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 [...]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Team GB star Dan Bibby calls RFU cuts to Sevens funding ‘a joke’ July 29, 2021 Team GB Rugby Sevens star Dan Bibby has criticised funding cuts to the sport’s programme, calling the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) plans “a joke”. Bibby’s comments come after GB narrowly missed the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics yesterday, losing to Argentina 17-12 in the bronze medal match. The team’s central contracts ended last August [...]
Saracens and Ulster to clash in the City at iconic Square Mile venue the Honourable Artillery Company on eve of new Premiership season July 27, 2021 Saracens will return to the City in September for a pre-season match against Ulster. The teams will clash on the lawns of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) on Thursday 9 September, six days after they meet in Belfast. The fixture comes a week before Saracens resume life in the Premiership, having been promoted back to [...]
Why the British and Irish Lions have never been more popular with players, rugby fans and sponsors July 24, 2021 “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 four Home Nations thrown together, shipped to the other side of the world and tasked with beating rugby’s strongest nations does feel anachronistic, a relic from the game’s amateur days. [...]
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 [...]