Appalling, laughable, not fair: Chinnor and Cambridge go it alone after Premiership Rugby Cup exclusion October 29, 2024 Championship sides Chinnor and Cambridge will compete in the Not The Premiership Rugby Cup after being excluded from the original competition. On Friday night at Mennaye Field in Penzance, Cornish Pirates will fancy themselves against a winless Exeter Chiefs in the opening fixture of the Premiership Rugby Cup. The competition has been one of the [...]
Premiership Rugby: Chiefs winless as top four pull away October 28, 2024 That’s it. The Premiership is done and finished for a month. After six rounds the 10 teams will take a month-long break while the Autumn Nations Series takes place. So what have we learned from the final week of action in the first block of top-flight matches? Devonian drought Few would have thought Exeter Chiefs [...]
Rugby’s ‘A’ games hidden gems in Autumn Nations Cup period October 25, 2024 Rugby’s ‘A’ games are crucial for development and capture, and are the hidden gems of this year’s Autumn Nations Cup period. This weekend, when Japan and New Zealand clash in Yokohama, marks the start of the rugby’s Autumn international period. The majority of major southern hemisphere teams travel to Europe to face the best of [...]
How long do Exeter Chiefs back Rob Baxter for? October 25, 2024 Exeter Chiefs are 80 minutes away from going the entirety of the first block of Premiership Rugby games without a win. At home they’ve fallen to Leicester Tigers and Bristol Bears – Pat Lam’s West County side were 32-12 down before coming back to win – and Northampton Saints, Saracens and Newcastle Falcons away from [...]
Government pledge to make UK “top destination for women’s sport investment” October 23, 2024 The government has today pledged to make the United Kingdom a “top destination for women’s sport investment”. Investment minister Poppy Gustafsson, formerly of Darktrace, has launched the Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator scheme to bring together 20 leagues and teams with investors to boost commercial activity in women’s sport. The participating sports include football, cricket, rugby, [...]
Messi and LeBron beaten to top spot in athlete marketability rankings October 22, 2024 US gymnast Simone Biles has beaten LeBron James and Lionel Messi to be named the most marketable athlete in the world by sports industry experts. Real Madrid and Brazil footballer Vinicius Jr is second, followed by NBA legend James, women’s basketball sensation Caitlin Clark and Messi in the list published by SportsPro magazine. Biles, who [...]
Rugby is staring into the abyss when it comes to Gen Z October 19, 2024 Look at rugby in Britain today and objectively try to answer the following questions. Is it appealing to you? Is it sexy enough to invest in? Would I take my kids or young relatives to watch it? These are the questions rugby chiefs will always be grappling with, and good luck to them. But rugby [...]
No surprises England squad wastes precious opportunity October 18, 2024 It is very sensible, that England squad, isn’t it? There are no thrills or spills, no rogue actors or dazzling potential debutant. It is very Steve Borthwick. And that is no bad thing. This 36-man training squad will be tasked with taking on the southern hemisphere’s big three nations in New Zealand, Australia and South [...]
Football and Formula 1 most popular sports among Gen Z, but not rugby October 17, 2024 Football, running and Formula 1 are the most popular sports among Gen Z adults, but rugby does not feature in the top 15. Analysis by accounting firm EY has unearthed the top 15 sports among adults aged 18-27. Interestingly wellness sports and hiking make the Gen Z list while larger sports such as rugby union [...]
Will any team ever be relegated from the Premiership? Doubt it October 14, 2024 Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons are without a win this year but neither will be relegated from the Premiership due to the system. At the 65-minute mark in the Premiership match between Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears in Devon, the home side were 32-12 up on their West Country rivals. But come full-time the Bristolians [...]