Premiership Rugby considering approach from French club Toulon about possibility of joining league January 21, 2016 England's top rugby clubs have confirmed to City A.M. that they are considering an extraordinary request from French side Toulon to switch leagues and join them in the Premiership. League representatives received a letter on Wednesday afternoon from Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal enquiring about the possibility of him moving his star-studded team out of the [...]
Eddie Jones’ first England rugby squad: Who will be dropped, which youngsters will be promoted and what time will it be announced? January 13, 2016 Eddie Jones announces his first England squad as head coach this afternoon – and he is expected to cull big names as he prepares for the Six Nations. A host of uncapped youngsters will be given the chance to show off their test rugby credentials in the 33-man elite player squad while some who regularly featured [...]
Harlequins chasing the American dream: Why the Premiership rugby club is moving pre-season to California December 24, 2015 Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the USA and Harlequins are looking to ride the wave of its new found popularity by swapping the suburbs of West London for the sun of California in upcoming summers. The 149-year-old rugby club is planning to play pre-season warm up games in America for the next four [...]
Britons spend less on drinking out in November after Rugby World Cup hangover December 23, 2015 Consumer spending on going out and entertainment fell by eight per cent in November as Britons tightened their belts ahead of Christmas. Households spent £17 less on leisure activities last month compared with October, dragging year-on-year spending down by two per cent overall, according to pub group Greene King’s latest Leisure Spend Tracker. Drinking out [...]
Record number of tourists flock to the UK and spend more than ever thanks to the 2015 Rugby World Cup December 19, 2015 The tourism boom to the UK shows no signs of letting up, with a record number of international visits to the country recorded in October. The Rugby World Cup drove tourism figures sky high, with fresh figures from VisitBritain showing that a new record was set in October, not just for the number of visits [...]
Over 70m tickets sold to UK sport events in 2015 thanks to Rugby World Cup boost December 16, 2015 More than 70m tickets to sports events in the UK were sold in 2015, representing a five per cent increase on last year, according to research from Deloitte's Sports Business Group. Only in 2012, when 75m tickets were sold as London hosted the Olympic Games, has the UK recorded higher sports attendances in a calendar [...]
England rugby head coach Eddie Jones joins Goldman Sachs board in Japan November 27, 2015 England rugby's head coach has landed a job on the side with Goldman Sachs. Eddie Jones, who coached Japan's national team for three years, has been appointed to Goldman's Japanadvisory board in Tokyo. The 55-year-old Australian, who was named as England's first foreign head coach a week ago, will be expected to attend meetings in [...]
Spectre and the Rugby World Cup boost leisure spending in Britain to £5.4bn in October November 25, 2015 British households spent an average of £206 each on leisure activities in October, up nine per cent, or £18, from this time last year, but down one per cent from September 2015. That equates to a total spend on leisure activities of £5.4bn in Britain last month. Wetter weather in October held back monthly spending slightly, although [...]
England rugby coach Eddie Jones confirms U-turn over controversial overseas player policy that has frozen out stars Steffon Armitage and Nick Abendanon November 22, 2015 England coach Eddie Jones insists he now supports the Rugby Football Union’s controversial policy of freezing out of national duty stars who choose to play their club rugby overseas. Australian Jones, who was confirmed as the successor to Stuart Lancaster on Friday, has previously been critical of the arrangement, stating last week that he felt [...]
Eddie Jones: Why England Rugby’s new head coach could benefit from keeping Stuart Lancaster involved November 20, 2015 Eddie Jones is the exciting, big name appointment to head coach many England fans were hoping for – but could there still be a role for Stuart Lancaster in the England set up? Heads were always going to roll after England's World Cup results and the level of investment in the team, but we need [...]