...Andrew Golding; Daniel Plumley; Max Weaver; Rob Wilson Purpose Rugby union is encountering financial turmoil on a scale never seen before. League organisers and governing bodies are calling for reform to protect the future sustainability of the sport. This paper aims to analyse the financial...

...Patrick Massey; Vincent Hogan Purpose The introduction of professionalism in 1995 posed serious challenges for Rugby Union in Ireland, Scotland and Wales given their limited fan bases and broadcast markets. It led to the creation of a new league, the Pro14, with teams from all three countries...

...Rob Wilson; Daniel Plumley Purpose Rugby union’s late move to professionalism in 1995 has led to concerns about the financial development of the game. The purpose of this paper is to extend the knowledge base on professional team sports in the UK by analysing the financial and sporting performance...

... of a personal brand by international rugby union players. Design/methodology/approach – This study was embedded within an interpretivist paradigm that allowed the qualitative examination of the way international rugby players use social networking sites. The primary data collection method involved ten...

... several clubs. It also assesses whether referees are biased in favour of the home team, and whether this is the cause of HA. Design/methodology/approach – A complete consensus of matches from the State of Origin Rugby League and Tri Nations Rugby Union competitions were analysed via hierarchical...