World Rugby’s 15 minute contact limit: the solution to injury fears or too simplistic? October 4, 2021 Rugby’s physically demanding nature has seen the sport’s organisers implement advanced concussion policies and a science-based approach to medicine, but they are about to go further. World Rugby, the game’s international governing body, last month issued the recommendation that players be limited to 15 minutes of full-contact training per week, across a maximum of two [...]
Exeter’s chief problem: Why did they start Premiership Rugby season without a main sponsor? September 25, 2021 Last weekend, Exeter Chiefs’ Premiership campaign began with a 34-19 loss at Leicester Tigers. Remove the result, the return of the roaring terraces and professional rugby’s big kick-off, and you may have noticed a commercial anomaly in the away side’s kit: Exeter’s shirt was missing a main sponsor. Little more than a year ago, Chiefs [...]
Rugby Europe Super Cup: New second-tier competition for clubs from Israel, Belgium and Russia kicks off effort to raise standard in emerging nations September 23, 2021 It largely slipped under the radar here but across the continent last weekend the Rugby Europe Super Cup kicked off its inaugural season. The competition for emerging rugby nations saw teams from the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Russia clash in the opening round. But just what is the Rugby Europe Super Cup, and why [...]
Exeter’s chief problem: Why don’t they have a main sponsor? September 20, 2021 On Saturday, Exeter Chiefs’ Premiership campaign began with a 34-19 loss at Leicester Tigers. Remove the result, the return of the roaring terraces and professional rugby’s big kick-off, and you may have noticed a commercial anomaly in the away side’s kit: Exeter’s shirt was missing a main sponsor. Little more than a year ago, Chiefs [...]
Investment bank Jefferies becomes new sponsor of Varsity Matches September 14, 2021 Investment banking firm Jefferies has been announced as the title sponsor of the Varsity Matches, as the Oxford v Cambridge rivalry marks 150 years. In addition to the new sponsor, the varsity games will now take place on the Saturday after the conclusion of the Six Nations in a bid to attract a new audience. [...]
London Irish target millennial rugby fans with Netflix-style monthly ticket subscription for home games September 14, 2021 Premiership Rugby club London Irish have launched a monthly ticket subscription service in an attempt to woo millennials ahead of the new season. Prices start from £30 per month for adults and £9 for children and include entry to all league and cup games at the Exiles’ new stadium, as well as all perks afforded [...]
English rugby incentivises clubs to achieve 85 per cent Covid vaccination September 13, 2021 English rugby chiefs have revealed an incentive scheme aimed at achieving an 85 per cent Covid-19 vaccination rate among players and staff. Once a club has reached an that threshold, social distancing can be removed for training and match day operations and masks will no longer be compulsory outdoors, among other measures. The Professional Game [...]
Honda to sponsor England Rugby and RFU in long-term deal that includes naming rights for team’s Pennyhill Park training centre September 1, 2021 Honda has become a major sponsor of England Rugby and governing body the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in a long-term, multi-year deal. England’s Pennyhill Park training base will be renamed the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre as part of the arrangement. The deal will also see the car maker’s branding appear on the kits of [...]
Altrad to replace AIG as All Blacks and Black Ferns front-of-shirt sponsor as French-Syrian billionaire Mohad Altrad increases rugby influence August 27, 2021 Construction conglomerate Altrad has increased its presence in rugby union by becoming the new front-of-shirt sponsor to the All Blacks, Black Ferns and New Zealand’s other national teams. Altrad, which owns Montpellier Herault in the Top14 and is a sponsor of the French national teams, has agreed a six-year deal with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) [...]
Why the British and Irish Lions brand has gone from strength to strength – and what the future holds for the touring side July 30, 2021 Ahead of this weekend’s second Test between the British and Irish Lions and South Africa, City A.M. examines why the touring side’s brand has endured and how it might evolve. “It shouldn’t work,” former England captain Lewis Moody says of the British and Irish Lions. The concept of a band of disparate players from the [...]