2012 stage for rugby league February 25, 2015 LONDON’S Olympic Stadium is to host its first rugby league international when England face New Zealand at the Stratford venue on 7 November. The match is the second of three-Test series and follows just a week after the stadium hosts rugby union World Cup fixtures. Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood said: “It’s simply [...]
Six Nations shows rugby is rucking good for Guinness – Brand Index February 24, 2015 The Six Nations rugby championship reaches its half-way point this weekend, it might be worth Guinness considering the commercial opportunity the tournament offers it. A partner of the championship, Guinness already has a strong association with the Six Nations, and YouGov BrandIndex and Profiles data help to confirm why the relationship is a beneficial one. [...]
London Welsh desperate to avoid completing rugby’s worst season February 23, 2015 They’ve lost every game of this campaign and their gym is in a tent, but Ross McLean found Exiles on surprisingly chipper form IT MAY be tough at the top but that is nothing compared to the burden weighing heavily on London Welsh as the Exiles run the ominous gauntlet of being dubbed the worst [...]
Rugby to use TV replays to detect concussion February 10, 2015 TELEVISION replays could be used in rugby union to identify players suffering from possible concussion following controversy over the treatment of Wales wing George North. Wales yesterday escaped punishment from World Rugby for failing to remove North during Friday’s Six Nations defeat to England after the Northampton player had appeared to be momentarily knocked out. [...]
Wales defend North treatement as World Rugby probes injuries February 8, 2015 WALES chiefs have hit back at criticism of their treatment of wing George North in Friday’s Six Nations defeat to England, insisting they did not see the second-half incident that knocked him out. Governing body World Rugby has demanded Wales explain why North was allowed to finish the match despite appearing to be rendered unconscious [...]
Rugby Comment: England ready to win Six Nations but don’t expect a Grand Slam February 5, 2015 WE SEEM to say it every year but I think the Six Nations is genuinely very open this time. There are a number of teams who could be top of the pile come the end – England, Ireland, Wales – while we’ve seen Scotland’s type of rugby improve already under Vern Cotter and Italy get [...]
Rugby World Cup to boost UK hotels in 2015 January 11, 2015 LONDON hotels are expected to enjoy a surge in revenues this year, according to the latest forecast released this morning from PwC, as people flock to the UK to watch the Rugby World Cup. The accountancy firm predicts that revenue per available room (revpar), a key industry measure, will rise by five per cent to [...]
Burgess admits tackling rugby union is tougher than expected January 5, 2015 CODE-SWITCHER Sam Burgess has revealed the conversion to rugby union from league is proving a harder task to master than he initially envisaged. Surgery to fix a broken cheekbone delayed his union debut until November but after a smattering of cameos the 26-year-old made his first start for Bath in their 17-8 Premiership defeat to [...]
Super Rugby goes global: Argentinian and Japanese franchises to join from 2016 November 20, 2014 The most prestigious club competition in southern hemisphere rugby will have franchises from Japan and Argentina added to its ranks from 2016. Super Rugby currently features 15 franchises from established rugby union heavyweights New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The competition will be stretched to 18 teams after the participation of teams based [...]
UK £1bn Rugby World Cup lift November 18, 2014 BRITAIN’S economy is set to receive a boost totalling close to £1bn from hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup, a report commissioned by the tournament’s organising committee revealed yesterday. An economic impact study undertaken by accountancy firm EY predicts the showpiece event, which will be staged at 13 stadia in 11 cities across England in [...]