Latest news with #BathRugby
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Somerset in Pictures: Sacred pilgrimage and seaside views
With summer in full swing and school out for another year, many of us have our thoughts turned to the great the cricket pitch to the top of Glastonbury Tor, people across Somerset have been getting out and about to make the most of the county in full bloom. Here is a look at some of the best pictures from across the area this week. Pilgrimage of light: People carried lanterns up to Glastonbury Tor, during the Sacred Magdalene Festival, which marks the feast day of St Mary Magdelene. Spotted: Weather Watcher Malty Von Hop sent in this tranquil shot of sheep grazing amongst fruit trees in an orchard in Langport, Somerset. Happy faces: Craig Overton (second from the right) of Somerset was seen celebrating the wicket of Alex Lees of Durham for his fifth wicket during Day One of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match at The Cooper Associates County Ground. Horsing around: Avon and Somerset Police shared this snap of Max, their newest police horse in training, on social media to a huge response. A seagull's view: This beautiful view over Weston-super-Mare's beach was captured by BBC Weather Watcher Gary 'the Monkey'. Skydiver: Brian Standring, 86, from Wellington man has been recognised in Parliament for his charity work. He recently completed his fourth skydive to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society. Champions return: Bath Rugby's players have been back putting in the hard yards as pre-season training began at Farleigh House.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bath Rugby's 2025/26 Gallagher Prem fixtures in full
Here is a look at who and when Bath Rugby will play the nine other teams in the rebranded Gallagher Prem this season... Bath Rugby's 2025/26 Gallagher Prem fixtures Gallagher Prem Round 1 READ MORE: Man fears for his safety after 'eerie' encounter while walking in forest at night READ MORE: Plans for epic 40-metre cable bridge over River Avon approved Harlequins v Bath Rugby - Friday, September 26 - 7.45pm Gallagher Prem Round 2 Bath Rugby v Sale Sharks - Friday, October 3 - 7.45pm Gallagher Prem Round 3 Bath Rugby v Gloucester Rugby - Saturday, October 11 - 5.30pm Gallagher Prem Round 4 Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby - Saturday, October 18 - 3.05pm Gallagher Prem Round 5 Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears - Saturday, October 25 - 3.05pm Gallagher Prem Round 6 Saracens v Bath Rugby - Sunday, November 30 - 3pm Gallagher Prem Round 7 Newcastle Falcons v Bath Rugby - Sunday, December 21 - 3pm Gallagher Prem Round 8 Bath Rugby v Northampton Saints - Saturday, December 27 - 5.30pm Gallagher Prem Round 9 Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs - Saturday, January 3 - 3.05pm Fixture dates to be confirmed for the rest of the season.. Gallagher Prem Round 10 - Weekend of January 24 Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby Gallagher Prem Round 11 - Weekend of March 21 Bath Rugby v Saracens Gallagher Prem Round 12 - Weekend of March 28 Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby Gallagher Prem Round 13 - Weekend of April 18 Bath Rugby v Harlequins Gallagher Prem Round 14 - Weekend of April 25 Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby Gallagher Prem Round 15 - Weekend of May 9 Exeter Chiefs v Bath Rugby Gallagher Prem Round 16 - Weekend of May 16 Bath Rugby v Newcastle Falcons Gallagher Prem Round 17 - Weekend of May 30 Bristol Bears v Bath Rugby Gallagher Prem Round 18 - Weekend of June 6 Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bath Rugby finances revealed following Gallagher Premiership win as sport faces 'crisis'
Bath Rugby is facing mounting financial pressure, along with all the clubs in the Gallagher Premiership, as experts warn over the future of the sport. Despite a historic win for Bath in June, which saw the South West side take its first title in 29 years, off the pitch there is less to celebrate. Bath Rugby Limited - the operating company behind the club - is millions of pounds in debt. The company turned over £20.8m for the financial year ending June 30, 2024. This was up on the £19.7m the year before, but it still made a loss of £3.6m, while its net debt stood at £17.2m. Rugby has long been reliant on owners and benefactors to cover ever-mounting debt burdens. Three major clubs - Wasps, Worcester Warriors and London Irish - have already disappeared from the Premiership after collapsing in the 2022-23 season, but it is 'not impossible' that more could go under if changes are not made, one sports finance expert has warned. READ MORE: Police enforce 48-hour ban in Bath city centre READ MORE: Bath Rugby's 2025/26 Gallagher Prem fixtures in full Analysis of Companies House documents by our sister site Business Live reveals that each of the teams in the Gallagher Premiership was in the red for the financial year ended June 30, 2024. Runners up Leicester Tigers, who were defeated by Bath at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham by just two points (23-21), did not fare much better. The club's operating company Leicester Football Club Plc made a loss of £3.5m for the period - up from £1.4m the year previously - despite turnover increasing to £21m from £19.4m the year before. According to a rugby finance report published by Leonard Curtis last year, while some teams may break even or turn a small profit in the next couple of years, the prospect of the current overall loss-making trend being reversed looks slim. Dr Ellie Nesbitt, a senior lecturer in sports management at Nottingham Trent University, says rugby is not operating in the capacity it needs to. "Rugby clubs need to be operating as businesses," she said. "It's about commercialising and hospitality is key. Some clubs are much better with big events, and they can thrive, but you also have clubs that don't have the facilities to do that. "The sport is going to have to change it's approach. It's a short-term fix having owners and benefactors responsible for funding - and debts. These individuals clearly love the sport or the team - and you see that all the way through the structure, not just the Premiership. [But] it's not sustainable and over time we will see that play out even more." Many of the Premiership clubs would, in fact, be 'defunct' if they were 'normal businesses', says Christina Philippou, associate professor in accounting and sport finance in the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the University of Portsmouth. 'Rugby at the very basics is a loss-making industry and 60 per cent [of clubs] are technically insolvent,' she told Business Live. Professor Philippou says broadcasting deals and competition from countries like France, drawing top players out of the league with tax incentives, has proved challenging for the sport. 'Rugby is [also] shooting itself in the foot by going behind a paywall with broadcasting deals. People need to be able to watch it. 'You can do that by splitting broadcasting agreements or being clever with digital content to get people interested in the club game, and then that can pull through into actual money.' But she says clubs losing money does not necessarily sound "the death knell' for the Premiership, and that rugby could learn some lessons from cricket. 'Tapping into other formats might be a way forward for the sport,' she explained. 'That is how cricket is rejuvenating itself as it had a similar issue.' 'There is a crisis' Rob Wilson, a professor of applied sport finance and director of specialist sports consultancy Play it Forward, believes the salary cap - the limit on the total amount of money clubs can spend on players' wages each season - is still too high. For the 2025-26 season, the Premiership has confirmed the salary cap is £6.4m, with a number of credits and exclusions, meaning that clubs can spend at least £7.8m plus an excluded player salary. 'A lot of clubs see it as a target rather than a limit and then they overspend,' Professor Wilson told Business Live. 'Clubs need to start spending less than they earn on a cost basis.' He added: 'There is a crisis with three teams going out of business and a shortening of the league. I think they should close off the league for a while and focus on the top 10 clubs. It wouldn't be a popular decision but it would be a sensible one." All the clubs were contacted for comment, but no statements were provided. Financial status of England's Premiership rugby clubs Bath Rugby Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Bath Rugby Limited Turnover: £20.8m Loss for financial year: £3.6m Bristol Bears Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Bristol Rugby Club Limited Turnover: £11.9m Loss for the financial year: £4.8m Gloucester Rugby Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Gloucester Rugby Limited Turnover: £14.9m Loss for the financial year: £516,355 Leicester Tigers Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Leicester Football Club Plc Turnover: £21m Loss for the financial year: £3.5m Sale Sharks Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Manchester Sale Rugby Club Limited Turnover: £9.1m Loss for the financial year: £7m Saracens Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Saracens Limited Turnover: £22.7m Loss for the financial year: £7.5m Northampton Saints Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Northampton Saints Plc Turnover: £21.9m Loss for the financial year: £826,024 Harlequins Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Harlequin Football Club Limited Turnover: £29.3m Loss for the financial year: £1.86m Exeter Chiefs Year ended June 30, 2024 Operating company: Exeter Rugby Club Limited Turnover: £21.6m Loss for the financial year: £876,112 Newcastle Falcons Accounts currently overdue for the year ended June 30, 2024. Last accounts available made up to June 30, 2023 Operating company: Newcastle Rugby Limited Turnover: £11.2m Loss for the financial year: £2.3m
The Star
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Still flash, but Russell brings true grit to Lions playmaker role
Rugby Union - Premiership Rugby - Final - Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Britain - June 14, 2025 Bath Rugby's Finn Russell celebrates after converting a penalty Action Images/Matthew Childs/ File Photo BRISBANE (Reuters) -Finn Russell may be on his third British & Irish Lions tour but the 32-year-old Scotland flyhalf will wear the red number 10 shirt for the first time in a test on Saturday when he takes the field against Australia. Russell's test experience with the tourists has been limited to 69 minutes as a replacement for Dan Biggar in the 2021 decider after injury had prevented him from playing the first two matches against the Springboks. In 2017 in New Zealand, Russell was one of the Geography Six -- half a dozen players called up solely for one midweek match against the Wellington Hurricanes to protect the test squad in a move coach Warren Gatland later said he regretted. On Saturday, the 32-year-old with the unerring boot and ability to turn a defence inside out finally gets his chance to lead the Lions backline from the start of a test after being one of Andy Farrell's least controversial selections. Russell has been working in Australia with assistant coach Johnny Sexton, the former Ireland flyhalf who previously suggested that Russell had beaten him to a spot on the 2021 tour because Gatland considered him "flashy" and a "media darling". "He's still flash. Yeah, he would hate if I said he wasn't," Sexton joked to reporters on Friday. "But no, I think in the last couple of years, he's really come into his own as a 10 and being able to manage the team. "Ultimately, that's the main job that he's got tomorrow, to manage all the guys around him, and then his brilliance will come out once he's into the game." Sexton said he had been impressed with the work the apparently carefree Russell does on his game behind the scenes as well as with his defensive efforts in the tour matches. "He's probably been our best defender in the back line on this tour so far, I would say," Sexton added. "And that's the thing that you always knew, that it was in there with him. He's a feisty guy out there in terms of physicality. He doesn't look that big but he's fronted up big time this tour with a lot of impact tackles. And we'll need him tomorrow in that regard, because they'll come down his channel I'm sure." Sexton said evidence of Russell's increased maturity had come when the Scot led Bath to the English Premiership title before joining up with the Lions. "You can see it with Bath, getting to finals and winning trophies," he added. "You can't do that if you're just that kind of mercurial 10, you know what I mean? You've seen that this year in particular. He's got his team over the line and he's won a few trophies and he's carried that form into here." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Mitch Phillips)
Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
British and Irish Lions v Queensland Reds live: score, commentary, updates
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Suncorp Stadium is one of the great sporting arenas — though the playing field is more than a little threadbare (Stephen Jones writes). Masses of major games are staged here, including a rugby league match two days before the Lions' first Test against the Wallabies. Suncorp Stadium also staged one of the most famous matches in northern hemisphere history: the England-Wales game in the knockout stages of the 2003 World Cup. Jamison Gibson-Park gave a knowing look when he was told the story of how Finn Russell had struck up a relationship with Ben Spencer by grabbing the Bath scrum half in a headlock during a team social and demanding, 'Just give me the ball. (Alex Lowe writes)' Russell's story, which he told before Bath's victory in the Gallagher Premiership final, was funny because it played to the maverick reputation he had when he joined the club from Racing 92. In reality, Russell and Spencer have spent two years working out the perfect balance in their half-back partnership, allowing each of them to play to their strengths for the benefit of the team. Russell and Gibson-Park do not have two years. They have two days and no full training sessions to form some kind of syncopation before the British & Irish Lions play Queensland Reds on Wednesday. And they have just over two weeks until the Lions play Australia in the first Test of the series, back here in Brisbane. ● Read more: Can Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell deliver Andy Farrell's game plan? Jamison Gibson-Park is fit to start, having overcome a gluteal strain, as is the full back Hugo Keenan, who had a calf injury and has not played since May 31 (Will Kelleher writes). Gibson-Park pairs with Finn Russell in the half-backs, in what may become the Test playmaking partnership, with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones the centres, and Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman on the wings. In the pack it is all change. Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart move from the bench to starting against the Reds in the front row, and captain Maro Itoje is paired with Ollie Chessum, with Tom Curry, Morgan and Jack Conan the back row. The bench has an English flavour, with Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Earl, Mitchell and Fin Smith joined by the Irish trio Finlay Bealham, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose. Before we get cracking with the details, let's remind you of the team news. Queensland Reds: 15 Jock Campbell (captain), 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 9 Kalani Thomas; 1 Aidan Ross, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 4 Josh Canham, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 6 Seru Uru, 7 John Bryant, 8 Joe Brial. Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 George Blake, 18 Sef Fa'agase, 19 Ryan Smith, 20 Angus Blyth, 21 Connor Vest, 22 Louis Werchon, 23 Isaac Henry. British & Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Jack Conan. Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Garry Ringrose. Oh I love the smell of British & Irish Lions in the morning. G'day and welcome to The Times' coverage from Brisbane as the British & Irish Lions travel to Suncorp to face Queensland Reds in the third match of the 2025 tour and the second down under. We will have all the action from on and off the field with our reporters down on the ground in Australia. It should be a cracking affair.
