The Festival of Words: From Gyles Brandreth to Anthony Scaramucci – all you need to know about the Fleet Street Quarter festival
Exclusive: How Premiership champions Harlequins are looking to build on their success with new head coach Tabai Matson September 18, 2021 Tabai Matson has picked a job few would relish: taking over a Harlequins team flying high and with last season’s Premiership trophy in the cabinet. The Fiji-born former All Black is the new head coach at the London club, who begin their defence against Newcastle Falcons on Sunday, and has the unenviable task of following [...]
Back in black: Saracens ready to resume fight for Premiership supremacy September 17, 2021 Little more than a year ago Saracens left the Premiership with their tails between their legs, effectively kicked out for breaching salary cap rules. Since then they have undertaken a partial rebuild based on strength in depth, shrewd recruitment and a need to prove the doubters wrong. Now Saracens are back in the big time [...]
Ollie Phillips’ Premiership season preview: Harlequins vulnerable, Saracens favourites, and Leicester and Sale to join Exeter in play-offs September 17, 2021 The new Premiership Rugby season has a lot to live up to after the fireworks of the last campaign but I think there’s reason to believe it will match or even better it. Removing relegation last term allowed every team to play without fear and the result was enterprising, adventurous rugby and perhaps the most [...]
Harlequins revive Big Game with December double header at Twickenham September 15, 2021 Harlequins’ annual Big Game is returning to Twickenham after a one year hiatus for a double header featuring the men’s and women’s teams. Quins men will play Northampton Saints on Bank Holiday Monday 27 December following a clash between Harlequins Women and Wasps Women. Dubbed the world’s biggest annual club rugby event, this will be [...]
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) [...]
Ollie Phillips: Lions series win would be heroic in the circumstances but momentum has swung behind South Africa before deciding Test August 6, 2021 As the British and Irish Lions prepare for their series-deciding third Test, it feels like all momentum has swung behind South Africa. Fair play to the Springboks; they nailed their game plan in the second match last weekend. It was set-piece perfection allied to a moment of magic from Handre Pollard, whose cross-field kick set [...]