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This article is partly in response to yesterday’s piece by fellow Roarer Allanthus.
I agree that Super Rugby commentators add precious little to the game, and I fail to see what direction Fox Sports is heading in regarding the journalism side of the game.
I should state my position as a rugby tragic and sporting tragic in general. Yet I have never felt that a half-time interview of a player as they are leaving the field has ever been of any use in any sport.
The standard response from a player: “Yes, I agree with what you have stated (usually some inane comment about the interviewees team playing well or not so well), and we should improve it and keep it up in the second half.”
I think the commentators – as opposed to journalists, who I’ll get to later – do a pretty good job. Maybe I’m distracted by watching a game of rugby, but I think they do a decent enough job of explaining what is happening in the game, and why the referee has made this decision or not.
But while they are fine during the game, everything surrounding those 80 minutes of play edges me a little. I think it is because of a lack of leadership and direction from the top down at Fox Sports. The ‘journalist’ skills of the commentary team are not up to scratch.
Their coverage raises some questions across the board.
During the half-time break of the New Zealand game, why do we cut away to shots of players arriving at the stadium for the later game in Australia?
Surely it would only be notable if they hadn’t arrived in time for the game? I would prefer to hear some expert commentary on the first half of the game or see some highlights.
Who is the Rugby HQ target demographic?
It’s on a specific pay TV sport channel yet has segments like ‘Next Prop Model’. If you want it to be like The Footy Show that’s fine, but then it belongs on free-to-air.
I would prefer this time slot and channel to be reserved for sports stuff rather than variety hour. If anything, it would probably make more sense to just switch it with the free-to-air highlights package on One.
Or maybe they are trying to lure in new viewers on a specific sport channel, not part of the standard Foxtel package.
What is the point of having a team of experts who speculate?
Last Thursday on Rugby HQ we were treated to the saga of whether James O’Connor would sign with the Reds. The Fox sports team was in fine form debating whether he would fit into the culture or not.
While that can be newsworthy in slow weeks, the balance has definitely shifted from looking at what’s actually happening in rugby to what might happen. Why exactly?
Why can’t Fox let viewers know when games are going to be on a different channel?
Specifically the channel 512 debacle, and the general shifting of games from 1 to 2 to 3.
Some of my concerns are a little petty and the channel changes have never bothered me, but sport in Australia is a competitive market and my beloved rugby has enough challenges from the bloody All Blacks.
The Foxtel coverage of the game is hindering the development of the sport. Maybe the game should be on free-to-air, but the current broadcast of it could certainly be a more concerted effort.
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.