Eddie Hearn poised to expand Premiership role after Monaco meeting

Eddie Hearn is expected to increase his influence in rugby union after meeting Premiership bosses in Monaco last week. He has signed British and Irish Lions Finn Russell and Henry Pollock to his Matchroom stable.

Hearn, who runs Matchroom Sport, has made a foray into rugby by recruiting high-profile players and has been supported by senior figures in the English game. Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor said: "[Matchroom] will be a force for good. [Hearn] sees that rugby is on a great trajectory and he's very pro the Prem." Massie-Taylor added that Hearn's ambition extends beyond athlete representation.

Massie-Taylor told reporters that Hearn did not aim to unsettle the competition, saying: "I think his ambition goes beyond just representing top athletes. He doesn't want to be a disruptor. He wants to work with the league, but he definitely wants to agitate for more growth and sees a lot of potential." The chief executive said he expected Matchroom to represent additional leading players in the Premiership.

Massie-Taylor outlined potential commercial and event opportunities tied to Hearn's involvement: "And so you start to move into other options, whether that's around events, big games, or something specifically commercial around the players across the league." He also said: "I don't think he's there to buy a rugby club, but he could definitely help introduce people to it and partner with that." Hearn has previously spoken of a desire to "turbo-charge" the profile of rugby union and described transforming the sport as a "stroll in the park."

Massie-Taylor's remarks accompanied the release of the Premiership's second annual financial monitoring report, which stated that all 10 clubs have passed the financial standards for the 2026/2027 season. The report noted tightened rules following the demise of London Irish, Wasps and Worcester, with clubs now required to be more transparent over the state of their finances.

The monitoring report said the financial picture across the league had improved, with revenues up and club losses forecast to reduce by £26.7m, and highlighted that Newcastle Red Bulls, Exeter Chiefs and Bath Rugby have secured major external investment over the past 12 months. It added that no club is yet in profit, with Saracens and Sale reporting the heaviest losses.

Massie-Taylor forecast a shift towards profitability: "In the next five years we would expect the vast majority of clubs to move into the black," he said. "And for those that don't the losses would be relatively marginal. But I think there will be a situation when clubs move into a more sustainable position, there will be a desire to re-invest. So as long as the asset is growing quicker than the aggregate losses, then you have value."

The report reiterated the plan for the Premiership to expand from 10 to 12 teams by the 2030/31 season, with expressions of interest to be completed in the coming months. Massie-Taylor confirmed future entrants must play at least one season in the second-tier Champ and would need a large cash advance to purchase a "P-Share", which is thought to be valued at around £20m.

Massie-Taylor said the Welsh Rugby Union had approached the Premiership about the possibility of Welsh sides joining to form an Anglo-Welsh league, but he emphasised the current focus: "The assumption when we were doing Project Forge [English rugby's strategic plan] was that we were looking to develop English clubs," he added. "That's where we see a lot of potential, whether that's clubs within the Champ, clubs that maybe are outside the Champ and in the English system elsewhere, and previous clubs [for example a reborn Wasps or London Irish]. So we're putting a lot of resource and attention in developing them. It wasn't a debate at the time around Welsh clubs."

Expressions of interest for Premiership expansion are due to be completed in the coming months, and any prospective entrant must meet the Champ participation and P-Share financial requirements set out by the league.