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The Star
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Lions make two changes for final Australia test
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - Scotland v Wales - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - March 8, 2025 Scotland's Blair Kinghorn in action with Wales' Tomos Williams REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has made only two changes to his starting team for final test against Australia on Saturday, when the tourists will be looking to seal a 3-0 series sweep. Farrell has resisted the temptation to give fringe players a run despite the series already being decided as the Lions target getting through a test series unbeaten for the first time since 1974. Blair Kinghorn, who missed the first test because of a knee injury, replaces James Lowe on the left wing as he did during last week's second test victory in Melbourne, while James Ryan starts in the second row in place of Ollie Chessum. Chessum drops to the bench, where Ben Earl comes in as back row cover alongside Jac Morgan with Farrell opting for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards for what is forecast to be a wet weather test at Stadium Australia. The starting back row and halfback pairing remain the same for the third consecutive match, while Irish prop Tadhg Furlong will start his ninth straight Lions test in the front row. "Last weekend's test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are and what they mean to both the players and the supporters," Farrell said in a news release. "We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week." Team: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Bundee Aki, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Finn Russell, 9–Jamison Gibson-Park, 8–Jack Conan, 7–Tom Curry, 6–Tadhg Beirne, 5–James Ryan, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Tadhg Furlong, 2–Dan Sheehan, 1–Andrew Porter Replacements: 16–Ronan Kelleher, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Will Stuart, 19–Ollie Chessum, 20–Jac Morgan, 21–Ben Earl, 22–Alex Mitchell, 23–Owen Farrell (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutehrford)
The Star
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
CVC to refinance US$12bil sports portfolio
Scotland's Rory Sutherland in action with Ireland's Andrew Porter at an instalment of the Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 9, 2025. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne LUXEMBOURG: CVC Capital Partners PLC has kicked off a refinancing of its sports assets portfolio, valued at more than £9bil (US$12bil), Sky News reports. The buyout firm hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc, PJT Partners Inc and the Raine Group LLC to advise on the deal, which would likely involve raising new debt, according to Sky, citing sources it didn't name. A spokesperson for CVC declined to comment to Bloomberg. CVC holds stakes in Six Nations and Premiership Rugby as well as top-tier football leagues in France and Spain. It also has interests in international volleyball, the women's professional tennis tour and Indian Premier League cricket. The move could also open the door to an initial public offering, Sky said. — Bloomberg Trading ideas: SD Guthrie, Chin Hin, Globetronics, KTI, Silver Ridge, PTT, Capital A, Enproserve, 3REN, TCS, TH, Pestec, CIMB
Telegraph
19-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Six Nations rugby courts Gulf sovereign wealth
The Six Nations Championship is being lined up for new investment as part of a multibillion-pound attempt to cash in on the global growth of sport. The private equity giant CVC Capital has called in bankers to review options for its sporting portfolio, which include stakes in Europe's top rugby competition, Spanish and French top-flight football and women's tennis. A full squad of bankers from Goldman Sachs and the boutique advisers PJT Partners and Raine Group have been called up to help package up the disparate collection of sports and examine opportunities for refinancing and more acquisitions. The collection of assets, being brought together under an umbrella company with the working title SportsCo, is also being prepared for refinancing. City sources said the plans could include the sale of minority stakes in the overall business, which is valued at more than £10bn. CVC has appointed Marc Allera, the former head of BT's consumer division, to spearhead the discussions as chief executive of SportsCo. The private equity firm is said to believe its portfolio could attract investment from Gulf sovereign wealth funds or fellow heavyweight buyout specialists. It is understood that a string of meetings have been lined up in the coming months with bankers hopeful of securing investment before the end of the year. No decisions on the final financial structure of SportsCo have been made, however. Private equity in sport The moves are designed to capitalise on booming global investor interest in sport, a field in which CVC has been a private equity pioneer. The firm enjoyed major success with its investment in Formula 1, which delivered billions in profit with a sale in 2016. The gains drove CVC's confidence in further sporting ventures in rugby and football. However, the relative complexity of club ownership and governance structures in these competitions has made it harder to make the swift operational and financial improvements on which private equity typically depends to deliver returns. CVC's £1.3bn investment in a 13pc stake in France's Ligue de Football Professionnel has been particularly problematic. A seemingly lucrative television rights deal with the streaming operator Dazn descended into acrimony, and then CVC's Paris offices were raided over allegations of corruption in its investment deal. The firm denies any wrongdoing. Its sports expansion also met with bad luck. CVC's 2018 investment in English top-flight club rugby was predicated on significant increases in revenue from grounds and television rights. Those assumptions proved particularly heroic when the pandemic struck and at one stage came close to making the Premiership bankrupt. SportsCo is being designed to allow CVC to refinance its portfolio and return money to its own investors while retaining control beyond the typical five to seven-year term of private equity ownership. The new vehicle will be responsible for senior appointments in the sports leagues in which it holds stakes and could seek to co-ordinate television rights discussions in an increasingly globalised market in which the likes of Netflix and Apple are expected to play a growing role. It comes at a time when private equity firms are generally struggling to cash in on investments made under very different conditions. Some 15 years of rock-bottom interest rates after the financial crisis delivered hundreds of billions of dollars into funds as investors hunted returns. Flush with cash, buyout firms ventured into riskier businesses and paid higher prices. Now, with debt more expensive and valuations depressed, some are struggling to return cash to their investors and being forced to seek innovative ways to deliver returns.
The Star
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-France coach tees off at refereeing in All Blacks series
Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - France v Scotland - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - March 15, 2025 France head coach Fabien Galthie during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq (Reuters) -France coach Fabien Galthie has complained about the refereeing in their series against New Zealand, airing grievances over the scrum while querying several decisions following defeats in Dunedin and Wellington. With the All Blacks looking to seal a series sweep in the third and final test in Hamilton on Saturday, Galthie told French media he expected neutrality from referees. "We need the scrum and the ball being carried to be properly refereed," he said. "I don't usually dwell on refereeing, but when I have expectations, I share them. "Clearly, we need to be officiated as if we were playing on neutral ground. Neutrality." Galthie highlighted two instances in the 43-17 loss in Wellington where he thought the French were short-changed. He said All Black Jordie Barrett had entered a ruck illegally in the second half as the French set up a maul and rumbled over the line, only for the ball to be held up. "Clearly, Barrett enters in an offside position, on the side. For me, that's a penalty try and a yellow card." He also took umbrage with an interception by All Blacks winger Rieko Ioane which stopped a French attack on the try-line near the right corner. "When he intercepts the ball on Leo Barre's last pass ... he is off-side the whole time. There is a penalty try and a yellow card. "I'm happy for there to be that difference in the score, but that's two tries and two yellow cards." Reuters has contacted global governing body World Rugby, which appoints test referees, for comment. (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
France coach tees off at refereeing in All Blacks series
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - France v Scotland - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - March 15, 2025 France head coach Fabien Galthie during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq France coach Fabien Galthie has complained about the refereeing in their series against New Zealand, airing grievances over the scrum while querying several decisions following defeats in Dunedin and Wellington. With the All Blacks looking to seal a series sweep in the third and final test in Hamilton on Saturday, Galthie told French media he expected neutrality from referees. "We need the scrum and the ball being carried to be properly refereed," he said. "I don't usually dwell on refereeing, but when I have expectations, I share them. "Clearly, we need to be officiated as if we were playing on neutral ground. Neutrality." Galthie highlighted two instances in the 43-17 loss in Wellington where he thought the French were short-changed. He said All Black Jordie Barrett had entered a ruck illegally in the second half as the French set up a maul and rumbled over the line, only for the ball to be held up. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Up to 30% of aviation jobs would have to be redesigned because of AI, automation: CAAS Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore 5 foreigners charged over scheme to deliberately get arrested in S'pore to sell sex drugs here World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling: White House World Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. What is it? Asia Appointment of Malaysia's new chief justice eases controversy over vacant top judge seats for now Singapore SPCA appoints Walter Leong as new executive director Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore "Clearly, Barrett enters in an offside position, on the side. For me, that's a penalty try and a yellow card." He also took umbrage with an interception by All Blacks winger Rieko Ioane which stopped a French attack on the try-line near the right corner. "When he intercepts the ball on Leo Barre's last pass ... he is off-side the whole time. There is a penalty try and a yellow card. "I'm happy for there to be that difference in the score, but that's two tries and two yellow cards." Reuters has contacted global governing body World Rugby, which appoints test referees, for comment. REUTERS
