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They say rugby’s the game they play in heaven. But where do they watch it from?
Bring up this topic and your options are twofold: watch it from the comfort of your home in front of your TV, or treck out to the ground to soak up the live atmosphere.
But which is better? There are benefits to both, but to figure out the definitive answer, we’ve posed the question to our two Roar editors to see who can make the stronger argument.
On one side, we have Daniel Jeffrey, who’s arguing in favour of watching the game on TV, while BJ Conkey will be putting forward the case for fans of getting to the game.
Let’s get to it!
Daniel Jeffrey, Editor
There’s no such thing as too much sport. No such thing as too much rugby.
If you don’t subscribe to that train of thought, you’ve found your way into the wrong part of the internet.
If you do, then you’ll want to be able to watch every minute of every game, no matter where it’s being played. The only way to do that is by watching on TV.
Few things are better than sitting down to watch a smorgasbord of rugby on a Saturday afternoon, settling in for a sporting marathon that will keep you entertained all evening and beyond.
Take this weekend, for example. You’ve got the Wallabies’ final June Test against Italy, followed by the first Test between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions.
True rugby fans won’t want to miss a minute of either game, but if you get yourself tickets to either match, it’s going to come at the expense of the other. Good luck trying to get from Suncorp Stadium to Eden Park in half an hour.
Add in South Africa’s match against France later in the night and Argentina playing European up-and-comers Georgia, and there’s no doubt TV’s the way to go.
It’s not as if you’ll be missing out on an outstanding atmosphere if you switch on the telly. Unfortunately, the state of Australian rugby off the field has been mirrored in the attendances so far this year. There were just 13,000 fans in Melbourne to see the Wallabies play Fiji. That’s pretty much par for the course based on Super Rugby attendances this year.
There’s just no disadvantage to watching on TV.
(Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
BJ Conkey, Editor
One of the historic arguments about preferring to watch rugby at home was that you knew exactly what the referee was blowing a penalty for with a commentator or mic’d up referee telling you exactly what happened.
However, it’s no longer an issue with the referee’s decision coming up on the big screen at the ground. Now the minor gripe has been resolved it really is a much better experience at the game itself.
Rugby is a territory sport and you appreciate the tactics more when witnessing the game live.
You can identify just how good a kick is, especially when it’s outside the 22, by seeing exactly where the fullbacks and wingers are situated at any point in time.
You can tell when a player is likely to be isolated because you see the full ground and know when he has no support coming – rather than guessing from the limited view the side-on camera provides on television.
Unlike rugby league, the scrums are a physical battle and that’s worth witnessing live on its own. The sheer effort that goes into every scrum is felt from the stands.
You can also feel the pain of each player that gets in an awkward position in a ruck.
On those occasions when a team has a rolling maul working to perfection (see: England, 2003) there really is no better sight than being there to witness the sea of players working together to progress the ball up field.
The set plays in rugby make it a much better sport to be at the ground. TV can’t do a well-worked set play from a lineout justice because it’s impossible to focus on all 15 players at once to see how they choreographed the move.
I’ve often questioned why someone has kicked when watching rugby on TV, only to realise on replay that the player had no support or there was a guy chasing up the wing that the camera didn’t pick up.
The factors mentioned are applicable for any rugby game, but if you add in the atmosphere of an international fixture it’s a no-brainer to attend in person if you really want to experience rugby.
There’s watching sport and there’s EXPERIENCING sport. There’s no better TV for sports fans than the Samsung QLED TV which captures fast-moving scenes with ease. Every blade of grass is showcased in stunning colour and thanks to the Quantum Dot technology the game will come alive in your living room.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.