The Jenga Effect: Why professional rugby’s collapse has already happened Sport Business Professional rugby is not approaching collapse; it is recognising one that already occurred and mistaking that recognition for failure. What we are watching across leagues, unions and competitions is not chaos, bad luck or incompetence finally catching up, but the delayed visibility of a structural outcome that was locked in years ago. What feels sudden [...]
English Investec Champions Cup winner good for franchise investment Sport Business Despite Northampton Saints’ loss at the weekend to tournament favourites Bordeaux Begles, the Investec Champions Cup could see its first English winner in over five years. Phil Dowson’s team, as well as Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby, are flying high in the European competition while Harlequins and others have qualified for the next round with [...]
Exclusive: RFU ready to block London Irish or Ealing move to URC Sport Business The RFU is ready to block London Irish or Ealing Trailfinders from competing in the United Rugby Championship amid interest from the multi-national league, City AM understands. Reports in Wales this week stated that URC chiefs are open to a London team joining the league to fill a gap that will be left by the [...]
Nike returns to British and Irish Lions shirt for first time since 1993 January 15, 2026 Nike will produce the British and Irish Lions shirt for the first time in over 30 years after agreeing a partnership with the touring rugby side. The brand will be the official kit provider of the Lions, and will make the kit for the inaugural Lions Women’s Team tour to New Zealand in 2027. The [...]
London Broncos: Sunday fixture begins wild ride on journey to Super League January 14, 2026 On Sunday at the home of AFC Wimbledon, a rebranded, refreshed and resurrected London Broncos will make their Championship rugby league debut under new ownership. After former owner David Hughes put the club up for sale in 2024, the Broncos were staring down the barrel of extinction, a fate visited on a number of sports [...]
Exclusive: London Broncos plan Challenge Cup game at Stoop January 14, 2026 London Broncos plan to take a game to the Twickenham Stoop this year as part of their first season under Australian ownership. Brisbane Broncos NRL legend Darren Lockyer and a consortium of fellow countrymen acquired the Championship team, based at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, in 2025 with ambitions to see a London side [...]
Exclusive: Brits don’t trust football and rugby team owners to run clubs properly January 13, 2026 Less than a third of British adults trust football and rugby team owners to “run their clubs in a financially sustainable manner” amid intensifying scrutiny on those who buy sporting institutions. Exclusive Ipsos polling for City AM shows that just 32 per cent of adults trust the owner of their football or rugby club. It [...]
Tony Rowe is right to say rugby needs to Americanise in Britain January 9, 2026 I never thought I would say it but rugby needs to learn from Formula E if it is to survive long into the future. Because the all-electric racing series, despite being a country mile behind Formula 1, has innovated throughout its decade-long existence. Formula E, until 2022, had a Fan Boost feature, where supporters could [...]
A London Broncos success story will shape rugby league in capital January 9, 2026 Come this time next weekend an Australian rugby league legend, some of his countrymen and thousands of Londoners will gather at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane as a renewed London Broncos take to the field in the Championship. One of only two English clubs in the top two tiers of rugby league south of Warrington, London [...]
A chance to test yourself: Youngs and Watson on the Investec Champions Cup January 7, 2026 For all they achieved in their distinguished careers, there remains one prize that has eluded Ben Youngs and Anthony Watson. Between them, the former England internationals amassed over 200 caps, toured with the British and Irish Lions and played in some of the game’s most iconic stadiums. Yet the Investec Champions Cup never found its [...]