If international rugby’s fatal flaw is not financial, what is it? Sport Business When systems are forced to grow without replenishing what sustains them, they do not fail slowly. They hollow out — and then collapse suddenly. This pattern appears across markets and institutions, but sport, and rugby, offers one of the clearest live demonstrations of how extraction degrades an ecosystem from the inside. For decades, debates about [...]
Italy Six Nations revival a lesson for Wales as England challenge awaits Sport Business In 2019 rugby in Italy was staring down the barrel of extinction: three home Six Nations matches at their 70,500-capacity Stadio Olimpico drew crowds of just 38,500 versus Wales, 49,700 against Ireland and 48,800 for their match against France. Fast forward to 2026, however, having just beaten Scotland in front of 68,200 fans Italy will [...]
Six Nations in-game ads pave way for football to be split into quarters Sport Business Like many Welsh rugby fans, the highlight of the first round of the Six Nations was the small moment of relief granted by the ad breaks in either half, twenty seconds of respite from giving away penalties, points and accumulating yellow cards. I’m not sure everyone was as pleased to see them as me. They [...]
Marketing win for Prem Rugby would be Andy Farrell at Saracens February 20, 2026 Andy Farrell dropping Sam Prendergast for Ireland’s clash with England in the Six Nations this Saturday is a ballsy move. But the next time Farrell travels to Allianz Stadium, after this weekend, could be in a Prem Rugby final as a key cog in the Saracens machine. Because I am one of the growing number [...]
Six London bars and pubs to watch the Six Nations at in 2026 February 19, 2026 The Six Nations is here, and it is time to scramble to book a table for the best fixtures throughout February and March. City AM has listed some of our favourites to try across the tournament. Take a look. Brigadiers The City’s favourite Indian grill, Brigadiers, is going all out for the Six Nations this [...]
Exclusive: RFU monitoring possibility of protests against stadium sponsor Allianz February 17, 2026 The Rugby Football Union is closely monitoring the possibility of protests against sponsor Allianz ahead of this weekend’s Six Nations clash between England and Ireland in Twickenham. Irish sport has seen a backlash over the insurance giant’s sponsorship of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) amid the German firm’s alleged links to military companies which trade [...]
Fans negative towards Samsung and Virgin Atlantic Six Nations in-game adverts February 16, 2026 The majority of Six Nations fans have reacted negatively to in-game adverts during the rugby tournament. UK broadcaster ITV’s coverage has been broken up with adverts during scrum resets across the opening two weekends of the tournament, which involves England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. Samsung and Virgin Atlantic both saw an increase in [...]
Former Six Nations stadium to become 50,000-seat football arena February 13, 2026 A former Six Nations stadium is set to be transformed into a new £380m, 50,000 arena for top flight football. The Stadio Flaminio in Italian capital Rome will be transformed from its current derelict state into a new state-of-the-art arena for Lazio The arena was opened for use during the 1960 Summer Olympics before it [...]
Boozing Six Nations fans to contribute £60m to British pub sector February 13, 2026 Brits boozing during the Guinness Six Nations could boost the British beer and pub sector by £60m. An estimated 12m pints will be sunk during the five-round tournament, which began last weekend, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. The annual rugby union tournament consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy takes [...]
Welsh Rugby Union faces £1m hit due to unsold Six Nations tickets versus France February 13, 2026 The Welsh Rugby Union could lose £1m this weekend due to empty seats at Sunday’s Six Nations tie between Wales and France. As of Friday morning there were over 15,000 seats available for the team’s first home fixture of this year’s championship. A mix of fan fury at the state of the Welsh Rugby Union, [...]