Premiership Rugby final scores record UK TV figures Sport Business The Premiership Rugby final between Bath and Leicester Tigers was the most watched edition in history, it was revealed on Tuesday. Bath’s 23-21 victory at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham last Saturday, a win that ended a 28-year wait to win the English top flight, was watched by a record 973,000 people across TNT Sports and [...]
Is a franchise model the only way to save rugby union? Sport Business Despite various approaches to the same question as to whether rugby can find a stable commercial footing, various rugby factions seem to be coming to the same conclusion: are franchises the answer? Franchise sport can be hit and miss; in the US NFL and NBA franchises are seeing valuations north of $5bn. In the Indian [...]
Bath favourites for Premiership title but you cannot write off Cheika Sport Saturday’s sell-out Premiership final between Bath Rugby and Leicester Tigers feels like something from the 90s, when these two – alongside Wasps – were the powerhouses of English ovalball. But looking at the two squads set to clash at the 82,000-capacity Allianz Stadium in Twickenham this weekend, they couldn’t be any further from those teams [...]
Premiership Rugby taps Raine and Deloitte as investors circle June 11, 2025 Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) has engaged the Raine Group and Deloitte to manage potential investment in the competition or some of its clubs. Premiership Rugby is attracting inquiries from American investors looking to buy into English sport following the recent influx of purchasers of Premier League and EFL clubs, with interest expected to grow ahead [...]
Premiership play-offs: Bath and Leicester to set up old school final June 6, 2025 The final day of the Premiership was a brilliant advert for English top-flight rugby, but this weekend’s play-offs will turn that up another notch. On Friday night runaway league leaders Bath take on local rivals Bristol Bears while, on Saturday, Leicester face Sale Sharks in the East Midlands. The Premiership semi-finals are always a series [...]
Danny Care: Harlequins No9 a brilliant player May 17, 2025 Harlequins No9 Danny Care has been a brilliant servant to the Premiership and he will be missed from the English top flight, writes Ollie Phillips. “It’s been a really tough decision, but I think it’s the right time for me, and it’s the right time for the club. I’ve been so lucky to wear this [...]
Champ Rugby: English second tier gets rebrand and new format May 15, 2025 English rugby’s second tier will be rebranded Champ Rugby from next season and feature a six-team play-off system to determine a candidate for promotion. The rebrand sees the name of the competition change from the Championship and the introduction of a bold black, white and green visual identity. The division’s 14 sides will play each [...]
Premiership run-in: Saints and Bath will impact top four May 9, 2025 Look at the Premiership table and you’ll see that the top team and Challenge Cup finalists Bath are 15 points clear of second-placed Leicester Tigers, and Champions Cup finalists Northampton Saints are 17 points safe from dropping out of the top eight. And with just three games remaining for each team, and a maximum of [...]
Sky Sports, TNT and Premier Sports snub England Rugby vs USA Test May 7, 2025 Ahead of the Game: England Rugby rights snub, Nottingham Forest ownership, TNT Sports backs Premiership, Relevent Sports in London and WTA commercial agreement England are facing a TV blackout for their summer rugby union Test match against the USA, with no domestic broadcasters bidding for the rights. Sky Sports will show the first two Tests [...]
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 [...]