The Veilomani Report – World Rugby’s Governance Review

I am very pleased to have assisted Pacific Rugby Players Welfare ("PRPW") with the drafting of the Veilomani Report - its submissions to World Rugby's Governance Review. Veilomani is the Fijian term for loving one another and working together constructively.…

Gloucester vs London Irish: the dispute over George Skivington

Over the weekend of 28 June 2020, a public disagreement broke out between two Premiership rugby clubs over the services of coach George Skivington. Mr Skivington was, until Saturday, an assistant coach at London Irish Rugby Football Club (“London Irish”).…

Permanent Pay Cuts and Reducing the Salary Cap

This week, it has been announced that Premiership clubs have voted unanimously in favour of lowering the level of the Premiership Rugby salary cap from the start of the 2021/2022 season. It has also been reported that Premiership Rugby (“PRL”)…

‘Tapping Up’ in Rugby: the van Rensburg case

On 21 April 2020, the RFU published the decision of an independent disciplinary panel (the “Panel”) in the matter of RFU v Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Sale Sharks and Matthew Ginvert (the “Decision”). The case, involving charges against a player,…

A Review of the Myners Review – Part II

This is Part 2 of my review of the Myners Review. On 14 May 2020, Premiership Rugby published the report of the independent review of the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Regulations (the “Regulations”), conducted by Lord Myners. Publication of the…

A Review of The Myners Review – Part I

On 14 May 2020, Premiership Rugby published the report of the independent review of the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Regulations (the “Regulations”), conducted by Lord Myners. Publication of the report, commissioned by Premiership Rugby in December 2019, followed an open…

Matt Hankin v Saracens: Concussion, Causation and Clinical Negligence

For the second time this season, Saracens Rugby Club (“Saracens”) is defending legal proceedings. First it was for breaches of the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Regulations in front of an independent disciplinary panel (discussed here); now it is in the High…

A New Players’ Union: the Legal Challenges and Commercial Opportunities

There is increasing discussion about a new rugby players union in England. Leicester and England prop Ellis Genge is at the heart of a new plan to “shake up the rugby scene”, after being disappointed at the advice given to…

Creating an Eligibility Test for the World Rugby Council

It is election time for World Rugby. The elections for both the Chairman/Vice-Chairman and Executive Committee of rugby’s international governing body are underway, with the result to be formally announced on 12 May 2020, and there has already been plenty…