‘ITV offering at Rugby World Cup isn’t good enough. They must do better’
A lot has been made of this Rugby World Cup potentially being the reset point for a sport that’s in dire need of reinvigoration. So, then, why are we standing by while its broadcast offering in the United Kingdom looks lethargic, dated and lazy?
On the opening night ITV broadcast the wrong scoreline at the end of the match. On day two, George Gregan was branded Sean and much of the Italy versus Namibia build-up was spent talking about Ireland despite Azzurri legend Sergio Parisse being on the panel.
And on day three Sir Clive Woodward laboured through his Chile analysis not being able to name players, before the ITV studio pundits – consisting of three Welshmen – only briefly touched on a refereeing performance for a match involving Wales many described as lenient at best.
ITV must help rugby
This is the pinnacle of rugby union and an opportunity to grip thousands of fans to a game which is desperate to fill its stands – and coffers.
Yet there’s no real debate surrounding the inconsistencies in the game, no discussion around the major issues taking away from the quality of rugby and little chatter about the minor nations at the tournament.
ITV has long been a brilliant home for sport; horse racing, the Fifa World Cup and others have been blessed with superb coverage. But this feels dated.
And that’s before you get to the general election-style lecterns for pre-match and post-match analysis – which would be perfect for debate if there was any.
But to top it all off ITV aren’t on a Parisian rooftop indulging in the culture of a host country, they’re hundreds of miles away in a greenscreen studio that – while sleek – offers little warmth.
And the point is this: ITV have won the rights to host the biggest tournament in a sport, and they’re under-achieving.
We deserve more
We deserve the very best quality of production for a tournament that’s hoped to give rugby the foundations to build upon.
David Flatman, former England prop, is a good host but he’s wasted as one when his punditry is some of the best in the game.
Bryan Habana is one of the greatest wingers of all time, but he’s stranded in the ITV studio when he could be on co-comms for Springbok matches.
And beyond this, there are very few, if any, current players and coaches offering viewpoints.
There’s just a sense of shortsightedness here that’s disappointing.
Insight
When the same broadcaster televised some of the football matches in this year’s Women’s World Cup, they were graced with the likes of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, while the BBC adopted Jonas Eidevall, Arsenal’s boss.
They provided an insight former players couldn’t and an in-depth tactical masterclass with an often personal knowledge of players.
Sure, the likes of Warren Gatland and Eddie Jones may have been snapped up if they weren’t coaching but instead we’re left with the likes of Woodward who has been out of the coaching game for nearly 20 years.
That’s not to say he doesn’t offer anything, and the same argument applies with every other pundit, but they offer a lot less than people who operate in today’s game. Just ask the panel of players from 20 years ago on the disciplinary panel which took a completely different view on Owen Farrell’s recent red card to current referees.
This is the biggest event in rugby, possibly in the history of the game given its financial woes, and ITV are letting the side down here. They must do better.