English rugby's post-World Cup boom shows no sign of abating despite England losing five of their eight matches since lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy last November, with a number of Zurich Premiership clubs enjoying record season-ticket sales this summer.
Harlequins yesterday announced they had only 100 tickets left after raising their quota to 5,000 with a new stand currently being built at the Stoop Memorial Ground.
Similarly, Newcastle have sold nearly 2,300, eclipsing last season's record total, while Saracens passed 3,000 earlier this month and Gloucester, who are building a new stand at Kingsholm, are on course to break their record of 6,500.
Northampton have already sold nearly 7,000, more than ever before, with sales topping £1.5m, with only Leicester boasting a higher total.
Bath, whose season tickets are usually over-subscribed, may be without their England scrum-half Martyn Wood for the start of the season. He will appear before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee this week charged with verbally abusing a touch judge and refusing to stay in the technical area during last month's Churchill Cup loss to New Zealand Maori in Canada.
The England kit technician John Pennycuick is accused of verbally abusing the fifth official and refusing to stay in the technical area, while the squad's coach Steve Diamond, who moved to Saracens from Sale earlier this year, has been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game for not remaining in the technical area.
The trio will face a three-man panel at Twickenham this Thursday, chaired by the RFU's chief disciplinary officer Jeff Blackett, after the Churchill Cup's tournament director Terry Burwell decided that they had cases to answer.
Wales yesterday announced they will not release any of the national coaching staff to join Sir Clive Woodward's Lions in New Zealand next year.
Woodward said he wanted to take coaches from all four home unions, but David Pickering, chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union, said the management team would all be going on the tour to North America next summer, leaving the way open for the Llanelli Scarlets' coach Gareth Jenkins to go with the Lions.
The Scottish Rugby Union is reorganising its elite provincial arm by creating a new post of director of professional rugby with responsibility for Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Borders - all of whom have until now had their own chief executives, whose positions will be made redundant.
