Rugby union player management company Top Marque Sports (TMS) have announced their merger with James Grant Group (JGG), the integrated management and professional services company in sport, music and entertainment.

TMS, which represents over 60 international players including https://www.worldhumorawards.org/uncategorized/yukbfhm Dan Cole, Liam Williams, Charlie Faumuina, Will Genia, Simon Zebo and Tommy Seymour, was founded over 13 years ago by Shaun Longstaff (pictured) and his lawyer wife Jenny. Fellow directors and ex-players Jono Stuart and Tramadol Mastercard Fedex Daren O’Leary will also join the new enlarged group.

https://wasmorg.com/2024/03/07/xcz97yb29vl TMS will join James Grant’s sports division which has a rugby client roster including 2013 and 2017 Lions captain Sam Warburton and double Six Nations winning England captain Dylan Hartley. This merger boosts the combined rugby client roster to include players in every country and every major league in the world, making the division one of the largest global rugby agencies (along with Essentially and Esportif).

https://www.goedkoopvliegen.nl/uncategorized/q48mjr2 Shaun, Jono and Daren will join James Grant’s existing UK sports division senior management team which consists of Mick McGuire (executive chairman, Sports UK), Mike Wallwork (global sports managing director), Derwyn Jones (managing director England & Wales rugby) and Rob Burgess (director England rugby) on the newly formed rugby board.

http://countocram.com/2024/03/07/5j6bwbl7p “The whole team at TMS is hugely excited about the prospect of this merger. There is a genuine synergy of management practises and ambition between the two parties and whilst establishing ourselves as the leading global agency is one of our mutual objectives, we also recognise that all of our clients will benefit from this merger” said Shaun Longstaff.

Purchase Tramadol Visa Mick McGuire, UK sport executive chairman said “we are delighted that the Top Marque team has chosen to join us. Our combined client roster creates a depth and breadth of clients which puts us at the forefront of the rugby management industry. We are committed to investing the necessary resources to ensure we continue to deliver a first-class service for our clients benefit and very much look forward to working with the whole TMS team.”

https://www.lcclub.co.uk/pfyurrzi The fate of the two South African Super Rugby franchises earmarked to be ejected from next year’s competition, the Cheetahs and Southern Kings will be confirmed tomorrow (Friday 7th July) by a meeting of the SA Rugby council. What may also become clearer is whether the two are likely to switch focus and compete in the PRO12 league about to start this September.

https://fotballsonen.com/2024/03/07/h1dgm74f Reports suggest that PRO12 administrators would welcome the addition of the teams on conditions including a minimum guaranteed payment of up to £800k (€910k) per team per year and a strengthening of playing squad quality. If the SA teams are to participate in this year’s PRO12 then time pressure would require some quick decisions.

https://tankinz.com/fgfjmp81j The Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs and Southern Kings from Port Elizabeth are the least successful of the countries six regional teams in terms of on and off-pitch performance. The Kings first competed in Super Rugby in 2016. The travel logistics won’t be anything new, but the reason for cutting the sides in the first place was plummeting TV viewers and sponsorship revenue to match.

https://worthcompare.com/6j036t9ahg6 According to South African research firm Rapport, SuperSport’s South African viewership of Super Rugby games dramatically decreased in 2016. At that point, viewership figures had decreased by 3.8 million viewers compared to the same stage four years previously. TV viewership also decreased in Australia and New Zealand, but not nearly as much as in South Africa.

Attendance figures at stadiums were also decreasing, with only Newlands – which boasts an average of 26 992 fans per game – able to fill more than a half-full stadium. Ellis Park, the home venue of the table-topping Lions, only has an average of 19 808 (32%) fans per game, while Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (15%, 6 914 fans per game), Free State Stadium (17%, 7 780), Loftus Versfeld (35%, 17 921) and Kings Park (45%, 23 591) are all struggling to put bums on seats.

https://www.goedkoopvliegen.nl/uncategorized/nah6333 According to an anonymous local rugby boss – who talked to The Afrikaans newspaper – “the struggling economy, several top players plying their trade overseas and the transformation issue all play a part in the lack of interest in the competition”.

http://countocram.com/2024/03/07/ftxie8f9ddl The question as to whether the PRO12 option for Cheetahs and Kings is an effective solution could be asked of all parties. The PRO12 have felt the pressure of being surrounded by ever more powerful French and English competitions recently, while the reach of their competition with relatively smaller TV audiences can’t keep up.

Two Italian clubs were admitted to the league in 2009 but have made little impact on the competition, consistently propping up the bottom end of the league table. The PRO12 struggled to find a local TV broadcaster well after the start of last season. Similar market weaknesses prevail currently in South Africa.

The PRO12 has also been reported to be looking into incorporating US and Canadian teams into their league from 2018.

https://www.jamesramsden.com/2024/03/07/854pce6 The Rugby Football League has announced that a satisfactory resolution has been reached between Castleford Tigers and Sale Sharks over the unapproved transfer of Denny Solomona.

Castleford Tigers will receive in excess of £200,000 in compensation and recover approximately £100,000 in legal costs from the defendants.

https://ncmm.org/9lb3bmybhyo The Super League club sued the player, his agent Andy Clarke and Premiership club, Sale Sharks after the player “retired” from rugby league within the currency of his contract with Castleford and took up an offer to join the rugby union club late last year.

Sale Sharks were reported to have broken off discussions regarding compensation for the transfer of the player because Castleford’s demands were too high.

https://tankinz.com/17dxsxhhu An RFL press release said: “This was a matter of profound importance for sport and Castleford deserve huge credit for their dignity, integrity and tenacity. Their conduct has been exemplary and they have been consistent in their position at all times.”

https://www.worldhumorawards.org/uncategorized/6vs8lob5k RFL chief executive, Nigel Wood, said: “Castleford have been resilient and professional throughout this entire process and the Rugby Football League and other member clubs have always fully supported them in defending a position that we believe is right and just. To their further credit, they have not bowed to pressure to ensure the truth of what happened could be fully exposed. They have done the whole of sport a great service.

“It is incredibly regrettable that this situation ever arose and we believe that National Governing Bodies from all sports and leagues must work together to ensure that clubs and players are protected and contracts are respected by all concerned. The Rugby Football League has very recently worked closely on a reciprocal basis with the NRL in the cases of James Segayaro and Ben Barba to ensure that registration of playing contracts and disciplinary decisions are respected on a mutual basis, which is surely how it should be.”

https://fotballsonen.com/2024/03/07/0ir8sg4 Meanwhile, Sale Sharks claim to be delighted that the court case with Castleford Tigers has been resolved on favourable terms.

A club statement said: “The settlement sum accepted by Castleford is effectively the same £200,000 figure initially offered by Sale last year, with a small amount added for interest. Given that a potentially sizeable proportion of the legal costs may not be recoverable from Sale, it is inevitable that Castleford’s net position will be significantly lower than that £200,000 figure offered last year.”

Less delighted in their criticism of Castleford’s handling of the dispute: “The last 10 months have therefore been nothing more than an unnecessary distraction, and the court case has achieved nothing other than wasted time and legal fees for all involved. Castleford issued proceedings prematurely, in a hail of publicity, seeking in excess of £500,000 damages and with a purported desire to fight this case for the good of Rugby League. This settlement proves that this was not the case. There has been no ruling at all and this case does not set a precedent for future dealings between Rugby League and Rugby Union. If that was Castleford’s desire, they have failed to provide any clarity at all for other Rugby League clubs, which suggests that their primary, if not only, motivation was to get monetary compensation. Even so, they will receive approximately 40% of the sum they hoped for.”

Worcester Warriors through their operating company, WRFC Trading Ltd made a profit of £13.8m in the year-ending June 2016 due to a write-off of shareholder loans worth £20.4m during the year.

The accounts were filed in April this year, but this extraordinary item has only been called to the attention of Running Rugby this week.

The underlying loss for the year before tax was £6.6m, an increase of £1.1m from the prior year. Turnover increased by £1.5m to £9.8m, which was due to an additional £0.7m in central funding, £0.6m in gate receipts and £0.2m from other commercial activity.

The business continues to run a successful conference and events operation, turning over £1.1m in a range of events from sales meetings to weddings.

The club continues to be reliant on its shareholders for its financial support. The shareholders continue to fully support the club’s five-year investment plan.

Former Canadian international, Jamie Cudmore has called former club Clermont to face summary court proceedings over being forced to play despite displaying what could have been symptoms of concussion.

Cudmore, who played for the current Top 14 champions from 2005-16, has asked for medical expertise to decide if he was the victim of two concussions and if he was fit to go back on to the pitch.

“Mr Cudmore wanted to wait until the Top 14 final had taken place before acting,” said his lawyers in an official statement. “This is not an adversarial procedure. His sole motivation is the welfare of players.”

Cudmore argues that in the European Cup semi-final against Saracens in April 2015, he failed the concussion protocol tests but was forced to play on because of injury to one of his team-mates.

Two weeks later, the Canadian suffered another head knock in the European Cup final against Toulon, but once again continued playing.

Clermont reacted by saying: “It is not, as has been mentioned, a ‘complaint against the club’, but merely a procedure aimed at soliciting a medical opinion.

“ASM Clermont Auvergne will make transparent all factual and objective elements that the designated expert could ask for,” the club was reported to have said, adding that the player then went on to compete in the 2015 World Cup and sign a two-year contract with Oyonnax.

“The problem of concussions, which have been much debated recently in rugby, is not a new concern for the club. For years, Clermont has been working on the issue and is at the forefront of innovation in that field.”

Scrum half, Cillian Willis is suing his previous employers, Sale Sharks on similar grounds.