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 [...]
Can Impax bounce back? April 17, 2025 Today, Impax Asset Management entered into an agreement with European giant BNP Paribas, where the asset manager will provide investment advisory services for one of its funds. But after hitting its lowest stock price in eight years earlier this month, analysts are split on whether Impax Asset Management will be able to bounce back. Impax’s [...]
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 [...]
Premier Miton: Sinking European fund drags down asset manager April 16, 2025 Premier Miton’s assets dropped sharply over the last quarter as its investors fled from one of its underperforming European equity funds. Assets under management at the fund house fell by £500m over the last three months, reaching just £10.2bn, it revealed in a trading update today. Investors pulled £221m from Premier Miton over the quarter, [...]
Taking Champions Cup seriously benefits Leinster and Bordeaux April 15, 2025 It might be bizarre that, despite brilliant wins in the Investec Champions Cup for Leinster, Northampton Saints, Toulouse and Bordeaux, the next couple of hundred words will talk about the two games to come and the five previous rounds of continental rugby. Because left, ready to battle it out in the semi-finals of this competition, [...]
RC Toulon tough Investec Champions Cup path can be making of new Galacticos April 11, 2025 Dynasties rise and fall in sport, often taking years to reach their summit before fading into the darkness at pace. Between 2013 and 2015, RC Toulon were the “it” team. Probably the best club rugby team in the world. They won a Top 14 title in 2014 and were European champions three years in a [...]
Northampton Saints chief: Champions Cup run is financial tonic April 10, 2025 Northampton Saints may be the sole English representative remaining in the Investec Champions Cup but they’re out only to look out for themselves. A run in the world’s premier club rugby competition is a money spinner, up until a certain point, and can open doors to countless commercial and fan activation opportunities. For Julia Chapman, [...]
Premiership clubs cannot get bored of Champions Cup failures, it’s the pinnacle April 8, 2025 Looking across the results from the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup at the weekend with a focus on the seven English teams, there were six results that went the way many expected and one that didn’t. Gloucester’s victory in France against Montpellier was a real surprise, but wins for Northampton Saints and Bath, [...]
How club revenue turns Champions Cup into cash of the titans April 4, 2025 This weekend’s Investec Champions Cup round of 16 may be about getting the win in one of Europe’s most iconic stadiums, but in reality competitions such as this – seen by many as the top club rugby competition in the world – can have a monumental impact on rugby finances. The classic cliches in rugby [...]
Which English teams can win this weekend in the Investec Champions Cup? April 3, 2025 There’s always a fuzzy feeling when the Investec Champions Cup returns to the calendar, especially during the knockout stages. There are six French teams, five English sides and five URC outfits left in the competition but I do fear for the Gallagher Premiership contingent this weekend. Usually the five competing teams – Northampton Saints, Saracens, [...]