Category: Rugby Union

Rugby Union News

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Premiership clubs ‘teetering on edge’ face government scrutiny over loans

  • £29m in bailout loans not expected to be recovered
  • England full-back Furbank doubtful for Six Nations

Premiership rugby clubs who “have been teetering on the edge” are set to come under further scrutiny by the government over the repayments of their £124m Covid bailout loans.

A report by the National Audit Office details how the Department for Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS] awarded 26% of its £474m loans to Premiership clubs, including £41.6m to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish, who have all since gone bust. According to the report, they are three of nine borrowers who in total received £46.1m and their collective demises mean that the DCMS does not expect to recover up to £29m in loans awarded.

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Jones takes charge as Booth departs Ospreys

Ospreys Rugby have confirmed that Toby Booth has departed from his role as head coach with immediate effect.  Mark Jones will assume the role of head coach with immediate effect, supported by the current coaching staff and management. Jones, a former Wales U20 head coach and Wales backs coach, was due to take over from […]

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Steelmen gain revenge as they overtake Cardiff at top of SRC

Ebbw Vale avenged their only defeat of the campaign so far in Super Rygbi Cymru as they came from behind to beat Cardiff 32-20 at Eugene Cross Park and replace them at the top of the table. The 29-12 reverse they suffered at the Arms Park in round two back in September provided added motivation […]

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Pooler power to SRC victory with magnificent seven second half tries

Pontypool went on the rampage with seven second half tries to secure a thumping 58-25 win over Bridgend in Super Rygbi Cymru. The Ravens had led 20-10 at the interval thanks to tries from wing Ben Evans, on debut, Evan Yardley and Chris Williams. Ben Burnell kicked a penalty. Wing Walker Price was Pooler’s try scorer […]

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Early Christmas bonus for Wales as Jenkins and Faletau return

Christmas has come early for Wales head coach Warren Gatland with both Dafydd Jenkins and Taulupe Faletau finally returning from injury to play in the second round of European competition. Hot on the heels of Josh Adams return for Cardiff Rugby against the Dragons two weeks ago, Exeter Chiefs lock Jenkins and Cardiff’s legendary No […]

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Wales U20s repel challenge of Scotland Development U20s

Wales U20s ran in five tries to record a 31-7 victory against Scotland Development U20s at a boisterous Merthyr Rugby Football Club. Local schools and colleges packed out the stadium at the Wern and although it was a crisp afternoon, they were treated to some clinical finishing by the home side. Wales scored two tries […]

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Gwalia Lightning squad named for Celtic Challenge

Head coach Catrina Nicholas-Mclaughlin has named the Gwalia Lightning squad for the new home and way Celtic Challenge 2024/25 campaign. The Lightning have named a squad full of Welsh internationals and a host of new young talent to play the best in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The Lightning will play all their homes games at […]

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Brython Thunder squad named for Celtic Challenge campaign

Head coach Ashley Beck has named the Brython Thunder squad for the new home and away Celtic Challenge campaign for 2024/25. Experienced Wales second row Natalia John is joined by fellow Wales internationals Niamh Terry, Hannah Bluck and Meg Webb in a new-look Thunder squad. Fifteen of the 30 players named are new to the […]

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WRU, WRPA and World Rugby launch Brain Health Service in Wales

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) and World Rugby have today launched a new Brain Health Service to support former elite players in Wales. The WRU is one of the first to launch this new initiative, which is available free of charge, and follows services already available in Ireland and […]

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Wizards seek first SRC away win against familiar face in Carmarthen

Referee Ben Connor may well take charge of Thursday night’s televised Super Rygbi Cymru clash at Carmarthen Park wearing longjohns given the change in climate from his last assignment to this fixture. Last weekend the young Welsh referee was in Cape Town officiating at the Cape Town Sevens, where he controlled the final between South […]

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Lake returns home to play in expanded Celtic Challenge

Wales centre Kerin Lake has returned home and will play for Gwalia Lightning in the new expanded Celtic Challenge this season. Lake, who won her 50th Wales cap against Spain at Cardiff Arms Park in the summer, left reigning English champions Gloucester-Hartpury at the end of last season. She was part of the side that […]

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John Dobson: ‘I’m old school. When the Stormers fire me I’m done in coaching’

Stormers head coach on his Cape Town connection and ‘putting up a fight’ at Harlequins in the Champions Cup

Rugby union still produces some fascinating individuals and John Dobson, the head honcho at the DHL Stormers, is very much one of them. To say “Dobbo” is not your average coach is self-evident from his CV. In addition to degrees in law and business administration from the University of Cape Town there is surely no other top-level director of rugby with a creative writing degree. As he wryly puts it: “I was the only person on the course who didn’t wear a tweed skirt.”

As a player he was also, for two seasons, the only white guy in an otherwise exclusively black working-class club side. “What did I learn? How privileged us white people were.” He was conscripted into the South African army during the apartheid era, has had two novels published and is the son of a noted South African rugby writer, referee and historian. He describes himself as “an accidental coach” having started out as coach of his local university fourth XV, but has subsequently guided the Stormers, then in administration, to the inaugural 2022 URC title, the franchise’s first piece of silverware.

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