International Player Release: the French legal challenge to World Rugby’s authority

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 Week from Hell

The past week might just have been the worst week of rugby news in history. Not ‘the worst’ because it has been dull – far from it – ‘the worst’ in the sense that almost all the news has been…

Rugby’s ‘World’ League: A Cash Cow Cartel

This article was originally published in The Rugby Magazine a new media platform bringing rugby to life; stories, history, analysis and the most comprehensive fantasy rugby game available.   "Fans want to see meaningful games; they don’t want to see fatigued…

Autumn Internationals Disciplinary Review

The 2018 Autumn Internationals have come and gone without a single red card or suspension – in the men’s game, at least. Surely, this is something we should be celebrating? A cleaner and safer game is in the interests of…

Rugby’s New Law: Lifting in Open Play

World Rugby has created a new law, for implementation with immediate effect. A World Rugby ‘proclamation’ states: “Acting in accordance with the Bye-Laws and on behalf of the Council, the World Rugby Executive Committee have agreed to create a new…

A Rugby ‘World League’? Really?

This week reports have emerged that World Rugby and, in particular, Vice-President Agustín Pichot are considering scrapping summer and autumn tours in favour of a new ‘World League’. The plan has reportedly been discussed with the heads of the New…

Around the World in 7 Days: Rugby’s Hemisphere-Hopping ‘Heroes’

With the Rugby Championship underway in the Southern Hemisphere, and the English Premiership now restarted in the north, the club vs. country battle is fiercer than ever. Leicester’s Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau, Saracens’ Juan Figallo, and Bath’s Francois Louw…

Changing Rugby’s Eligibility Rules: a short-term fix for a long-term problem

Pacific Rugby Players Welfare (PRPW) has announced its intention to petition World Rugby for drastic changes to its international eligibility rules. The desired amendment would allow players who have already represented a ‘Tier 1’ nation, such as New Zealand, to…