Do the Prem Rugby semi-finals need a Welsh URC team? Sport Business Ahead of this weekend’s Prem Rugby’s semi-finals, Ollie Phillips assesses whether they could do with a hint of Wales. Picture the scene: next year’s Prem Rugby semi-finals feature the top three teams from this year – Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby and Exeter Chiefs – plus one of the Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons or Cardiff. This would, [...]
Sunday Times Rich List: Bath and Man United owners Dyson and Ratcliffe lose £10bn Sport Business Manchester United and Bath Rugby investors Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir James Dyson have lost £10bn in the last year, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Dyson, who earlier this year purchased 50 per cent of Prem Rugby club Bath, saw his and his family’s wealth fall £8.8bn, from £20.8bn to £12bn between 2025 [...]
Gloucester Rugby secure £300k fan investment at £36.5m valuation Sport Business Gloucester Rugby have raised £300k from a fan investment cycle at a valuation of £36.5m as investment in the Prem continues. With 23 days left on their public raise, the Prem Rugby strugglers have achieved a fresh goal of having £300,000 in commitments. The 122 investors have pledged an average of over £2,500 apiece but [...]
Winning Champions Cup players should get mega cash bonuses May 1, 2026 Sometimes I think Investec Champions Cup matches with something on the line could do with even more jeopardy. Bordeaux Begles, Bath Rugby, Leinster and RC Toulon will battle it out this weekend across the Atlantic and Aviva Stadiums. But what if there was a briefcase full of cash pitchside for the winners of each of [...]
Lewis Moody seeking sponsors for 500-mile ride in aid of MND April 22, 2026 World Cup-winning England back-row Lewis Moody is seeking sponsors for a 500-mile ride to raise money after his motor neuron disease (MND) diagnosis. The former Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby player will cycle 500 miles from the East Midlands to London, via the West Country, in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Moody last [...]
The Yankee dabble in Prem Rugby is Dandy, but I don’t get it April 17, 2026 It is great to see that an American investor is set to take over Exeter Chiefs; it marks a new point of interest for Prem Rugby after Red Bull and Sir James Dyson from this side of the pond invested in Newcastle and Bath respectively. And we must not underestimate the power of US involvement [...]
Exeter Chiefs set for US investment as Prem Rugby flurry continues April 15, 2026 Exeter Chiefs are set to become the latest in a flurry of Prem Rugby clubs to take fresh investment, with American backing set for Sandy Park. An extraordinary general meeting will be held next month to vote on plans which would see an unnamed US backer make a multimillion pound investment in the Devonshire club. [...]
Champions Cup hits attendance lows as Leinster crowds slump at Aviva Stadium April 13, 2026 The Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals at the weekend saw the lowest collective attendance figure since the current scheduling format was introduced. The four quarter-finals across England, France, Ireland and Scotland were played a week after the round of 16 phase of the continental competition and total attendances were down 11 per cent on last season. [...]
Bath sell-out bright spark as Champions Cup attendances fall April 6, 2026 Bath Rugby’s return to the top flight Investec Champions Cup saw the only sell-out for an English team across the intercontinental competition. A packed Recreation Ground saw the West Country side beat Saracens and earn a spot in the quarter-finals for the first time since the single-legged round of 16 was reintroduced in the 2022-23 [...]
Investec Champions Cup organisers should meddle with knockouts April 3, 2026 On Wednesday the amount of tickets still available for Harlequins’ Investec Champions Cup round of 16 fixture against Sale Sharks was well over 6,000. Against their registered capacity of 14,800, that could result in an attendance of less than 9,000 – or around 40 per cent empty – come Saturday night. It is a better [...]