Inside Tier 2 Champ Rugby: What clubs think of radical changes May 16, 2025 For the first time in a long time the various tiers of English rugby union seem to be on the same page with the launch of Champ Rugby. On Thursday evening plans were unveiled for the second tier, which will be called Champ Rugby. It is arguably the biggest shake-up to the English rugby pyramid [...]
Salford Red Devils in fresh blow after council torpedo stadium talks May 15, 2025 Troubled Super League club Salford Red Devils have received another setback after local authorities ended talks with some of their owners over selling them their home stadium. The club play at the council-owned Salford Community Stadium, which they have shared with Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks for more than a decade. But Salford City Mayor [...]
Hollie Davidson: Scottish ref gets historic European rugby nod May 14, 2025 Scottish official Hollie Davidson is set to become the first woman to referee a European club rugby final after being appointed for the Challenge Cup showdown between Bath and Lyon. Davidson, who has experience of officiating at the men’s Six Nations and Rugby Championship, will take charge of the match at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on [...]
Roc Nation boss exclusive: Rugby chiefs need to get comfortable with change May 14, 2025 The president of Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation Sports Michael Yormark has said rugby’s stakeholders need to get “comfortable being uncomfortable with change” as the sport looks to commercialise after a turbulent period. Yormark, speaking at the group’s inaugural Champions of Marketing event, told City AM that sometimes sports are “so married to history” that they’re [...]
Rugby’s Nations Championship set for New York finals May 12, 2025 World Rugby is looking at taking the 2030 Nations Championship finals to the US ahead of the 2031 World Cup across the pond. The governing body’s chairman Brett Robinson has revealed that New York is being lined up as host one year prior to the Americas’ first ever Rugby World Cup. It comes amid concerns [...]
O2 Arena owners: Lions announcement future of sport in London May 12, 2025 Last Thursday nearly 2,000 people packed their way into Indigo at the O2 as the squad for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia was announced. It’s not the first time this kind of event has taken place. At the same site, albeit the larger O2 Arena, earlier this year Formula 1 hosted its [...]
Premiership run-in: Saints and Bath will impact top four May 9, 2025 Look at the Premiership table and you’ll see that the top team and Challenge Cup finalists Bath are 15 points clear of second-placed Leicester Tigers, and Champions Cup finalists Northampton Saints are 17 points safe from dropping out of the top eight. And with just three games remaining for each team, and a maximum of [...]
British and Irish Lions launch takes heritage brand into modern age at O2 May 8, 2025 The British and Irish Lions have followed in Formula 1’s footsteps in hosting launch events in London and it’s dragged a heritage brand into the modern era, writes Will Taylor. This afternoon, the British and Irish Lions did something they’ve never done before, they turned their usual squad selection into a show. For the first [...]
New Zealand Rugby post £8.7m loss months after Ineos saga May 8, 2025 New Zealand Rugby has posted a third consecutive loss despite the firm – which encompasses the All Blacks – achieving record income. A NZ$19.5m (£8.7m) loss for 2024 follows losses of NZ$8.9m (£4m) and NZ$47m (£21m) in 2023 and 2022 respectively. While nowhere near the £34.3m loss at England’s Rugby Football Union recently, the 2024 [...]
Sky Sports, TNT and Premier Sports snub England Rugby vs USA Test May 7, 2025 Ahead of the Game: England Rugby rights snub, Nottingham Forest ownership, TNT Sports backs Premiership, Relevent Sports in London and WTA commercial agreement England are facing a TV blackout for their summer rugby union Test match against the USA, with no domestic broadcasters bidding for the rights. Sky Sports will show the first two Tests [...]