English club rugby has been dealt two tough blows in recent weeks with financial uncertainty looming over both Worcester Warriors and Wasps. Wasps are facing the prospect of relegation after the club is staring down the barrel of administration due to unpaid taxes and the Warriors are running on thin ice with RFU as they try to put together a ‘credible’ plan to take the club forward. A statement from Wasps Holdings Limited said: “Due to the impending threat of action from HMRC, Wasps Holdings Limited, the ultimate holding company of the group including Wasps Rugby Football Club and Arena Coven ..read more

Scottish Rugby has published its strategic approach to support rugby communities deliver a thriving and vibrant state school game over the next six years. Whilst Scottish Rugby’s engagement with state schools has been ongoing for a number of years – including investment into the Schools of Rugby programme and developing formal partnership agreements with local authorities including Aberdeenshire Council – this is the first time Scottish Rugby has produced a statement of intent around increasing state school rugby participation. Led by the Rugby Development department, the strategy aims to inc ..read more

We are currently in the middle of the summer football transfer window as fans sit excitedly and nervously by their phones waiting to see if their favourite players leave their club, or new talent arrives. The extraordinary fees paid by clubs in football is nowhere near comparable to the transfer landscape in rugby union in England, but why? Transfer fees and players moving from club to club is a regular occurrence in rugby union but there isn’t the fan fair surrounding this side of the game like you see in football. To date, the largest transfer fee paid between English clubs is the £500,000 L ..read more

Rugby is facing an escalating job crisis with more and more players out of contract and no offers on the table. The reduced salary cap in the Premiership means that squad sizes will be thinning and player wages dropping. According to the Rugby Players’ Association, there will 70 players without a club this summer, which is 20 more than last year. There’s a big worry amongst those in the game as to what will happen to these players. Will players drop away from the game entirely or will they move down the leagues to find work? Those that will most likely be affected are the long-standing squad p ..read more

Sir Bill Beaumont and World Rugby have reinforced their positive stance on player welfare in rugby and unveiled enhanced plans to make progress in this field. At the start of the year Sir Bill Beaumont, World Rugby Chairman, announced that 2022 will be the year of player welfare in rugby. He reaffirmed World Rugby’s ongoing commitment to advancing player welfare following the six-point plan that was announced last July. This plan made a commitment to wide-ranging engagement with the rugby family across key welfare matters. It included initiatives across the life cycle of a player – future, cur ..read more

Sheffield Tigers are in their 90th year – an impressive feat for any sports club. They are proud of their long history and have exciting plans for the future. As you come into the city of Sheffield from the west on the Hathersage Road whilst enjoying the revealing vistas of the city with seven hills, you can now notice a brown sign pointing to the left. STRUFC. That is the home of Sheffield Tigers and whilst the extreme location on the very edge of the city boundaries offers naturally challenging weather conditions there is huge momentum of activity in this part of South Yorkshire. Tigers wer ..read more

Northampton Saints have confirmed that West Northamptonshire Council Planning Authority have approved the Club’s application for the construction of a new indoor training facility. The ‘Northampton Saints High Performance Centre’ will be based to the south of cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, on a section of one of the Club’s existing outdoor pitches, and will provide year-round training facilities for the playing squad. The development was designed by pHp Architects and Saints have appointed Warwick Burt Construction as lead contractor – with both businesses locally-based and sta ..read more

Bath Rugby has confirmed its new rugby structure for the 2022/23 season following an in-season review and subsequent reset. Johann van Graan will lead the club’s rugby programme as Head of Rugby Stuart Hooper becomes General Manager Edward Griffiths leaves his role as Chairman Johann van Graan will take on the role of Head of Rugby on 1 July, leading the club’s rugby programme. He assumes complete responsibility for rugby matters. Van Graan will concentrate on the coaching and performances of the team and will oversee all coaching and performance staff. Stuart Hooper assumes the new rol ..read more

Northampton Saints has announced that the Club is joining the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework. The UN Sports for Climate Action Framework aims to promote action on the climate in the sports sector through leadership, collaboration and ambition – this includes measuring, reducing, and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, and using sport as a means to drive climate awareness and action around the globe. The initiative commits members to setting a minimum target of 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, and a net-zero emissions target by 2040. As a signatory to the f ..read more

Sarah explains what her role at Blackheath Rugby involves and the challenges she faces. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got involved in rugby? I’ve spent the last 15 years or so working in golf at two high end clubs in Kent. Before that I worked for a company providing premium solutions for marketing campaigns which took me all over the world working for various blue chips including PepsiCo and the Disney Corporation. A chance conversation with one of my members at my last golf club, Littlestone, started the ball rolling and a year or so after that initial conversation ..read more