Ed Warner: Kicked off, tipped off, switched off September 8, 2022 One of the joys of writing Sport inc. is the flow of suggestions from readers of subjects to cover. In the past week alone: the highly leveraged balance sheets of Premiership rugby clubs ahead of the new season, the continuing scandal of the lack of financial support for Britain’s international basketball teams, the prohibitive cost [...]
Phil Dowson: ‘Academy players will always be key to Northampton Saints’ September 7, 2022 Northampton Saints’ incoming director of rugby Phil Dowson has stressed the importance of his club continuing to be a side with a core of local players as the former back row gets set for his first season in charge of the east midlands club. Dowson takes over the top spot from Chris Boyd, who is [...]
Agustin Creevy: ‘I love London Irish. Why can’t we be champions?’ September 6, 2022 Veteran Argentina and London Irish hooker Agustin Creevy is heading into his third year with Premiership club London Irish and there’s little sign of the front rower wanting to turn his back on the Exiles just yet. Joining ahead of the 2020-21 season, Creevy arrived in time for the transition from Reading to Brentford and [...]
Premiership Rugby chief says Worcester aren’t out of the woods yet September 1, 2022 Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor insists troubled club Worcester Warriors will take their place alongside the other 12 teams in this year’s league next week but warned that doubts remain over their future. Speaking at the launch of the season at Twickenham Stadium, Massie-Taylor said that the West Midlands club had enough funds for [...]
Worcester future unclear despite owners saying player wages paid September 1, 2022 The close of play yesterday, the last day of the month, was the deadline for troubled Premiership rugby club Worcester Warriors to pay their players and staff. But as we reach September, just a week out from the new Premiership season, it’s still not certain as to whether Worcester will take the field against London [...]
Private equity influx in rugby will not save entire club game August 31, 2022 It’s no new phenomenon to see sports clubs, which tend to be at the heart of the community they serve, face financial challenges and ultimately go under. But why is this happening in rugby when the sport has benefited from a flurry of private equity investment which is shaping the future of the oval-balled game? [...]
Warriors’ land deals could be overturned if they enter administration August 23, 2022 Unexplained land deals undertaken by the owners of Worcester Warriors could be investigated and ultimately overturned if the Premiership rugby club goes into administration. The West Midlands club’s hierarchy have confirmed talks with HMRC after receiving a winding-up petition over unpaid tax, amid fears that a team who finished 11th last season could go into [...]
Worcester woes suggest wider issues for rugby as a whole August 22, 2022 Rugby union has never been the cash cow that football has developed into and this week we could be seeing the latest club enter administration following a series of financial woes. It is expected, according to multiple reports, that west midlands Premiership club Worcester Warriors could suffer that fate later today following a winding-up petition [...]
Premiership club Worcester hit with HMRC winding-up petition, reports suggest August 17, 2022 Premiership Rugby club Worcester Warriors have been hit with a winding-up petition by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, according to reports. A liquidation of the club is sought by the UK tax authority unless a debt is settled for an unpaid tax bill, the Telegraph report. This follows reports in recent months surrounding the late [...]
Lessons from Lionesses: What English rugby can learn from Euros for 2025 World Cup August 9, 2022 The iconic Chloe Kelly goal celebration, the record attendance for a final, success on home soil; England Women’s Euro 2022 victory felt like a watershed moment for women’s sport. But in a few years’ time England will be doing it all over again. This time, however, it will be with the oval ball. It was [...]