Covid-19 outbreak in British and Irish Lions camp threatens tour match against Sharks and plunges tour deeper into doubt July 7, 2021 The British and Irish Lions have been hit by a Covid-19 case in their camp in South Africa. One unnamed member of the management tested positive in a round of testing carried out on Wednesday. He and four other people – two players and two staff – are isolating and the rest of the squad [...]
British and Irish Lions tour plunged into more chaos as tour match is axed and Covid cases continue in South Africa camp July 7, 2021 Fears are growing over the British and Irish Lions’ Test series in South Africa after a spate of Covid-19 cases hit both teams’ warm-up matches. The Lions were due to play the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday in their third tour match but that has now been postponed indefinitely after five Covid cases in their opponents’ [...]
Sport sees steep fall in gambling sponsorship as government considers ban and demand grows for social responsibility, says new study July 3, 2021 Gambling sponsorship in sport has fallen sharply ahead of a possible ban, a new report has found. The number of betting companies sponsoring sports teams in England has almost halved since 2019, according to the study by consultancy Caytoo. Gambling’s share of the market has dropped from 15.3 per cent to 8.1 per cent and [...]
English rugby scraps relegation until 2024 but chiefs insist Premiership is not being ringfenced June 29, 2021 English rugby chiefs have scrapped relegation from the Premiership until 2024 as part of wide-ranging reforms to the game. The pausing of relegation and expansion of the Premiership to 14 teams is designed to stem the losses suffered by most clubs and exacerbated by the pandemic, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said. But the RFU [...]
Doubts resurface over British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa as country enters strict measures and Springbok trio test positive for Covid-19 June 28, 2021 The British and Irish Lions’ summer tour to South Africa has been plunged into fresh doubt just as the team is due to arrive in Johannesburg. The country’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has warned of a “massive resurgence” in Covid-19, with cases on course to overtake the peak of 2020. Three South Africa players tested positive [...]
Saracens mark return to Premiership by announcing club record kit deal with British sportswear brand Castore June 22, 2021 Saracens have announced a kit deal with British brand Castore believed to be the most lucrative in the club’s history. The five-year agreement replaces Sarries’ contract with Nike and follows their successful promotion back to English rugby union’s top division. Saracens join a fast-growing roster of teams and athletes to partner with Castore, which includes [...]
United Rugby Championship: Four South African teams join northern hemisphere sides in private equity shake-up of Pro14 June 15, 2021 Club rugby union is set for a private-equity-led shake-up later this year when the United Rugby Championship replaces the Pro14. Four South African teams will join the dozen Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian sides already part of the Pro14 to form a new 16-team tournament. The changes, which will incorporate lucrative new TV deals and [...]
Steering clear of the cliff edge: Why it makes business sense for sport to put the human first May 11, 2021 We’ve seen a seismic shift in attitudes around athlete welfare but the sentiment ‘it’s only what happens on the pitch that counts’, albeit largely unspoken, is sadly still common in professional sport. With the global sports market expected to reach $600bn by 2025, there is no doubt about the pressure clubs are facing to deliver [...]
Jackson Wray interview: Saracens stalwart on targeting another Champions Cup and honing his financial trading skills May 7, 2021 Sport marches to a relentless beat of training sessions and matches that can allow little time for reflection, but the forced interruption of the pandemic gave Jackson Wray pause for thought. The Saracens back-row forward has had a front-row seat for one of rugby union’s most remarkable stories: the club’s rise, fuelled by home-grown talents [...]
Premiership rugby clubs issue warning to British and Irish Lions chiefs over scheduling after reaching player release agreement April 27, 2021 Premiership clubs have taken a swipe at British and Irish Lions chiefs after finally signing off the release of their players for this summer’s tour of South Africa. England’s top-flight rugby teams were unhappy at the Lions scheduling a pre-tour warm-up match against Japan at Murrayfield on 26 June – the same day as the [...]