Rugby Union

RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. will host an international rugby union match between Wales and South Africa later this year as part of plans to further grow the sport in the US.

Major League Rugby (MLR), a new professional rugby union competition that will launch in the United States this year, has added a franchise in New York, while New Zealand Super Rugby team Crusaders has invested in the league’s Seattle-based club.

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the organising body of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup club rugby union competitions, has announced it will relocate its headquarters to Lausanne.

In this issue we cover the following: WINTER OLYMPICS – a commercial preview of Pyeongchang 2018 RULE 40 – how the IOC's control over athlete sponsorships is weakening GIANN

Japan will host the third and final match of this year's Bledisloe Cup, a rugby union competition contested by the Australian and New Zealand national teams, as the country prepares to stage the World Cup in 2019.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has entered into a long-term partnership with Fanatics as part of an effort to boost the experience of supporters at its retail and online stores, as well as support its ‘Pass It Back’ grassroots initiative.

The French Rugby Federation’s (FFR) headquarters in Marcoussis near Paris were raided by a dozen police officers earlier today (Tuesday) amid an investigation into the governing body’s president, Bernard Laporte.

English Premiership rugby union club London Irish has denied reports of an imminent takeover, but has admitted its is considering a number of investment offers as it seeks a return to its status as a leading force in the domestic game.

Rugby Australia, rugby union’s governing body in the country, has sealed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the sport that is set to introduce gender equality in pay and a new contracting model for the Super Rugby franchises, amongst other changes.

Rugby Australia has today (Wednesday) signalled its intention to bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the 2021 edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Raelene Castle has today (Tuesday) become the first woman to take the chief executive’s role at a major rugby union body by succeeding Bill Pulver at Rugby Australia.

A deep-dive into how rugby union’s Newcastle Falcons used a new CRM and corresponding data-driven approach to marketing communications as a means of reinvigorating its attendances.

World Rugby has announced that France will host its U20 Championship in 2018, with matches being played in Béziers, Perpignan and Narbonne.

Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Stephen Brown has stated the organisation is considering moving to a locked-in system of clubs for the Premiership, the top tier of the English game, adding that talks are underway for more NFL American football matches at Twickenham.

Stakeholders behind the Indo Pacific Rugby Championship have hit out at Rugby Australia (RA) for putting a “major road block” in the path of establishing the new competition.

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper has said the governing body will reform the bidding process for future World Cups following the controversy surrounding the 2023 decision.