XV: Talent drain from English rugby laid bare April 15, 2023 It’s not uncommon for the world’s various top flight leagues to see quality talent steadily flow in and out, but the Premiership – the top level of rugby in England – is about to see a mass exodus of players to rival leagues. Leaving the Premiership are a number of individuals who between them have [...]
So far, snow good: How Britain became an unlikely force in winter sports April 15, 2023 While casual skiers and snowboarders put boots back into lofts as the European snow season becomes a thing of months past, the cream of Britain’s winter sportspeople are not done in continuing a record-breaking campaign on the white stuff. A year on from a disappointing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where Team GB medalled only in [...]
English football wants a piece of the American pie – but it’s not MLS April 15, 2023 From Todd Boehly’s private-equity-backed consortium at Premier League giants Chelsea to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner at Portsmouth in the third tier down to Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at non-league Wrexham, the flow of football investment between the United States and Britain is well established. But it is not all one-way. Increasingly, [...]
Ollie Phillips: It’s time for RFU axe its short-sighted England selection policy April 15, 2023 I won’t hold my breath, but Jack Willis’s decision to stay at Toulouse ought to sound alarm bells at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and cause them to reconsider their refusal to pick overseas-based players for the England team. That stance might be sustainable when your clubs can pay the same as those in France [...]
Premier League names date for ban on front-of-shirt gambling advertising April 14, 2023 Premier League clubs have agreed to remove gambling advertising from the front of their match shirts, it has been announced. Teams voluntarily adopted the change, which will be phased over the next year so that no team has a betting brand on the front of their kit by the 2024-25 season. The move is designed [...]
Nic Cage brings comedy bite to Dracula movie Renfield April 13, 2023 It’s that special time of year when Nicolas Cage stars in a film so batshit crazy it just might work. This time he plays Dracula with enough scenery-chewing to make Hammer Horror look like The Shining. He’s joined by Nicholas Hoult in the title role of Renfield, Dracula’s “familiar”, who is given some of the [...]
‘We don’t need Harry Potter reboot’: Fans condemn new Harry Potter TV series with JK Rowling April 13, 2023 Fans and television critics have been criticising the new Harry Potter TV series, with many calling out JK Rowling’s involvement following her controversial stance on transgender people. It was confirmed last night that a new TV series by Max – formerly HBO Max – will begin production, with Rowling, the original writer of the books, [...]
Rugby World Cup Barometer: Botia shows Fiji claims but Van Poortvliet left in shade April 13, 2023 | Sponsored In the lead up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with City Index to look at which players and other personnel are hot and not in the race to be part of the quadrennial event in France later this year. Player of the week Hybrid players who can operate in [...]
Erik ten Hag lays down Europa League challenge to Manchester United April 13, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called on his players to rise to the challenge of beating Europa League kings Sevilla tonight. United host the competition’s six-time winners at Old Trafford in the first leg of the quarter-finals as they seek another tittle to add to February’s Carabao Cup success. But Ten Hag is [...]
Ed Warner: British amateur sport must take a match to bonfire of bureaucracy April 13, 2023 Different patterns of belonging in this social media age are a stiff challenge to those of us attempting to build membership rosters for sporting bodies. What can we offer to persuade amateur athletes and casual fans to give a chunk of their identities – and a few quid from their virtual wallets – to organisations [...]