A Sports Law Rugby Blog
On 21 June 2021, the RFU published the decision of its independent disciplinary panel (the “Panel”) to sanction Leicester Tigers hooker, Tom Youngs, for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game, contrary to RFU Rule 5.12. The case arose…
On 11 February, Jonathan Joseph, Elliott Stooke and Gabriel Oghre were sanctioned by the RFU for breaching the UK Government’s COVID-19 regulations and rugby’s COVID-19 Minimum Operating Standards. In what is now rugby’s second COVID-19 disciplinary case (see previously the…
On Friday 12 February, the RFU Council approved a moratorium on relegation from rugby’s Premiership for the 2020-21 season. Citing the impact of COVID-19, the decision has been taken with the financial stability of the Premiership clubs in mind, with…
1. Introduction In December 2020, legal action was instigated by a group of former professional rugby players against the Rugby Football Union (“RFU”), the Welsh Rugby Union (“WRU”) and World Rugby, the sport’s International Federation. A pre-action letter of claim…
Today is the first day of On the Ball: The Rugby Union Conference! I am very excited to be co-hosting this virtual, free event along with Steven Flynn of Kings Chambers. For full details of the event, including the schedule…
In May 2019, World Rugby published its Decision-Making Framework for High Tackles (the “Framework”). It was intended as a “systematic tool” to guide decision-making by referees, citing commissioners and disciplinary panels as to the appropriate sanction for potential acts of…
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of legal and administrative hurdles for sport worldwide, and rugby union is no exception. Existing fault-lines have come sharply into focus, as tensions have been exacerbated between the game’s stakeholders and discontent has…
On 11 September, The Times reported that the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (“LNR”) had “filed a legal case” with the European Commission challenging World Rugby’s Regulation 9 on player release. According to the report, the LNR is “seeking to strip…
Rugby’s disciplinary process has come in for a lot of criticism this week; much of it undeserved. The controversies of Owen Farrell’s high tackle and the punch-up between Siale Piutau and Andrew Kitchener in the Gallagher Premiership have dominated the…
The Coronavirus pandemic has created a myriad of problems in the Premiership. The difficulties of re-scheduling the season (discussed here) remain significant, and its ongoing economic impact has seen clubs across the league attempt to cut costs by furloughing players…
