New: Covid breach means England – Barbarians clash OFF October 23, 2020 England’s long-awaited return to action will have to wait after the RFU confirmed today a planned game against the Barbarians at Twickenham this Saturday has been called off. Twelve Barbarians players broke the ‘bubble’ in place before the game to eat at a central London restaurant earlier this week. The RFU has now confirmed there [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Rugby fans in ticket rush for Lions’ Japanese Test, plus Uefa’s Euro 2020 delay silver lining October 22, 2020 Demand for attending live sport remains very strong in the time of coronavirus, if the British and Irish Lions are anything to go by. Some 35,000 rugby fans have already registered interest in tickets for next July’s home Test against Japan, which was only announced yesterday, City A.M. has learned. That means Murrayfield’s 67,000 seats [...]
Wasps cleared to play in Premiership final despite coronavirus outbreak October 21, 2020 Rugby chiefs have cleared Wasps to take their place in Saturday’s Premiership final despite an outbreak of Covid-19 at the club. Fears grew that Wasps would have to forfeit their spot in the Twickenham showdown against Exeter Chiefs after 11 players and staff tested positive in the last week. But the six-time English champions have [...]
Wasps’ Premiership final hopes recede after four more coronavirus cases October 19, 2020 Fears that Wasps could be forced to forfeit their place in this week’s Premiership Rugby Final have grown after more of their players tested positive for Covid-19. Three more unnamed players and one staff member returned positive tests over the weekend, taking the total number to do so in the last week to 11. Wasps [...]
Champions Cup final: Exeter aim to increase English dominance in club rugby’s European showpiece October 16, 2020 Exeter Chiefs take on Racing 92 this weekend in the European Champions Cup final, one of the last remaining fixtures of an interrupted rugby season. Both teams will be looking to lift the trophy for the first time when they clash at Ashton Gate in Bristol on Saturday afternoon. A win for Exeter would extend [...]
Coronavirus: Clubs facing ‘an avalanche’ of claims from players over forced pay cuts March 30, 2020 Everyone has had to make sacrifices since the coronavirus pandemic took over daily life, and sportspeople are no exception. With all sport in the UK currently postponed, players have set about a new existence, training as best as they can at home until a resumption is possible. But with no end to the lockdown in [...]
Coronavirus: RFU ends all rugby competitions in England except for Premiership March 20, 2020 The Rugby Football Union has today confirmed that all competitions in England except for the Gallagher Premiership will end early following the coronavirus outbreak. The move applies to “all league, cup and county rugby in England”, while a decision on the Premiership will be taken in due course. In a statement, the RFU said it [...]
Ollie Phillips: Re-writing history by helping England Sevens win in New Zealand is my career highlight March 19, 2020 A year beforehand I would never have thought that 2009 would contain the highlight of my rugby playing career. I wasn’t involved with the England Sevens team for the majority of the 2007-08 season, but Ben Ryan brought me back into the fold for the final two tournaments of the season. I had brought some [...]
Jackson Wray interview: Saracens star on why he is staying at the club – and starting up a cold-brew coffee business March 15, 2020 While a number of players will use Saracens’ relegation for breaching the salary cap as an opportunity to move on – either permanently or on loan – many of the team’s core are determined to stay and continue building the club’s legacy. One such player is Jackson Wray, who graduated from the Sarries academy’s class [...]
Eddie Jones and RFU will have to hold future talks without knowing Six Nations outcome March 15, 2020 Eddie Jones’s contract with the Rugby Football Union expires in less than 18 months’ time and there is yet to be any indication on whether he will be the man to lead England through to the 2023 World Cup in France. The 60-year-old was due to sit down with RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney for [...]