Ollie Phillips: West Country derbies can resurrect bad week for Premiership October 7, 2022 Premiership Rugby has not covered itself in glory off the field this week but the product on the pitch is still gripping fans. The situation at Worcester is dire and is a reminder of how fragile professional sport can be. But with this week’s fixtures, there’s no way I cannot discuss a pair of mouthwatering [...]
Ed Warner: F1 needs to fast track its cost cap procedures October 6, 2022 The headhunter was calling me about a CEO role at a top six Premier League club. He was building his long list of possible candidates. One of the lures was that half the salary would be paid outside the UK in a low tax jurisdiction, ostensibly for services rendered directly to the club’s overseas owners. [...]
Worcester Warriors players say ‘don’t take the P’ as contracts terminated October 5, 2022 Worcester Warriors players whose contracts were yesterday terminated have launched an appeal for the club to be allowed to keep a crucial shareholding in Premiership Rugby that could safeguard its future. “P Shares” are owned by each of the 13 Premiership clubs and afford them annual payouts from a central pot of money as well [...]
Worcester players free agents as paying company would up October 5, 2022 Worcester Warriors players are now free agents after the company which was set up to pay them was liquidated at the High Court this morning. The Premiership club have been battling with financial woes since May – when players first went unpaid – but are now in administration amid a series of owed monies. Players’ [...]
Kat Merchant on England crop, World Cup favourites and strong women October 4, 2022 On Saturday, England Women will begin their Rugby World Cup campaign against Fiji at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. They are overwhelming favourites, and it’s a tag they haven’t been able to shake in recent years. Simon Middleton’s Red Roses head to the Land of the Long White Cloud on a 25-match winning run [...]
Worcester Warriors: Departures confirmed as club crisis continues October 3, 2022 The crisis gripping Worcester Warriors has begun to bite after the top-flight rugby club had two fixtures cancelled by Premiership Rugby and saw the beginning of a possible player exodus. On Monday morning the financially stricken club were informed that their previously postponed match against Gloucester Rugby and their upcoming game against Harlequins have both [...]
Premiership rugby: Quintuple of home victories as Sale show up October 3, 2022 It was a quintuple of home victories in the Premiership this weekend, with Harlequins, Saracens and Sale in particular showing what they are capable of. Here are four themes from round four of the action. Quins the kings It’s exciting, it’s thrilling and it always goes down to the wire; that’s the description that tends [...]
Ollie Phillips: England should embrace Premiership’s rugby style September 30, 2022 Last Sunday’s storming contest in which Exeter Chiefs edged Harlequins 43-42 was, in my opinion, a perfect example of where the tectonic plates of rugby are starting to move. Gone are the days of overly structured play and coming in are sturdy defences paired with incredible counter-attacking moves. I think that’s where we have seen [...]
Roc Nation Sport president: ‘Change in rugby needs to happen now’ September 29, 2022 Rugby is at a crossroads between growth and crisis point ahead of next year’s World Cup, according to Michael Yormark, president of Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation Sports. Amid a series of financial woes threatening the sport – not least in England, where Premiership clubs are fighting for survival – there is a consensus among new [...]
Harlequins stars Lend An Ear for portraits to support new mental health campaign September 29, 2022 Harlequins stars have posed for a series of intimate portraits in support of a new mental health campaign, Lend An Ear. Players and coaches from the London rugby club’s men’s, women’s, academy and wheelchair teams sat for a series of images which focus on their sometimes gnarled ears to promote better listening skills. England internationals [...]