Premiership Rugby names RFU commercial boss Simon Massie-Taylor chief executive October 12, 2021 Premiership Rugby has hired Simon Massie-Taylor, chief commercial and marketing officer at the Rugby Football Union, to be its new chief executive. Massie-Taylor, who began his career in financial services, has also held commercial roles at the British Olympic Association, the London 2012 Olympic organising committee and Tough Mudder. “This is a key moment for [...]
Steve Borthwick has Leicester Tigers roaring once more October 12, 2021 Not since 2011 have Leicester Tigers finished a season at the top of the Premiership table, but four games into the new campaign that is where they are currently sitting pretty. Having been mainstays in the coveted top four places for more than a decade, the Tigers slipped out in 2018 and haven’t been back [...]
Ollie Phillips: Quins are tough to beat when they’re on a roll October 8, 2021 Harlequins and Bristol love playing expansive, broken-field rugby but I think the Bears will continue their rocky start when the teams meet tonight. Last year’s Premiership semi-final between the two sides was the best game of the season, and definitely the best comeback I’ve seen in my life. Quins and Bristol specialised in chucking the [...]
Opinion: Nigel Wray deserves credit after building Saracens’ dynasty October 5, 2021 Empires fall and dynasties cease, but one thing remains when you’ve done something right or simply left your mark: legacy. Nigel Wray, the outgoing majority stakeholder of Saracens, has ensured that; and rugby, on balance, is better for it. Saracens announced at the weekend that, 26 years after he began backing the north London club, [...]
Tom Lawday on his journey to success with Harlequins October 5, 2021 The route to silverware is rarely straightforward and Tom Lawday’s journey to becoming a Premiership champion was anything but. Harlequins back-row forward Lawday spent two years playing in New Zealand as a teenager before sampling university rugby at Exeter, where he was player of the season. He then joined Exeter Chiefs, making 22 appearances, before [...]
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 [...]
Premiership: Five things we’ve learned as the east Midlands rise again October 4, 2021 The east Midlands are on the rugby rise again and more clubs than ever are competing for European places, here are five things we learned from this weekend’s Premiership action. The east Midlands heartlands are back The east Midlands duo of Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints now occupy the top two Premiership spots. The pair [...]
Ollie Phillips: Steve Borthwick succeeding Eddie Jones is written in the stars September 30, 2021 Two of the most likely contenders to succeed Eddie Jones as England coach face off on Saturday when Steve Borthwick’s Leicester Tigers host Mark McCall’s Saracens. Speculation over who could get the job when Jones departs in 2023 resurfaced this week when England forwards coach Richard Cockerill ruled himself out of the running. Borthwick and [...]
Exeter Chiefs reveal new sponsor, West Exe Business Park, owned by Tony Rowe September 26, 2021 Exeter Chiefs revealed their new front of shirt sponsor at the weekend: another company owned by outspoken chief executive Tony Rowe. West Exe Business Park appeared on the Chiefs’ home shirt for their home defeat by Northampton Saints, after the club started their Premiership campaign without a main shirt sponsor. The business park has not [...]
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 [...]