The South African Super rugby union outfit, Cheetahs based in Bloemfontein have denied a BBC report last week that they have been officially invited to join the Pro12 next year although they have not denied discussions with the league. With SANZAAR cutting Super Rugby from 18 teams to 15 in 2018, the Cheetahs and the […]
Plans were announced this week for an ambitious professional rugby union sevens competition featuring 48-minute matches, kicking off in the US next year The Guardian has reported. The Super 7s format was trialled in Philadelphia in 2014 with a game between teams from New York and Canada. The new concept is designed to broaden the […]
London Irish owner Mick Crossan has told The Rugby Paper that he’s looking for new backers to step forward after admitting he can no longer afford to sustain heavy losses as the club prepare for a new season in the Premiership. The article by Neale Harvey explained that Crossan’s company, Powerday has covered annual deficits […]
Paris Top 14 club, Stade Francais is about to be sold to the German Capri-Sun owner, Hans-Peter Wild. Current club president, Thomas Savare is reported to have opted for Wild’s proposal over that of the former players Thomas Lombard, Christophe Dominici and Mathieu Blin (among others). Born in Germany but resident in Switzerland, Wild (75) […]
Former Scarlets, Wales and Gloucester coach, Nigel Davies has been confirmed as new chief executive of Welsh Premiership champions Merthyr RFC. Davies will be focusing on the commercial side of the club with Dale McIntosh moving to head coach and Lee Jarvis becoming backs coach. He will be taking on a new role after two […]
Cardiff Blues have pulled out of talks with the WRU about handing over the management of the region to the governing body. In an open letter to fans, chief executive Richard Holland explained that they would no longer be pursuing that option, be it temporary or permanent. His letter said: “I am writing on behalf […]
The RPA, representing professional rugby union players in England, has rejected proposals by Premiership Rugby to extend the domestic playing season in 2020 and beyond as a response to the adjustments to a new global schedule due to be implemented. World Rugby agreed to move the summer international games window from June to July after […]
Newport Gwent Dragons will be taken over by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) following Tuesday night’s historic Newport RFC shareholder vote. The nine-acre Rodney Parade site is included in the £3,750,000 (€4.4m) deal with the WRU set to assume operational control on the 1st of July. The vote, recorded at an EGM at Rodney Parade, […]
The World Rugby Council has approved reforms to eligibility rules extending the 3-year residency qualification for a player to qualify to play for his or her country of residence to five years. The ruling was passed unanimously and will take effect from 31st December 2020. The reformed Regulation 8 ensures that a player has a […]
Professional rugby union in the United States will rise again in 2018 in the form of Major League Rugby (MLR) which claimed in a press release late last week that it will become the premier rugby competition in the United States. Formed and owned mostly by a group of pre-existing domestic clubs the inaugural league […]
