The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Opinion

When will the John Madden of rugby finally emerge?

Roar Guru
26th April, 2022
Advertisement
Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Roar Guru
26th April, 2022
29

There’s a lot more commentary about rugby than ever before, and a lot of it is negative.

There are gripes about the maul. There are also complaints about the players, referees and laws. And there are comments about commentators. But the major grievance is that rugby is boring, especially the lack of time for ball in play (BIP).

I am here to debunk that. The problem is not BIP. The problem is confounded TV producers and their equally confounded business partners and technical advisors. I am sure they are doing their best. What we can do is try to help them do better.

Before talking about producers, let us consider the impact of BIP. The percent of ‘ball in play’ for rugby is certainly lower than other popular sports such as soccer, basketball and AFL. But it is significantly higher than the most popular sport in the largest economy in the world, American football, which is organised by the National Football League (NFL).

NFL is full of stoppages. It is notorious for them. An average professional NFL match goes for well over three hours, but the ball in play is only 11 minutes.

If you think rugby can be boring, try stripping out the supporting information and production values used during stoppages in the NFL – it would be a total snooze fest. This is where rugby fails to learn from the best. Instead of looking at NFL, rugby producers ostensibly take the easy way and look over the fence at rugby league and AFL. These are incorrect benchmarks.

Rugby deserves different treatment. Producers should embellish upon a game that is beautifully diverse, intelligent, and passionate. Each breakdown and its consequence is so darn smart that you have to replay, slow down, illustrate and articulate to appreciate it. It is also the same for mauls, scrums and just about everything that happens at the paddock. It is the very same thing in NFL.

Don’t complain about stoppages. Make the most of them.

Advertisement

Now, let’s talk about producers.

NFL producers are very industrious. They are also smart. They know the devil is in the great amount of accurate and timely detail that goes to the articulators – that is, the live commentators. They are relentless in obtaining the most appropriate analysis, articulation and appreciation of the game being played and the sport in general. NFL does not complain about stoppages, it uses stoppages.

It is a crying shame that rugby gets almost none of this type of treatment. Based on the latest Roar Rugby Podcast by Brett and Hazza with the effervescent Sean Maloney, the commentators get only basic data. Then they are left to fend for themselves. They are not provided any of the 21st-century statistics or the digital tools and big data – or the AI that can manifest it.

What kind of people do they use in NFL? One of the best commentators and analysts of the NFL was John Madden. This is because he was one of the most successful coaches in the history of their game and is loved by all. During his playing days he was loved by players, staff, colleagues and his bosses. As a commentator, his technical nous and his aura drew in over a 100 million fans.

How many of these types of guys are used for rugby? None so far. But these people exist.

Regarding technical nous, aside from folks such as Nick Bishop, one of the best analysts in the world is Nick’s compatriot, Squidge Rugby on YouTube. His insights, replays and depth of knowledge make you love the game even more. He is a funny guy, but I’m unsure he can do live broadcasts. It seems he talks too fast and lives too far from the Pacific. Also, he’s not a coach.

Advertisement

Nevertheless, many of the values he brings are those that producers need to deliver in rugby. Because of its unique sport market composition, Australia is the best place to deliver a 21st-century rugby production. Anything else will lead our game into its inevitable obscurity in Australia.

The solutions are staring right at us, waiting. Now is the time for Aussie administrators and producers to embrace rugby’s true nature, including and especially the stoppages.

close