The British & Irish Lions rugby union team have struck sponsorship deals with British Airways and Marks & Spencer for the upcoming tour of South Africa, further adding to their portfolio of commercial partners. read more
MasterCard has signed a major multi-million pound sponsorship deal to become a worldwide partner of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2011, replacing previous credit card sponsor VISA. read more
Despite the lure of added revenues, rugby union club Harlequins have confirmed that they will not moving their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash against Leinster to Twickenham. read more
The Rugby Football Union has announced that it is to veer away from tradition by taking an England international match against Argentina to Manchester's Old Trafford Stadium later this year. read more
The Welsh Rugby Union is bidding to bring next season’s Heineken Cup Final to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. read more
After four years, cider brand Magners is reportedly ending its partnership with Rugby Union club London Wasps. read more
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced its strong opposition to proposals put forward by Premier Rugby to extend the Guinness Premiership by a further six rounds of matches. read more
The International Rugby Board has announced that blood samples taken at the Rugby World Cup 2007 have all come out negative for Human Growth Hormone (hGH). read more
Sports drink brand Powerade is launching a new advertising campaign using its ‘InnerGear’ strapline to support its sponsorship of the England and Wales rugby teams. read more
The financially-troubled Royal Bank of Scotland has confirmed that it has renewed its sponsorship of rugby union’s Six Nations Championship for a further four years in a rumoured £20m deal, despite the bank registering reported record losses of up to £28bn. read more
Australian wine brand Wolf Blass has renewed its sponsorship deal with the Rugby Football Union ahead of this year’s Six Nations tournament. read more
The Rugby Football Union has stated its concern about the proposal to increase the number of domestic club fixtures after Premier Rugby agreed that salaries would be capped at £4m and games would be added to allow for more income. read more
After a long-running row with the Welsh and England Rugby clubs regarding player release, the Welsh Rugby Union has achieved its desired player access for the Six Nations. read more
Carlsberg UK will continue its official beer status for Worcester Warriors after the Guinness Premiership club signed a new deal with the brand. read more
Following rumours that non-GAA sports might be played at Croke Park after the redeveloped Lansdowne Road opened next year, Irish RFU has announced that no rugby or football internationals will be held at the ground after 2010. read more
The 12 teams in rugby’s Guinness Premiership are to meet in January to discuss proposals for a reduction in the salary cap as the economic recession begins to bite. read more
London Wasps has a new owner after Steve Hayes, the managing director of Wycombe Wanderers football club, assumed control of the Guinness Premiership club from previous chairman Chris Wright. read more
Troubled bank Northern Rock has sold the Newcastle Falcons’ ground, though the rugby union club will still continue to lease the site. read more
Heineken has agreed to continue its title sponsorship of the European Rugby Cup for four more years, maintaining the existing naming rights of the tournament through to the end of the 2012/13 season. read more
adidas has renewed its long-running global sponsorship deal with the New Zealand international rugby union team for another ten years in what is thought to be the largest such contract in the sport’s history. read more
Guinness Premiership rugby club Bath has announced record losses of £357,000 for last season in its latest set of financial results. read more
The International Rugby Board has revised the minimum revenue level it requires host nations to deliver in staging the Rugby World Cup in 2015 from £100m to £80m in a bid to make the bidding process more competitive. read more
In an effort to resolve the ongoing row between English and Wales clubs and the Welsh Rugby Union regarding player availability, Gloucester have released Gareth Cooper to play in Wales' final autumn Test with Australia this weekend. read more
England and Wasps fly-half Danny Cipriani is believed to have officially parted ways with his current representative agency The Stellar Group in favour of being jointly managed by PR chief Stuart Higgins and Harbottle and Lewis lawyer Gerrard Tyrrell. read more
The RFU has unveiled its latest annual financial results recording a £1.5m profit after tax for the year – the first time the governing body has done so in a Rugby World Cup year. read more
Guinness Premiership team Bristol needs £2.5m in additional funding if it is to maintain its top flight status according to the rugby club’s chief executive. read more
Among other changes to be made for next season, The RFU Council has approved the creation of a 12-team Championship division. read more
The Welsh Rugby Union has reportedly turned down Canada’s request for a percentage of tickets sold during their friendly at Millennium Stadium. read more
Rugby Football Union has hired consultancy Whitestone to restructure the governing body’s brand. read more
A meeting of representatives from the 10 Tier 1 Unions hosted by the International Rugby Board at Heathrow agreed to investigate a return to traditional tours as a potential way to solve the problematic June Test match window. read more
Sky Sports has signed a new five-year TV rights deal with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) covering all England international matches played at home or overseas outside of the RBS 6 Nations and the Rugby World Cup. read more
England may withdraw from the bidding for the 2015 Rugby World Cup because of the ‘massive financial risks’ associated with hosting the tournament according to RFU chief executive Francis Baron. read more
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