Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

EXPLAINED: 2 | Vintage Vibes

Prem relegation and promotion to be scrapped in major shake-up of English rugby

RFU Council “overwhelmingly” approves proposal to turn top-flight into 12-team franchise model

Evening Standard

English rugby set for radical change as Prem ring-fencing and expansion plans approved

Relegation and promotion will be removed from the English top flight for an alternative model

The Independent UK

Birmingham City’s owners explore moving into rugby union and buying Prem franchise

Birmingham owner, Knighthead Capital Management, are in early discussions about buying an ‘expansion team’ if rugby’s top flight is ringfenced

The Guardian - UK

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Manchester City and Villa win, Burnley shock Palace: Premier League – as it happened

There were big wins for City at the top of the table while Nottngham Forest fell short against Wolves and Burnley stunned Palace

The Guardian - UK

So much at stake and Six Nations just the start in ‘massive year for rugby union’

We may know the sport’s future is bright when trendsetters worldwide are wearing Fabien Galthié-style shades

The Guardian - UK

Van Poortvliet leads way before limping off as maddening Harlequins flop again

Leicester coped remarkably after illness swept through their squad but Quins cannot bring Champions Cup form to the Prem

The Guardian - UK

‘Thinking a lot less’: Tommy Freeman on the secret to international rugby

England wing talks to Luke McLaughlin about handling Test-match pressure, the ‘awesome’ setup at Pennyhill Park and Saints’ big ambitions

The Guardian - UK

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Finn Russell expects late hits from Scotland teammates in Bath vs Edinburgh battle

Fly half Russell will pull the strings for Bath in their crunch Champions Cup clash but won’t get any favours from his international teammates lining up for Edinburgh

The Independent UK

Why a vintage Champions Cup weekend could give ailing competition new hope

An eagerly-anticipated round three schedule includes a meeting between last year’s finalists Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton

The Independent UK

Billy Searle pulls the strings as Leicester prove too strong for Saracens

Leicester boosted their hopes of a Prem playoff place with a 36-28 victory over Saracens

The Guardian - UK

Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth exit looks like being a familiar tale in the Premier League - that others should learn from

Bournemouth are on a record run under Andoni Iraola - and not in a good way: can the likes of Crystal Palace learn a thing or two from the south coast?

FourFourTwo

Bath break Exeter’s hearts with last-minute try to foil dramatic comeback

The No 8’s try secured Bath a 33-26 victory against Exeter in the Prem, who had fought back from a 26-point first-half deficit to level the match

The Guardian - UK

Tommy Freeman hat-trick topples Bath and sends Northampton to Prem summit

An understrength Northampton ran in six tries at the Rec to leapfrog their rivals in the table and inflict Bath’s first home Prem defeat in more than a year

The Guardian - UK

Bristol survive scare but Newcastle off the mark in Prem as Spencer seals bonus

Louis Rees-Zammit’s second try enabled Bristol to go ahead as they beat Newcastle 36-27, but the visitors’ four tries gave them a first point

The Guardian - UK

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - UK

Sale squad’s ‘honest’ meeting with owners has reset ambitions, says Sanderson

Alex Sanderson said an ‘honest’ meeting of Sale’s owners, players and coaches this week has set their intention for the Boxing Day game against Harlequins

The Guardian - UK

Dan Frost freezes out Newcastle to put dominant Bath back on top of Prem

Champion Bath scored eight tries including two from Dan Frost as they crushed Newcastle Falcons 50-14 to return to the top of the Prem

The Guardian - UK

Greg Fisilau double edges Exeter to comeback victory at Saracens

Greg Fisilau scored two tries for Exeter in their second-half fightback as they rallied from 24-13 down to secure a thrilling 30-24 Prem victory at Saracens

The Guardian - UK

Storming ahead means increasingly little in era of rugby’s comeback kings

Even the greatest sides can be reeled in like farmed salmon, assisted by a series of newish laws that can transform momentum quicker than you can say ‘Usain Bolt’

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - UK

Prem Rugby to seek investors if RFU backs relegation-free franchise league

The league wants a new cash injection after a turbulent few years, with several US investors understood to be interested in buying into English sport

The Guardian - UK

Gloucester prop Afo Fasogbon: ‘I’m quite chilled off the pitch – until it’s time to go to work’

The 21-year-old came to rugby via an unusual route, but it is one that may soon see him in the England squad

The Guardian - UK

Questions over Champ playoffs with only two clubs applying for promotion

Only Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights have applied formally for promotion while the removal of relegation for five years has still to be ratified

The Guardian - UK

Pirates hope lure of Cornish Camelot will tempt franchise bargain hunters

Champ club have a plan to reach the top flight and hope investors will recognise their untapped potential

The Guardian - UK

Sale blow 14-0 lead and slump to home defeat by Glasgow in Champions Cup opener

Stafford McDowall scored the decisive try as Alex Sanderson’s injury-hit Sale side coughed up another lead at home to lose 26-21 to Glasgow

The Guardian - UK

Saracens hatch plan to put dent in French dominance against Clermont

Even without Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Jamie George, the English club are set to deploy a formidable lineup against their depleted opponents

The Independent UK

How to watch every Investec Champions Cup match on TV this weekend

Rugby union’s premier club competition gets underway with Bordeaux Begles as the defending champions after beating Northampton Saints in last year’s final

1 2 3 4 5

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.