Politicians call for easing of private school stranglehold on elite rugby Sport Business Politicians have called for an easing of the stranglehold private schools have on providing England with elite rugby players. Nearly two thirds of the matchday 23 that played Fiji at the weekend had some form of private or independent education, underlining concerns about the shortage of state-school pupils making it in the sport. Just last [...]
Why investors will be keeping a close eye on rugby’s Nations Championship Sport Business The Nations Championship begins in a month and it will be a stress test for investors looking at rugby, Neil Barlow says. International rugby tournaments have always been the sport’s biggest draws. There is nothing quite like the Six Nations to bring out classic memes of rugby fans wearing bootcut jeans and loafers filling pubs. [...]
England Red Roses are great for rugby, but are they bad for business? Sport Business Should the dominant England rugby team beat France on Sunday in the final round of this year’s Women’s Six Nations they will notch up their 38th consecutive Test victory. It is an amazing feat by one of the most incredible sports teams in the world, but is it good for business? For England, yes. For [...]
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 [...]
England won’t be derailed if they hold their nerve over Borthwick March 13, 2026 However unlikely one may think it is, there is a chance of England being left holding the wooden spoon for the first time in the Six Nations era. You have to go back to 1987 for their last bottom-place finish in the old Five Nations. That alone would be a humiliation for a head coach [...]
Exclusive: RFU in talks over back of shirt and short sponsor deals March 2, 2026 The question that hangs over rugby union always seems to be a financial one: how can a sport with successful World Cups, a strong women’s game and a generally affluent audience struggle so much to commercialise itself effectively? That doesn’t seem to be an issue for England and its governing body, the Rugby Football Union. [...]
Exclusive: RFU insist they will retain key role in spite of crunch votes February 25, 2026 The RFU has insisted it will retain its key role across English rugby regardless of the outcome of two crunch votes this week which could see Prem Rugby ringfenced. On Friday the RFU Council will vote on proposals outlined in a recent Governance and Representation Review and is also set to approve plans, dubbed Project [...]
Six Nations must move match to US for sake of international game January 30, 2026 The months of February and March really are rugby’s golden period; when the world stops to watch the Six Nations. England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy all going at it over five rounds really shows off the best of the sport. It makes money, it is attractive to private equity and fans adore the [...]
England Rugby extends deal with O2 until 2031 November 20, 2025 England Rugby this morning penned a deal with O2, extending the partnership between the two organisations to 35 years. The extension will see O2 remain the front-of-shirt sponsor for England Rugby’s men’s and women’s teams in what the Rugby Football Union describes as “one of the longest standing shirt sponsorships in the world”. It is [...]
Nations Championship will bring a tectonic shift in sport, say rugby chiefs November 17, 2025 Rugby’s new Nations Championship, which starts next year and will pit the best of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres against each other, “signals a tectonic shift in the sport” says Six Nations CEO Tom Harrison. The biennial competition will comprise three rounds apiece in July and November followed by a three-day Finals Weekend, the inaugural [...]