Friday night marks the start of Super XV, unquestionably the best domestic rugby competition in the world. But I, like many fans, won’t see a minute of it. And it’s not through a lack of interest or enthusiasm.
Join The Roar’s Super Rugby Tipping comp now and savour the banter on Mondays.
Rather, it’s because the viewers are now limited to two groups of fans: those with Pay TV, and those that go to the game. Neither of this applies to me.
I can sense the derision from rugby devotees. (*Snort*) “Some fan you are”.
Well, I read Greg Crowden every Monday morning and subscribe to Spiro, went to the Bledisloe last year in my Wallaby jersey and remember as a kid being woken up by my dad to watch Mark Ella score a try in every game as we won the Grand Slam.
I also live many hours from Sydney, with my new family, and have a big mortgage which makes heading to a game or the pub a lot harder than it used to be. I am sure that this season, there will be the chance to catch a live game or at least, sneak down to the pub a few times.
But when forced to choose, it will be to watch my favourite Rugby League team before the Waratahs take the stage.
I could, of course, get Pay TV, where the coverage of all four major codes is terrific, with almost every game live and uninterrupted. However, thanks to the Australian public’s love affair with sport, the Federal Government has stepped in to allow people like me to watch almost all the sport I want to see without forking out an extra dollar.
It is only the unfortunate rugby and football aficionados who have to get Pay TV in order to enjoy their games.
Fans of most other sports — like cricket, rugby league, AFL, basketball and motor-racing – are very nicely served by the free-to-air channels.
Unfortunately for rugby, and also the A-League, this leaves lots of fans like me, who enjoy the game, but have other sporting passions, left in the cold. We hear about the games, read about them in the paper and on the internet, but don’t get the chance to see any of them.
Worryingly, as time goes by, there are more and more people who will become accustomed to competitions such as the Super XV and A-League happening in the background, with the total interest level getting progressively smaller as the years go by.
This situation is made even worse when you sit down to watch the evening news where, to be blunt, if the sport isn’t on their channel, it didn’t happen.
Every day, millions of Australians are exposed to the news services, breakfast shows, and current affairs shows of the free-to-air networks. These are the same networks spending enormous amounts of money buying the rights to broadcast certain games and need to make an enormous amount of money selling adverts in the middle of them.
It is no surprise that they push their own products hard and pay lip service to sports making money for their competitors.
Pay TV has been hugely important to both rugby and football in Australia.
The dollars paid for the Super Rugby competition kept the players in the code when Super League was threatening to strip the ranks and it funded the football renaissance that was such a wonderful feature of the last decade.
But as long as both domestic competitions are kept from free-to-air television, and the mainstream media will continue to ignore them, fans like me will continue to miss them and popularity will decrease.
TommyM
Guest
Cheers mate. Disappointing about the Sunday games (I'm a Force fan so would have been super disappointed). Will keep an eye on it. At the moment I'm hoping a transplanted Austar box is going to work for me (no lock-in contract so can cancel it after the Super rugby :-)
Uncle Eric
Guest
Why not start an online petition, calling for FTA stations to cover rugby and by doing this give them an understanding of the numbers and the demographic they are missing out on.
Ironawe
Guest
Hey Tommy, just giving you an update. All games except sundays were broadcast live. Not sure if they are replaying the reds vs force on monday as the timeslot on the guide just says super rugby. Fingers crossed.
Crashy
Guest
further more.. Today’s announcement follows confirmation yesterday that the ARU had re-signed ABC Radio as an official Radio Broadcaster for Super Rugby and Qantas Wallabies Test matches for a further three years and news that Channel 9 will debut a one-hour Super Rugby highlights package on Tuesday night at Midnight. a lot more publicity this year than the last 3 put together!
Crashy
Guest
In other more positive news... The ARU today announced that Triple-M – part of Australia’s largest commercial radio network – will for the first time on FM Radio, provide Rugby fans with a new Sunday morning Rugby show. The one-hour dedicated Rugby show, aptly named ‘The Ruck’, will air every Sunday morning throughout the Super Rugby and Test Season delivering some of the best content in a Rugby fan’s week including high profile stars and the latest Rugby news and interviews. ‘The Ruck’, hosted by Tony Squires and former Wallaby legends Tim Horan and Matt Burke, will kick off this Sunday between 9am and 10am on Triple-M 104.9 Sydney, 104.5 Brisbane and MIX Canberra with podcasts of the show available on the Triple-M Melbourne and Mix 94.5 Perth websites www.triplem.com.au. ARU Managing Director and CEO, John O’Neill said the introduction of ‘The Ruck’ on Triple-M was exciting news for Rugby fans across Australia. This is a massive step which I am surprised about as triple m in NSW is largely a league station with the equivalent commentary....( if you get my drift)
soapit
Guest
has it ever occurred to you that some rugby fans might genuinely not be able to afford an additional $60 a month on extra tv? fairly poor comment.
Mark
Guest
Tim
Guest
Just watch the game on a stream on the computer or go to the pub, problem solved
Andrew
Guest
I took a look at the website (Someone posted a link earlier), and all the Rugby games are there. So I would suggest you get it. Don't know about recording the games, I doubt that would be possible. EDIT: Here's the link posted earlier. Just scroll to the weekends games. http://www.foxtel.com.au/xbox/epg/default.htm
Deez
Guest
Does anyone have Foxtel on Xbox 360? Are they definitely showing the Super 15 on "Fox Sports Play" channel? I can't find any program listings for the channel on their website. And does anyone know if you can record on the Xbox 360 version (ie like iQ)? Am actually contemplating getting one just for the rugby, but don't want to waste my money if they aren't going to allow you to watch (let alone record) the games.
Lorry
Guest
As we have said, basketball and netball are on FTA, so the fact that it is on Pay TV doesn't really represent popularity in terms of viewing numbers... But, Im over the code wars... Now, the culture wars on the other hand.... Go Fitzy and Mike Carlton! The only lefties representing us (few!) Union left-wingers haha
Katipo
Guest
Here in Singapore it looked like no Super Rugby or 3N TV coverage in 2011 for us. Sanzar, with their vision to 'grow the game in asia', sold the asian rights to setanta who only have one TV channel in Hong Kong. But a last minute agreement has been reached with Singapore's Starhub to broadcast all Super Rugby games (and 6N) live in Singapore this year. So I can stop surfing the net looking for dodgey P2P providers... Not sure what happens to tv broadcasts throughout the rest of asia though? Note: NRL and AFL are broadcast throughout asia and pacific on the australia network so i guess they can rightly claim potentially larger TV audience numbers in asia than sanzar - go sanzar!
Republican
Guest
The Bush. Spot on. As long as Union approaches growth from the top down, limiting itself to Murdochs commercial illusion in Oz at the same time compromising and neglecting it's domestic comps which are niche anyway, it has Buckleys and none of making ground on those codes that have a long established history in the domestic tribal sporting psyche of Australia.
NF
Guest
Well Lorry the one dimensional nature of the 'greatest game of all' happen to be on FTA and there fans ain't complaining about having to buy FOX. So how about union fans shell out the money and suck it up til union games go on ONE or any other digital channel.
Republican
Guest
George Once I would have agreed with you but not anymore. League can be an athletically dynamic game to watch despite its more one dimensional structure. Conversely, both Aust Footy and Union can be an absolute doggies breaky to watch, ironically because of their respective multi dimensional structures - in my opinion anyway. Soccer is also quite one dimensional for me but hey, it's the most embraced footy code on the planet! Cheers
Lorry
Guest
Naughty naughty, George! It's comments like those which give us Union fans the 'elitist' tag... A better way to put it would be: I thoroughly dislike the repetitiveness and one-dimensional nature of the 'Greatest Game of All'!
George
Guest
How can anyone with an IQ or has the ability to write prefer to watch League over Rugby. Pay TV is not that expensive - Rugby should be on one of the new digital free TV stations but it is not so if you truly enjoy Rugby then subscribe to a basic pay TV subscription. Fairly poor article.
Republican
Guest
jaredsbro I don't believe entrenched sporting preferences are unique to the Australian culture. I know similar traditional code allegiances exist all over the world. My questions are reality alluding to the possibility that the current status quo of footy codes in this country are pretty well set in concrete and have more to do with culture than exposure via any Murdoch media dynasty. So as such, those who support a minor code fervently in this case (UNION) are over complicating things, forever looking for excuses for their respective codes lack of support compared to League, Soccer and Australian Football. I mean I have heard this same stuff by the Union fraternity here for yonks. I actually grew up following Union by default really alongside my beloved Australian Footy, believe it or not, as I attended a Union nursery college in Canberra. I played it only as a PE discipline as I wasn't very good at it, however some of my mates that I played Australian Footy with and against, were recruited to the first XV as it was compulsory in those days to play Union above any other code if you showed any promise. A few of these Aust Footy types went onto to play School boys for their state. I was a member of the Brumbies from their inception until about three years ago. I certainly appreciate the codes skill set albeit a different one, but I much prefer the Australian game not only to play or watch but for it's culture, which I am sure you will appreciate varies from code to code. Cheers
soapit
Guest
i read somewhere WCR that all you have to do to sign up through xbox 360 if your in an area not serviced is just type in a postcode for an area that is serviced. apparantly as its thru the net theres no physical barrier to you getting it, just that your postcode is on the "can't get" list. worth a try
AndyS
Guest
Wouldn't have helped Super rugby visibility, and wouldn't have been until later in the year (when there is even less to watch), but what a pity then that there hadn't been a high standard domestic product available when One was setting up. Could have ticked all those scheduling boxes, and it would have cost a pittance relative to Super rugby. Could even have been kept completely outside the Foxtel umbrella...