Dupont image rights row puts Toulouse in rugby spotlight again Sport Business French rugby giants Toulouse are facing the threat of a second salary cap-related sanction after a media investigation into star player Antoine Dupont’s image rights payments. The so-called Le Petit General has been an integral part of France and Toulouse teams in recent years but is now at the centre of a storm, alongside Stade [...]
Saints and Bordeaux prove Champions Cup magic remains Sport Whether or not you are a betting person you only needed to have a gander at the bookmakers’ predictions for the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals to get a good read on how each of the two matches last weekend should have gone. The first semi-final of the weekend saw tournament favourites Leinster host English champions [...]
Champions Cup prize money: Why profits in semis are shared Sport Business As the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals get underway, why are the clubs involved not guaranteed all of the profits generated? Over the last couple of days the Uefa Champions League semi-finals have played out at London’s Emirates Stadium and Barcelona’s Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The final four teams are battling for prize money that could [...]
RC Toulon tough Investec Champions Cup path can be making of new Galacticos April 11, 2025 Dynasties rise and fall in sport, often taking years to reach their summit before fading into the darkness at pace. Between 2013 and 2015, RC Toulon were the “it” team. Probably the best club rugby team in the world. They won a Top 14 title in 2014 and were European champions three years in a [...]
Premiership clubs cannot get bored of Champions Cup failures, it’s the pinnacle April 8, 2025 Looking across the results from the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup at the weekend with a focus on the seven English teams, there were six results that went the way many expected and one that didn’t. Gloucester’s victory in France against Montpellier was a real surprise, but wins for Northampton Saints and Bath, [...]
Investec Champions Cup Barometer: Itoje for British and Irish Lions captain? March 17, 2025 In the lead up to the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec to assess which teams are hot – and which are not – ahead of April’s knockouts. Player of the week: Maro Itoje, Saracens For a long time no other name but [...]
Investec Champions Cup Barometer: La Rochelle versatility shows March 10, 2025 In the lead up to the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec to assess which teams are hot – and which are not – ahead of April’s knockouts. Player of the week: Oscar Jegou, La Rochelle Sometimes the best players are the ones [...]
Why Melvyn Jaminet’s transfer to Toulouse could relegate rugby giants February 27, 2025 Everybody dreams of playing for Toulouse. But what is the story of Melvyn Jaminet, a €450,000 loan and a potential salary cap breach and forced relegation? Across much of the length and breadth of Europe you’ll struggle to find a city where football isn’t the primary sport. But in the Pink City of Toulouse, around [...]
Investec Champions Cup Barometer: Bordeaux battle to victory February 24, 2025 In the lead up to the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec to assess which teams are hot – and which are not – ahead of April’s knockouts. Team of the week: Bordeaux France may have been unstoppable against Italy in the Six [...]
Investec Champions Cup Barometer: Fin Smith lays down marker February 10, 2025 In the lead up to the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec to assess which teams are hot – and which are not – ahead of April’s knockouts. Player of the week: Fin Smith, Northampton Saints Being good enough to force Marcus Smith [...]