Rugby World Cup with ITV
ITV have the broadcasting rights for both 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups. Hands up who is happy with this decision?
Ok, now hands up who not from England is happy with the decision. I should imagine that’s a big zero. Because whilst England will get plenty of coverage we will be left, yet again, pondering how Wales vs South Africa will effect England’s chances of winning the World Cup.
ITV’s coverage has been traditionally awful, so I assume that the tendering process included no reference to quality and everything to do with price.
Think for a moment about the commentators. John Taylor may have been a class act in a Welsh shirt but his commentary has been some of the least exciting stuff I have ever been sent to sleep to – and I include my old Physics lessons in that.
Going by previous occasions we can assume that ITV will again borrow some ‘talent’ from Sky. Which means we again have to suffer through Will Greenwood trying to be poetic whilst he verbally ejaculates over anything in an England shirt. Stuart Barnes shall be hyping up anything and everything that England do (with brief moments of how England might counter something another country does).
We shall certainly have to sit through some 2003 montages, and a shed load of references in a game that has nothing to do with England. I may even sit down and make a World Cup drinking bingo (in fact I have done – see this great drinking game) – doing shots for each time certain phrases are mentioned in non-England related games. Although I will have to leave out the name ‘Wilkinson’ or we will all be in a drunken stupor before kick off.
Worse there is the possibility that the permanently smug Adrian Chiles will be asked to present some of it. I do hope this is not the case, he can barely manage football never mind rugby.
Those with memories of Formula 1 will remember how ITV can butcher a sport. Those with memories of any World Cup will know how we will have to sit through masses of adverts in between biased and incomprehensible analysis before, during and after the game.
I don’t know if you have noticed but I am really not a fan of ITV getting the World Cup.
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You could ask how many people *from* England are happy with the decision, and you’d probably get the same deafening silence…
Typical of ITV
I have sat in expectation of seeing the ITV coverage of the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony. But I am annoyed and disappointed as once again ITV have failed to deliver on what is considered a global sporting event. Instead of watching full coverage I am listening to Steve Ryder and 3 other studio guests prattle on over the ceremony and as usual with ITV adverts interupting the ceremony as well.
When will ITV learn their lesson and provide coverage the viewers want instead of what the advertisers dictate . Its no surprise that Sky TV have cornered the market on producing excellent coverage of sporting events.Poor show ITV Wake up and smell the roses.
the only downside to the starting welsh squad is paul james !!! cant wait to see shane wiliams runnin the wing and possibly the best scrum half in the world ! mike phillips !
ITV’s RWC coverage is, as always unashamedly and totally biased towards England’s progress, or otherwise. I don’t think they will ever realise that they broadcast to all the home nations. It’s good to get it off my chest but any complaint to ITV would be futile as they just don’t get it. I still remember Steve Ryder commenting after Llanelli beat the Australia during the early nineties, Llanelli, as always on their scoreboard, spelt Australia with a ‘W’ , prompting Ryder’s first comment to be ten out of ten for the result, nought out of ten for the spelling, just illustrating his ignorance, he hasn’t improved since. I still remember my heart sinking when Jim Rosenthal presented the ITV coverage in 1991. ITV don’t get Rugby, never have, never will and their total English parochialism has been par for the course for years.
ITV have little idea about rugby and are only interested in the entertainment value of what they see! Todays game between NZ and France was a travesty against the laws of the game with the winning side committing the most breaches but the ref had obviously been briefed to “entertain”. Did any of the “EXPERTS” point this out? I must be joking!!!!! Having begun my own playing days when thinking men not robots occupied the pack (1950′s) I am beginning to wonder where the future of this great game is going. Bill Maclaren is sadly missed as an unbiased commentator that everybody listened to and appreciated, I hope the sport is not going to the same rest that Bill now has.
The whole lot of them are as bad as itv in my opinion. It is clear that Wales have really come across as one of the in form sides o this world cup and while they are unlikely to go on a win the tournament they are at least as able as England are. Yet the genuine rugby fan has to sit and watch absolute coverage of England and hardly a mention let alone a fair amount of air time for the smaller nations. I listen to talk sport (which probably needs a change of name to talk football and anything England) and the second the Wales game ended they were straight on to England and how they are the best home nation and later in the day the fact that Wales had won a game featured as the last news item and didn’t even quote the score! It really does make me cringe when I see ex rugby players constantly being asked to massage the English ego when you van clearly see they really don’t rate them but have one eye on the pay cheque.
ITV – absolutely dire. trying hard to be classy in a bbc kinda way but failing miserably because of the sheer awfulness of the commentary. Nick Mullins is my particular bugbear; his ignorance about rugby is apparent for all to hear. Whereas his BBC contract demands some balance, at ITV his english chauvinism is given full reign; his commentary on the Fr vs Eng match was toe-curlingly stupid with talk of the “brilliance” of Nick Easter etc etc. Truly sick making as well as complete and utter drivel. Er yeah, Eng were really brilliant that day weren’t they Nick? We’ll just gloss over the fact they forgot how to play rugby and the french blew them off the park. And coupled with Phil “Oh my God!” Vickery, the whole thing is just insulting to say nothing of the relentless post mortem over the QF debacle that is still topping the headlines above the rest of the WC news. I remember Bill Maclaren too – there was a man who knew his rugby and was scrupulously impartial. A sorry day that Bill passed. I doubt anyone will lament the passing of Nick Mullins and the motley crew of amateurs. Only Sean Fitzp, Pineaar and Alfie Thomas have made it bearable for me.