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How to make a rugby TV show interesting

Roar Guru
22nd May, 2014
64

There have been some great articles written recently about how average the coverage of rugby on TV in Australia really is.

So I thought, as I have often see articles written in The Roar appear in the general press up to a week later, that if I put down my thoughts on what a rugby show should look like it may get read by someone who has influence.

Perhaps we can discuss and form a consensus of what a 3-minute weekly rugby show should look like.

Five-minute weekly wrap
This should include scores, using last week’s predictions. Make each panellist accountable for their picks and discuss what were the surprise results. They should explain why some games didn’t pan out in the predicted pattern, who’s on the move, who’s struggling, the stand out players, table analysis and what the results mean for the season.

Game of the Round
The second five minutes should focus on one match. This should be an advertisement to the casual viewer, highlighting the tries, dominant tackles, crucial scrums and turn overs and key players.

Finally, there should be a bit of stats analysis, but nothing too deep as this may send some viewers to sleep. They should break down some of the preconceptions such as, do South African teams kick more. Did Richie McCaw make 100 tackles and how many had a major influence on the game. Were Israel Folau’s three tries from individual brilliance of did his team mates put him in the position to score.

Player of the Week
This could take two to three minutes and focus on three nominations and a winner. Don’t pick the back that scored five tries, look at who hit the most tackles without missing any. Who hit the most rucks, made a crucial turnover or forced a scrum win. The key point is take some time to look at why each player was nominated before picking a winner.

Moment of the Round
What was the most important moment of the round? It could have been a Quade Cooper cut out to Folau to score in the final minute, or it could have been the moment the Bulls scrum got the ascendancy and turned the tide of a match. Discuss what does it means for the season and why.

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Where they are now
Catch up with an all-time great and check what they are doing now. I love these segments but perhaps they could be broadened to include foreign players. I would love to hear what Naas Botha or Hugo Porta are doing. Also, include an intro describing their career so casual viewers aren’t left behind.

Issue of the Week
This should not include analysing referee performance. They add little other than confuse the casual viewers and reinforce myths that rugby is too complicated. Instead, look at concussion, culture, life of a sportsperson, latest developments in training, scrums, tackling technique or tactics.

The real key to making a segment like this successful is getting in experts, and ask them direct or even tough questions, prompting intelligent and thought-out answers, not merely off-the-cuff opinions from an ex-player.

Feature of the Week
This could be about women’s rugby, local club competitions and any part of our game that is under represented in our media.

Position of the Week
Spend some time looking at each position and the finer details that separate the great players in each spot. Examine the contrasting styles of each position and the approach taken in training, and the mental application it takes to succeed.

Predictions
Have a look at the future two or three weeks and highlights who has road trips coming up and who plays against who.

Plays of the Week
Finish with this segment. It’s a secret indulgence of mine – falcons, great tries, funny plays etc. Something light hearted to finish up on.

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A lot of this stuff is already done to some extent or another, and judging from comments on The Roar the main gripe is the lack of depth and assumed intelligence level of the viewer.

Rugby union viewers are generally more engaged and discerning than most other sports, it can be complicated and most fans spend more time analysing and discussing the rules. Tailoring a show to that audience means doing something different to the free-to-air footy shows.

This is my starting point, please dissect, discuss and add ideas. Who knows, someone might even take notice.

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