What a fantastic win for world rugby it was! The Samoan victory is more evidence of the fact that, contrary to what some claim, professionalism has actually benefited the so-called minnow nations, with talented players now able to ply their trade in tough competitions elsewhere in the world.
Incessant claims by rugby league commentators that playing in the European rugby competitions is akin to having a holiday have been shown to be nonsense through recent solid performances by lower-ranked rugby sides, made up of significant numbers of European based players.
So, well done Manu Samoa!
The same cannot be said for Channel 9’s first rugby broadcast of 2011, however.
Although it is early days, the standard of the coverage was not promising. My concerns will be outlined below.
Firstly, it seems apparent that the host of the broadcast, Ken Sutcliffe knows little about the game of rugby, despite his years as Channel 9s sports newsreader.
On about five occasions during the broadcast he infuriatingly referred to the Manu Samoa v. Wallabies Test match as an ‘international friendly’. This is hopelessly wrong and a bad advertisement for the game.
It was a ‘family fun day’ prior to the Test, but as soon as the whistle blew it was game on for the Test match, as ever.
As far as I can see, rugby union does not have international friendlies, except for games featuring Barbarian sides or invitational XVs.
Perhaps Ken was confusing the international game of rugby union with that of his first love, rugby league. Either way, I hope the ARU will ensure that that does not happen again.
Secondly, and this is a problem also at Fox Sports, there was no historical footage shown before or after the game. Channel 7 in the 1990s used to be quite good at showing old rugby footage.
It is great for fans young and old for things to be put into historical perspective, especially in an international game as old as rugby, and it is something which is done quite well still, I think, in rugby league, soccer, Australian Rules and cricket coverage in Australia.
Thirdly, Channel 9 had no commentators, instead switching without a word to the Foxtel commentary team. If this is the way the channel will be treating international rugby throughout the season, it is a real concern.
It is miserly in the extreme to not have an in-house commentary team. Where is ‘the voice of rugby’ Gordon Bray, I wonder?
Now that Tim Horan has gone to Foxsports, you would hope Channel 9 would form a competent new commentary team built around Gordon Bray and some former players who are either good speakers like Nick Farr-Jones, or who have interesting and controversial opinions such as David Campese. No need to bring back Dan Crowley!
Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, there was only 15 minutes of pre-match analysis, and only five minutes post-match analysis, before coverage switched to suburban rugby league.
This does not bode well for the upcoming Tests, as it seems that the “Wide World of Sports” may be in fact too wide to accommodate rugby properly.
Will we see clashes later on this season between rugby union and the other sports Channel 9 covers? Unfortunately, I think so.
One redeeming feature was the choice of expert analysts in George Gregan and Andrew Slack. It is nice to get the perspectives of former Wallaby captains of different eras, and both are measured and calm speakers (a la the much-missed Simon Poidevin, formerly with Channel 7), without any hint of the ‘yobbishness’ that had started creeping into rugby broadcasts over the last decade or so.
So, in conclusion, Channel 9 gets a C – a pass without distinction – in their inaugural broadcast of rugby in 2011. Things must improve, particularly as this is a World Cup year.
jon
Guest
First time I've watched the 9 rugby coverage (now live). Worst commentary team I've heard for any sport. Dull
hutch
Guest
Yep I'm quite sure about it, thanks for asking though. As for your png comment, you have just proven how clueless you are.
Ted Skinner
Guest
He meant Nauru.
allblackfan
Guest
last time I was in NZ, I ended up watching the 1973 Barbarians-All Blacks game on the Rugby Channel. The network shows past games as well (missed out on the 85 Auck-Canter classic, dammit!!)
db swannie
Guest
GR Any credibility you had went out the door with that post. Where did you get the People on PNG prefer to play AFL.? RL is a religion up there.It is the national sport .
GrecoRoman
Roar Guru
Are you sure about that hutch? I mean, where is your list of TV ratings relative to broadcast times and dates to back that assertion up? Until I see factual evidence of a list with numbers, your FACT is mere assertion. I want to see a ratings list broken down on an annual/monthly/weekly/daily basis and backed up by point-by-point analysis explaining how RL is the most watched TV sport as most people don't believe it - especially the people of Papua New Guinea that really prefer to play AFL.
hutch
Guest
They dont have pub crowds? Haha, what an absolute load of rubbish! The FACT is, rugby league is the most watched sport on tv in australia, and by quite a fair bit as well!
The Phantom
Guest
I think I saw on the Rugby Club that for the World Cup there will be a dedicated channel set up - hopefully it rates well & will stay on.
kovana
Guest
@ Adrian.. I wouldnt be surprised that those who wrote it werent actually Rugby fans.. but fans of another code. Honestly, the 2007 was the biggest and best RWC to date. Rugby is growing as reports show, however there will be bumps, but overall rugby continues to grow.
Horatio
Guest
TommyM They dont have pub crowds in the mix hence why SOO rates so highly because most folks are home on mid winter Wednesday night and Saturday nights are low FTA numbers... Bakkies Sheridan used to play club rugby so he should know better.... ted Skinner I remember the article well - masters said the TYO outrates the super 15 games - he was being disingenuous and stretching the truth of course. Your choice of Round 1 of the NRL is interesting as enthusiasm is high in first week...
Horatio
Guest
Packer sold to CVC who owns the Nine stations in Syd, Mel, bris and darwin and p@@@es off the AFL majority locals by showing the NRL Footy show at 9.30 intead of the AFL Footy show..So a rugby push of sorts..
ziggyniscot
Guest
Since no one else has said it SNAP
TommyM
Guest
Does anyone know how they work out ratings for Fox? I mean, if the game is being shown at the pub, there might be (like where I was) 70-80 people watching one screen. How do they factor those numbers in?
methysticum
Guest
So why can't the rugby league semi-final kick-off at 8.15 pm on Saturday night 17 September? That's the time the SOO starts. The Australia-Ireland game kicks off at 8.30 pm (NZ time), ie. 6.30 pm Australian time so it would be finished by 8.15 pm. Channel 9 could show them live back-to-back on their main channel. However, I'm sure David Gallop has heavied Channel 9 not to give the RWC an even break. This proves that Channel 9 will not show any of the 40 pool matches (apart from the 2 early afternoon Wallaby matches against Italy and Russia). The match against USA will also clash (?) with the NRL preliminary final. This means that no All Blacks games will be shown even the opening game of the Worl d Cup between NZ and Tonga as this will also clash (?) with the start of the NRL final eight (maybe the Raiders and the Roosters will be playing). I suppose Channel 9 will be trumpeting the fact that they have secured the rights to the 2013 RLWC in England because it will be a ratings bonanza. It will be pity that the total crowd at the Lebanon-Ireland game will be equalled by the numbers in the 9 commentary box - Rabs, Gus, Sterlo, Vossy, Johnsy, Fatty and Freddy.
Bakkies
Guest
Saw Channel 9's early evening news sports report which was done by Tim Sheridan they put the Wallaby lineup on the screen but the players names weren't in position. It was all random. Pretty sloppy.
Adrian
Guest
This report caused quite a stir when it first came out. I was working in the UK at the time and it was discussed quite heavily even at local club level. It was produced in 2008 and if I remember correctly three of its most damning criticisms of the IRB was that it had squandered to opportunity for growth in non traditional markets by not getting the 7's into the upcoming Olympics in 2012, not supported Argentina following their success in the RWC and not awarding the 2012 RWC to a developing nation. All three of these have been rectified, albeit later than the report had hoped. :- The 7’s are in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. :- Argentina joins SA/Aus/NZ in next year’s Tri Nations, following a pretty significant grant from the IRB. :- Japan will host the 2019 RWC I am not blind to several of the points made in the report, many were valid, nor am I always in favour of the IRB, but I would prefer them at the moment than anybody from FIFA for example. You have mentioned that Rugby is not in the developing and most heavily populated countries. If you use as a barometer the BRIC economies, with the exception of India, the sport is growing steadily in the remaining three. Russia has qualified for this year’s RWC and they are targeting being a top twelve rugby playing nation by 2015. The Chinese Rugby Association, who regularly play 7's are seeking success at the 2016 Olympic Games to springboard rugby's growth domestically and targeting to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. They anticipate bidding for the RWC to be held in China within the next 20 years. Hopefully with Argentina being in next year’s Tri (Quad?) Nations this will increase interest in both Brazil and Uruguay. With the Olympics being held in Rio de Janerio again this should help promote the game through the Rugby 7's. Many of the counties you refer to only played their first games in the 80's and the 90's so it will take time for the sport to grow and for international success, but the fact is that they are playing the game and the sport is growing, in some cases slowly in others more rapidly I guess we will just have to disagree, having lived for many years in Australia and the UK and Asia, in all three countries Rugby has been a popular and well recognised game. As you have felt comfortable supporting your view by directly quoting large chunks from the 2008 PRF Report I shall finish with a quote from the same report “ Rugby is a special sport with qualities that make it widely attractive. These include some virtues that are rare in modern society and sport, such as Teamship, Respect, Camaraderie and Fair Play." ....sometimes its not just about the viewing numbers in Australia.
Ted Skinner
Guest
I don't think Masters said the whole TYO competition outrated the Super 14/15 as the TYO only has two games per week (I think). Anyway here are the Top 10 Pay TV Ratings for Round 4 of the Super 15 & round I of the NRL: Week 4 Super15, Round1 NRL http://assets.astra.org.au.s3.amazonaws.com/6710836f9e60ba2f218ead519ec55559/ASTRAWeek11.pdf Top 10 Sport Broadcasts 1 LIVE: NRL TITANS V DRAGONS FOX SPORTS 2 Sat 19:30 329 - 1419 710 2 LIVE: NRL WARRIORS V EELS FOX SPORTS 2 Sat 17:30 262 - 1241 634 3 NRL STORM V SEA EAGLES FOX SPORTS 2 Sat 21:20 165 - 1281 523 4 LIVE: CRICKET: ICC WORLD CUP: ENG V RSA FOX SPORTS 1 Sun 19:05 134 - 1087 950 5 LIVE: CRICKET: ICC WORLD CUP: IND V RSA FOX SPORTS 3 Sat 19:40 121 - 1241 680 6 LIVE: NRL SATURDAY PRE GAME SHOW FOX SPORTS 2 Sat 16:55 109 - 1170 230 7 LIVE: RUGBY LEAGUE: TOYOTA CUP FOX SPORTS 2 Sat 15:15 88 - 1177 275 8 CRICKET: WORLD SERIES CLASSICS FOX SPORTS 1 Sun 18:33 84 - 1069 199 9 LIVE: CRICKET: ICC WORLD CUP: NZ V PAK FOX SPORTS 3 Tue 19:40 81 - 856 599 10 LIVE: SUPER RUGBY: REBELS V SHARKS FOX SPORTS 1 Fri 19:30 75 - 1070 307 The Waratahs & Reds games rated fairly well on Pay TV. Games not involving those teams (namely Rebels, Force & Brumbies) the ratings were abysmal.
Horatio
Guest
Nine bought the Five nations Rugby games in the late 90s for a season to see if there was an audience so it could use it as a hook to get people to move over to Fox (joint ownership Packer) if Fox bought the rights the next year. The numbers were poor (Sunday morning games at 1am etc) so they dropped it and Fox never picked it up - too expensive. My favourite Ken moment on Sunday - Ken asks Slacky (?) - "are the boys huddling up here before the game" Slack was polite but he should have said - " No Ken they are practising scrummaging which as an NRL commentator you may be unaware of" Perhaps their hopeless coverage is designed to force people to get Fox. This has happened before where they butchered the Emmy winning (admittedly niche audience) "West Wing" forcing people to buy the videos of the series which would have pleased Warner Bros the producers ... If the presentation of this weeks game isnt better, then my guess is they are deliberately trying to butcher it...This may be the way of the future with the FTA version of simulcast NRL, AFL and RU being a poor cousin of the Pay version forcing people to switch.to Fox...(especiazlly games that are outside peak viewing times so the ratings dont matter to the FTA).. BTW the continuous discussion of ratings reminds me of Roy Masters greatest howler/mistruth - he claimed the U20 NRL competition outrtaed the Super 15. Well yes a saturday 3pm U20 game did outrate a 2am Sunday game between 2 SA teams in Durban but overall the Super 15 Rugby is a vital part of Fox's programming (as someone said earlier judging by the advertisers they get). But even NRL people know that masters is full of hot air...
Damo
Guest
No need to take offense Junior. No 'offense' taken. We can start calling for soccer rucks now? We can have soccer lineouts too. Some rugby folk are a bit touchy about soccer language. But if we are touchy - don't take offense.
Damo
Guest
Joseph and Battered Slav, 'just get Fox' is not the point. It's a catch 22. Rugby is not an elite sport in NZ or SA. It's the people's game in those places. By confining rugby to pay Tv, the fan market is also confined to those who can buy or access(usually by club or pub spending) a fox channel. This is not in the interest of promoting the game. For the game to widen it's audience it needs to have simple access to a wide market. As Gavin said, it's not family friendly to not have free to air rugby. I can see KPM's point regarding 9 being good for rugby because there are many NRL fans who enjoy quality rugby and they will have simple crossover access through this deal with 9. The 9 coverage may improve. Their programming in the AFL-mafia run states? Did the re-run of The Block out rate the rugby at midnight? If not what is the 'commercial reality' of their choice? Would it be the commercial reality of denying oxygen to any sport other than Eddie McGuire's?