Rugby News Today as contract extensions continue in Ireland, and the big news is that the sale of Cardiff Rugby to the owners of the Ospreys will not take place.
Y11 purchase of Cardiff falls through
Plans for the current owners of the Ospreys, Y11 Sport & Media, have fallen through. The WRU have confirmed that the deal will not proceed despite an extension being given to the period of exclusivity with the group.
Abi Tierney, the WRU chief executive, said that “Y11 presented the best bid for Cardiff, but the WRU has concluded that it is in the best interest of Welsh rugby for Cardiff to remain under our ownership for now.”
Leicester Fainga’anuku to start at 7 for the Crusaders
All Blacks winger and the player who has mostly featured at 13 for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. The Crusaders will open the One NZ Stadium with a game against the Waratahs. The versatile player, named after the city of Leicester, where his father played and won for Tonga in the 1999 World Cup against Italy.
Rugby Australia post huge profit after Lions Tour
Rugby Australia are set to announce a profit of more than $AU70 million at their annual general meeting. The national body had lost over $30m the year before but had paid off huge amounts of debt. The financial success is due to the popularity of the Lions tour to the nation last year, and it looks good for the Wallabies going into the future, with a World Cup coming in 2027.
Leinster put pen to paper for more extensions
Leinster announced a range of signings yesterday, but they haven’t stopped there. Cormac Foley, Max Deegan and Gus McCarthy have all penned new deals with the Irish province.
Ireland ticket sales hit a special mark
Ireland have announced that their ticket sales for the Women’s Six Nations clash have surpassed 20,000. Captain Erin King shared that it was “incredibly special” as the side will run out at the Aviva Stadium for the first time. The team had already broken the record for a Six Nations game as they had an attendance of 9,206 at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway in round two.
