Marler retires from ‘dream bubble’ England career November 3, 2024 Loosehead prop Joe Marler has retired from international rugby with 95 England caps to his name. It comes a week after he left the England training squad for “personal reasons”. Last week he also caused a stir for stating the New Zealand cultural pre-match challenge, the Haka, was “ridiculous” and “needs binning”. “Playing for England [...]
Autumn Nations Series: How will England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales get on? November 1, 2024 The Autumn Nations Series can be a super tonic for the sport as titans clash from both hemispheres across Europe, writes Ollie Phillips. November internationals are always an odd time of year: you have neither the bitter rivalries the Six Nations and Rugby Championship generate over their own two hemispheres, nor is there the excitement [...]
No surprises England squad wastes precious opportunity October 18, 2024 It is very sensible, that England squad, isn’t it? There are no thrills or spills, no rogue actors or dazzling potential debutant. It is very Steve Borthwick. And that is no bad thing. This 36-man training squad will be tasked with taking on the southern hemisphere’s big three nations in New Zealand, Australia and South [...]
Mayor Khan bound to need to step in against NIMBYs over Twickenham plans October 8, 2024 London won against the capital’s NIMBYs when the GLA approved plans for Wimbledon’s expansion. And they’ll probably need to do the same when councils inevitably block the Rugby Football Union’s bid to host more events at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. “London is the sporting capital of the world and this decision will not only ensure Wimbledon [...]
Pennyhill Park owner’s profit slashed after major renovation October 7, 2024 Profit has been slashed at the owner of Pennyhill Park, the five-star hotel where the England men’s rugby team are based, after it underwent a huge renovation project. The group saw a complete renovation of its newest addition, the Ansty Hall hotel near Coventry, while it also “invested heavily” in its South Lodge location. As [...]
Will Parkin: England U18s are on a mission to produce stars of future August 17, 2024 Will Parkin is the England U18 rugby assistant coach down in South Africa as the young guns look to compete in the U18 International Series. He writes on pathways and why the most successful rugby players aren’t just good on the pitch. England Under-18s rugby is the start of the pathway for these players and [...]
Irwin Mitchell: England Rugby’s legal partner’s profit jumps 45 per cent August 6, 2024 Irwin Mitchell sees revenue and profits jump over the last financial year as it refreshed its strategy as it aims to be "the firm of choice for mid-market corporates"
Twickenham rugby ground becomes Allianz Stadium after deal struck with firm August 5, 2024 The home of English rugby Twickenham will now be known as Allianz Stadium after the Rugby Football Union and the insurance and asset management giant finalised a new partnership. Under the new deal there would be further investment into English rugby, alongside the stadium naming rights being sold. Twickenham Stadium has used its namesake for [...]
Are the All Blacks feeling the pressure ahead of Eden Park showdown? July 12, 2024 There has been a lot of talk this week about the history of playing the All Blacks at Eden Park being a heavy burden for Steve Borthwick’s England team to shoulder. But I actually believe that the weight of being unbeaten at one ground for 30 years, as the All Blacks are at the Auckland [...]
England showed promise against All Blacks ahead of Eden Park finale July 7, 2024 Weirdly for England, Saturday’s 16-15 loss to New Zealand in Dunedin was their first match in three against the All Blacks that ended in defeat. In their last trio of games against the three-time world champions – in Japan at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, at Twickenham in 2022 and down in New Zealand at [...]