Teamwear manufacturer KooGa has signed a three year deal as Official Team Wear Sponsor of the QR Reds and Queensland Rugby Union.

KooGa has built an excellent reputation as the official apparel sponsor of the Junior Reds, Queensland Schoolboys and Queensland Women’s representative teams and is also heavily involved in club rugby in Brisbane.

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The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have cancelled a trial match to decide the squad for their end-of-season tour of Japan and Britain after players demanded they be paid.

The ARU had organised a match between the Wallabies and an Australian Barbarians team in Sydney next week to give fringe players the chance to push for selection.

However, the game was cancelled when the Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) argued the players should be paid.

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Argentina have been invited to join South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in an expanded southern hemisphere championship from 2012.

The Tri-Nations governing body SANZAR announced on Monday they had extended a conditional invitation to the Pumas to join them in an annual four-nations tournament after their breakthrough performance at the last World Cup.

“To have the Pumas, third at Rugby World Cup 2007 and currently ranked sixth in the world, join with the three top-ranked international teams in world rugby will be exciting for fans, players, sponsors and broadcasters across our four countries and beyond,” SANZAR chief executive Andy Marinos said in a statement.

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London Irish announced that it has secured a sponsorship agreement with CityJet under which the airline will become the club’s main sponsor for the new season.

The agreement is incorporates team travel and a progressive bonus structure based on the club’s performances in the Guinness Premiership and European Challenge Cup. The new agreement builds on the airline’s initial sponsorship of the Exiles’ successful run in the Heineken Cup last season.
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Bath Rugby received a boost ahead of the first game of the season with the announcement today of an extension to the Club’s partnership with leading sportslifestyle brand Puma.

The new three season deal starting from 2010/2011 season will continue to see PUMA supply playing and training kit to the team and replica products to the Bath Rugby shop and to PUMA customers in the sports trade.

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THE NRL play-offs and grand final will be beamed into almost 100 million American homes after a broadcast deal was signed with US TV network, Spike TV.

Spike will air three NRL finals each week beginning on September 11 and the October 4 grand final.

“Given the entire population of Australia is only 21 million people, having our play-offs aired in almost 100 million homes on Spike TV is a very exciting opportunity for our game,” NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said.
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Australia’s bid to form the 15th Super rugby team is being undermined by feuding between Australian Rugby Union (ARU) management and a disgruntled consortium that says it has been sidelined from the bidding process.

Melbourne has been chosen by the ARU to counter South Africa’s Southern Kings’ bid to field the 15th team when the Super rugby competition expands in 2011.

After three Australian groups lodged interest in forming the 15th team, the ARU said it would work with them to present a single, unified bid.

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The sponsor of the English Premiership, Guinness, is ready to extend its five-year backing of the championship despite admitting to being appalled by the two scandals that have rocked the club game this summer, the Bath drug-testing affair and the fake-blood saga involving Harlequins.

However Lee Bailey, the sponsorship manager of Diageo, which owns Guinness, said the company is impressed by the action taken by Premier Rugby and the Rugby Football Union to make it harder for clubs to cheat in the future.

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Former Harlequins physiotherapist Steph Brennan has resigned from his role with the Rugby Football Union.

Brennan, banned for two years by European Cup disciplinary chiefs following his role in the so-called ‘Bloodgate’ scandal, tendered his resignation with immediate effect.   Brennan only started work with the RFU earlier this summer.

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Australian city Melbourne will bid against South Africa’s Southern Kings franchise for the 15th Super rugby team when the competition expands in 2011, rugby authorities said Wednesday.

“Both applicants have been invited to provide more information to SANZAR (South Africa New Zealand and Australia Rugby) including a formal application for entry and business plan,” SANZAR said in a statement.

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