Will the Nations Championship financially underdeliver for in-need Fiji? Sport Business With Fiji set to sell out Everton’s stadium this weekend why isn’t it rosy for the island nation, Ollie Phillips asks. In theory this month should have been a dream one for Fiji’s rugby team, despite losing to Wales in their opening Nations Championship match. They’ve upped sticks from Suva in the Pacific and chosen [...]
Brentford FC stadium to host rugby union franchise sevens finals Sport Business Brentford will host another sporting event this year with the finals of the inaugural Ultimate Sevens rugby union competition set for a west London debut this September. The sevens tournament will conclude a four-leg series on Thursday 24 September at the Premier League club’s Gtech Community Stadium after events in three successive weeks in Madrid, [...]
Free-to-air bonanza boon for fans, sport and marketers Sport Business A weekend of wall-to-wall live sport on free-to-air television will serve as a boon for brands, terrestrial broadcasters and fans, experts have said. This weekend will see a monumental volume of sport across the five main free-to-air channels – BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and 5 – as well as ITV4 – as sports look [...]
Reality is rugby’s Nations Championship is botched July 3, 2026 With the inaugural Nations Championship around the corner, Ollie Phillips looks at why the sport’s bosses missed a trick. The Nations Championship kicks off this weekend, but when you look at what is the star match of round one based on the players involved – South Africa’s home fixture against England on Saturday – it [...]
Gloucester Rugby warn of risk to future as losses jump 450 per cent July 1, 2026 Gloucester Rugby’s accounts warn they face a “material uncertainty” after the Prem Rugby club saw losses spiral by more than 450 per cent last year. The Gloucester Rugby Limited accounts, filed this week with Companies House, posted a loss of £2.9m for last season, up from £500,000 the year prior – an increase of 464 [...]
Nations Championship: Monzo makes first move into rugby, with Allianz and ITV July 1, 2026 Monzo have broadened its sponsorship portfolio, joining Allianz in sponsoring ITV’s coverage of rugby union’s Nations Championship competition. The challenger bank and insurance giant have each signed deals with the free-to-air broadcaster to be part of the channel’s coverage of the inaugural inter-hemispheric tournament. It is Monzo’s first step into rugby union and comes after [...]
Exeter Chiefs deal done as Bournemouth owners complete ‘£45m’ takeover June 30, 2026 AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s Cannae Holdings have completed the purchase of Prem Rugby club Exeter Chiefs for a reported £45m. The American – who controls the Premier League club as part of a Black Knight consortium that includes Michael B Jordan – will become the majority owner of the Devonshire rugby union team, and [...]
Women’s rugby in England is way ahead, and the RFU deserves credit June 26, 2026 In a phrase many thought a rugby fan would never utter: The RFU, the governing body of the sport in England, is doing a world-leading job. Hold the front page, it surely cannot be true given recent controversies surrounding bonuses and the structure of the men’s game below Prem Rugby. But it is true. But [...]
Prem Rugby needs to switch up its calendar to stop final being banished to fringes June 19, 2026 Ollie Phillips argues that on this super weekend for sport in the capital, Prem Rugby could do more to be noticed. London is on its very best form this weekend: some of the world’s most exciting male tennis players will contest the HSBC Championships semi-finals and final at The Queen’s Club in Baron’s Court; England [...]
Do the Prem Rugby semi-finals need a Welsh URC team? June 12, 2026 Ahead of this weekend’s Prem Rugby’s semi-finals, Ollie Phillips assesses whether they could do with a hint of Wales. Picture the scene: next year’s Prem Rugby semi-finals feature the top three teams from this year – Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby and Exeter Chiefs – plus one of the Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons or Cardiff. This would, [...]