Roc Nation boss exclusive: Rugby chiefs need to get comfortable with change Sport Business The president of Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation Sports Michael Yormark has said rugby’s stakeholders need to get “comfortable being uncomfortable with change” as the sport looks to commercialise after a turbulent period. Yormark, speaking at the group’s inaugural Champions of Marketing event, told City AM that sometimes sports are “so married to history” that they’re [...]
New Zealand Rugby post £8.7m loss months after Ineos saga Sport Business New Zealand Rugby has posted a third consecutive loss despite the firm – which encompasses the All Blacks – achieving record income. A NZ$19.5m (£8.7m) loss for 2024 follows losses of NZ$8.9m (£4m) and NZ$47m (£21m) in 2023 and 2022 respectively. While nowhere near the £34.3m loss at England’s Rugby Football Union recently, the 2024 [...]
Ahead of the Game: Tottenham in crosshairs as Ratcliffe eyes more cuts Sport Business Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are set to continue cutting their investment in sport beyond Manchester United with the company’s commercial deal with Tottenham Hotspur unlikely to be renewed. Spurs signed a five-year contract with Ineos Grenadier as their official 4×4 vehicle partner in 2022, having previously partnered with Ineos Hygienics as official hand sanitiser [...]
Sponsors All Blacks could chase after falling out with Man United part-owners Ineos February 15, 2025 Last week it was revealed that rugby giants New Zealand, including the famous All Blacks, were suing sponsors and Manchester United part-owners Ineos. The chemicals firm, co-owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, stands accused of breaching its sponsorship agreement by failing to pay an installment of a £27m, six-year deal, that was signed in [...]
Ratcliffe and Ineos bite back after being sued by New Zealand Rugby February 11, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos has blamed the “deindustrialisation of Europe” after the Manchester United co-owner was sued by New Zealand Rugby over its latest cost-cutting measure. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) went public with the dispute on Monday, claiming that Ineos had breached its sponsorship agreement by failing to pay an instalment of the £27m, six-year [...]
Don’t listen to Andy Farrell. Ireland WILL want All Blacks revenge November 8, 2024 For 108 years there was only one winner when New Zealand and Ireland met on a rugby field. But results versus the All Blacks have shifted.
Are the All Blacks feeling the pressure ahead of Eden Park showdown? July 12, 2024 There has been a lot of talk this week about the history of playing the All Blacks at Eden Park being a heavy burden for Steve Borthwick’s England team to shoulder. But I actually believe that the weight of being unbeaten at one ground for 30 years, as the All Blacks are at the Auckland [...]
New Zealand make change for second Test with England after blunder almost cost them July 9, 2024 Damian McKenzie allowed the 60 seconds permitted to take a penalty to run down as he was lining up a kick.
England showed promise against All Blacks ahead of Eden Park finale July 7, 2024 Weirdly for England, Saturday’s 16-15 loss to New Zealand in Dunedin was their first match in three against the All Blacks that ended in defeat. In their last trio of games against the three-time world champions – in Japan at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, at Twickenham in 2022 and down in New Zealand at [...]
Cunningham-South, Baxter and Freeman: England players to watch in New Zealand July 5, 2024 The next fortnight will be one which could end up defining Steve Borthwick’s tenure as England manager. For their two-Test series against New Zealand could be the difference between establishing a winning side to take through to the next World Cup – in Australia in 2027 – or the realisation that England are not up [...]