Investec hand rugby vote of confidence with Champions Cup sponsorship August 31, 2023 Investec has handed rugby a much-needed vote of confidence by striking a five-year deal to replace Heineken as sponsor of the Champions Cup. Europe and South Africa’s premier club competition has been without a sponsor since the Dutch beer brand, involved since 1995, stepped away from the title association in June. It represents a huge [...]
Rugby World Cup chiefs offer apology to England and Argentina fans September 10, 2023 Rugby World Cup organisers have apologised to supporters for the chaotic scenes which sparked fears of a deadly crush ahead of England’s match against Argentina. Limited access points and insufficient staffing led to a potentially dangerous situation outside the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Saturday night. Former England international Brian Moore called it “beyond shambolic”, [...]
Half of second tier French clubs outspend England’s rugby Premiership November 18, 2023 Some second division French rugby clubs have club budgets amassing more than double the value of a Premiership salary cap in a bleak reminder to the English game. France’s top two leagues, the Top14 and ProD2, have salary caps of around £8.8m (excluding players who graduated from academies) compared to England’s £5m (with one player [...]
2023 rugby review: Jones, Sexton, England, London Irish and Hunter December 22, 2023 It’s been quite the 2023 in rugby. This year South Africa won the Rugby World Cup, La Rochelle lifted the Champions Cup after Leinster No10 Johnny Sexton abused the referee, the women’s game has grown further and Australia had 12 months of Eddie Jones. Well, almost. It has had it all. English rugby lost two [...]
Haringey Council hands Tottenham Hotspur huge financial ‘Beyonce boost’ August 21, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur are set for a major financial boost after Haringey Council extended the club’s licence for hosting major non-football events, such as concerts from the likes of Beyonce, from 16 to 32 a year. The club’s commercial income has already trebled from £70m to £228m since their move from White Hart Lane in 2019, [...]
Exclusive: Middle East and United States bid to host Champions Cup final September 3, 2023 European rugby chiefs are considering bids which would see the Champions Cup final staged in the Middle East or the United States, City A.M. can reveal. The finals weekend of the world’s premier club rugby competition, the Champions Cup, and its sister competition the Challenge Cup have traditionally housed themselves in core rugby regions. But [...]
Rugby World Cup: Uruguay can be darlings of tournament September 14, 2023 Modern enthusiasts always speak of Japan’s victory over South Africa as the biggest upset in the history of the Rugby World Cup. But at the last tournament, in the Land of the Rising Sun, Uruguay were the ones to spring a surprise. Nearly four years ago to the day Uruguay claimed a famous 30-27 victory [...]
Premiership enjoys attendance bounce, but figures little for rugby to cheer about May 9, 2023 Premiership rugby’s average match attendance is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels as the sport shows signs of recovery following a turbulent period. Average attendance in the Premiership this season was 12,569, up by more than 1,000 on last year and almost back to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to data crunched by City A.M. The figures [...]
VAR causes ‘mayhem’ with football, says rugby boss November 29, 2023 The boss of Premiership rugby club Exeter Chiefs Rob Baxter has said football employing sin bins is like letting the “genie out of the bottle” and says VAR causes “mayhem”. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has this week backed the introduction of the sending offs as a way of stamping out abhorrent behaviour towards [...]
Spain’s LaLiga vows to push ahead with matches in the US April 24, 2024 Regular season LaLiga matches could be played in the US within two years after the Spanish league’s president confirmed they intend to push ahead with plans. LaLiga has been at the forefront of discussions about the staging of regular season matches overseas, with the US seen as among the most commercially desirable destinations, and recent [...]