Exclusive: Parliament must scrutinise Prem Rugby franchise plans, MP says January 27, 2026 The government has been called upon to scrutinise Prem Rugby’s franchise plan, which promises to be the biggest shake-up of the domestic game since professionalisation. It comes as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also accused of passing the buck over Covid loans to English professional rugby. Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello told [...]
England rugby games on free-to-air television until 2030 January 26, 2026 All England rugby matches will be shown on free-to-air television until at least 2030 after ITV snapped up the rights for the Nations Championships. The new competition, which starts this summer, will see 12 major nations compete against teams from the opposite hemisphere before a finals weekend in London in November. ITV reportedly bid £80m [...]
Castore add Australia to growing rugby portfolio January 23, 2026 Manchester-headquartered Castore has signed a five-year deal with rugby union’s Wallabies, which will see the sports apparel brand on Australia’s shirts at their home World Cup. “The new agreement will see the Wallabies, Wallaroos, Australian men’s and women’s sevens teams and Australian pathways teams proudly wearing Castore-issued sportswear from January 2026,” a statement read. The [...]
Someone put out the bin fire that is the Welsh Rugby Union January 23, 2026 Every sporting body goes through its annus horribilis, when nothing seems to go right and the public demands answers as a result. But the Welsh Rugby Union and the sport more broadly across the Severn Bridge is into what feels like its fifth consecutive year of horror and a complete inability to shift the narrative. [...]
Two top flight clubs in same league to be owned by same firm after major sport decision January 22, 2026 Two top flight sporting clubs in the same league are set to be owned by the same private stakeholder after a major decision was made in Cardiff. United Rugby Championship teams Ospreys and Cardiff will be owned by the same firm, Y11, after the Welsh Rugby Union agreed to sell their holding in the Cardiff [...]
Springboks and All Blacks to play Test rugby in Baltimore, United States January 22, 2026 The Springboks and All Blacks will face off in the United States as international rugby ramps up its presence across the pond. New Zealand and South Africa will head to the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore – home of NFL franchise Baltimore Ravens – next September as part of their “Greatest Rivalry” series, a version [...]
Prem Rugby signs free-to-air broadcast deal with ITV January 22, 2026 Prem Rugby has extended its deal with ITV to keep England’s top flight league on free-to-air television. The partnership will see the broadcaster show seven matches per season, including the final. It continues a longstanding agreement between the two organisations, with every match each season also broadcast on TNT Sports. The move solidifies the free-to-air [...]
Welsh Rugby Union enters into £55m debt refinancing agreement amid domestic turmoil January 21, 2026 The troubled Welsh Rugby Union has entered into a £55m debt refinancing agreement as the governing body eyes stadium developments amid domestic turmoil. The WRU has borrowed from Goldman Sachs and HSBC in order to pay off existing debts to NatWest and various government bodies in a refinancing package that will play out over a [...]
The Jenga Effect: Why professional rugby’s collapse has already happened January 17, 2026 Professional rugby is not approaching collapse; it is recognising one that already occurred and mistaking that recognition for failure. What we are watching across leagues, unions and competitions is not chaos, bad luck or incompetence finally catching up, but the delayed visibility of a structural outcome that was locked in years ago. What feels sudden [...]
English Investec Champions Cup winner good for franchise investment January 16, 2026 Despite Northampton Saints’ loss at the weekend to tournament favourites Bordeaux Begles, the Investec Champions Cup could see its first English winner in over five years. Phil Dowson’s team, as well as Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby, are flying high in the European competition while Harlequins and others have qualified for the next round with [...]