Women’s Lions ‘must be based on form’ after tour gets early green light February 28, 2023 Former England international Shaunagh Brown has backed the idea of a women’s Lions tour following a feasibility report but insisted that the squad must only be made up of the best players and not employ quotas to stop English dominance. The study, funded by Royal London, investigated key aspects of what would make up a [...]
England must beat poor Wales in Six nations to show growth February 24, 2023 England’s third round Six nations match against Wales on Saturday has an odd feel about it. On one hand Steve Borthwick’s men will travel along the M4 filled to the brim with confidence given their opponents across the Severn Bridge are in a state of disarray at the moment. The time is right for England [...]
England Rugby chief to hold crunch talks with Stourbridge over Worcester merger February 23, 2023 England Rugby chief Bill Sweeney will tomorrow travel to Stourbridge RFC to hold crunch talks about the club’s potential merger with Worcester Warriors. The chief executive is set to hear the views of a number of clubs in the area before the Rugby Football Union chooses to back or block any plans the Warriors’ new [...]
Worcester and Wasps’ future in doubt as councillors plot to seize Sixways from owners February 22, 2023 The Mayor of Worcester wants the Atlas consortium to be stripped of the Sixways stadium site, plunging the futures of Worcester Warriors and Wasps into fresh uncertainty. Worcester Warriors are set to return to Sixways next year in a controversial deal with Stourbridge RFC, while the club’s new owners say Wasps have agreed to play [...]
Wales coach Warren Gatland calls for compromise as strike threatens England Six Nations match February 21, 2023 Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland has called on his players and the country’s union to compromise in a contract stand-off that has cast doubt on Saturday’s Six Nations match with England. Gatland cancelled a training session and delayed naming his team for the weekend fixture as a result of the row, and insists that the [...]
Premiership Rugby CEO clarifies role of new rugby sporting commission February 20, 2023 Premiership Rugby has announced plans to overhaul its governance with a new sporting commission and financial monitoring panel. The moves are part of sweeping changes at the top of the English game following the downfall of both Worcester Warriors and Wasps. “We’re setting up an independent reporting commission to make sporting decisions on behalf of [...]
MLR’s Utah Warriors CEO: Rugby needs to put commercialism first February 20, 2023 If you were looking for a nation to grab something traditional by the horns and zhuzh it up, it would be the United States wouldn’t it? Well, now rugby is entering the rodeo ring to have that treatment. Because last month, Major League Rugby (MLR) franchise Utah Warriors announced a partnership with five-time European champions [...]
Former City lawyer tasked with reviewing demise of Wasps and Worcester Warriors in Premiership Rugby financial review February 20, 2023 Legal heavyweight Sir Nigel Boardman, a former partner at City law firm Slaughter and May, has been appointed to lead a review of the financial crisis engulfing Premiership Rugby. Boardman, 72, led the government inquiry into the Greensill Capital lobbying row in 2021 and last year called time on a near-50-year stint with the Magic [...]
Explainer: Welsh Rugby’s toxicity and can players strike? February 15, 2023 Toxicity in professional Welsh rugby started 20 years ago when clubs became regions, and since then there’s always been points of friction to keep the discourse over the Severn Bridge ticking over. But in the last couple of years the debate and disagreements over minor administrative issues have given way to a dire set of [...]
Worcester FAIL to meet conditions and miss out on place in Championship February 15, 2023 Worcester Warriors have failed to meet the conditions of entry for the Championship and will therefore not take their place in England’s second tier next season. The former Premiership rugby club’s new owners – the Atlas Consortium – failed the RFU fit and proper test over their refusal to pay rugby creditors in December but [...]