Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of material
over the past few months. I would love to state that I have a pregnant wife of
that I have had a promotion although I would be lying. The lure of many weeks
away on holiday got the better of me. Teachers really don’t get enough
holidays, so when they do it is best to take full advantage.
Anyway.....back to the grind.
After moving in to a new house, the all important question
was who is going to provide my internet and TV
service. Cue BT’s £152 million rugby deal which firmly tied my hands behind my
back. A few phone calls later and the s
uccessful installation of my Home Hub
and You View box and I was ready to go.
The concern of many people was the coverage and the cost.
Sky and Virgin seemed to play a very childish game initially, refusing to
stream the channel on their platform. Luckily for their customers, Sky backed
down and were reluctantly followed by Virgin. BT can be added for £12 a month
and for many this addition came at the expense of ESPN which was being charged
at £10 a month. The big question: Would it be worth it?
The other big question on many people’s minds was who were
BT going to employ to present the rugby. Sky Sports had created a strong band
of ex professional pundits whose popularity had started to wane with the
emergence of ESPN’s coverage. The boisterous chemistry between, Mark Durden
Smith, Austin Healey and Ben Kay often had me in stitches and provided a
welcome relief from the often stagnant thoughts of Dewi Morris and Stuart
Barnes. The one shining light for Sky was Will Greenwood who really provided an
excellent insight into the game and offered a passion which could get the
mellowest of people really enthused.
BT were clever in their approach, gradually unveiling their new
look team. Jake Humphreys who had been
extremely popular on his F1 show was swiftly followed by every woman’s
favourite Irish presenter, Craig Doyle. He had been excellent on his ITV4 rugby
highlights show and even managed to drag his compatriot Martin Bayfield along
as well. Throw into the mix Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Dawson, Ben Kay and Austin
Healey, and you have yourself four men who were all part of a World Cup Winning
Team. Alongside this knowledgeable
group, BT have also managed to snare some very popular guests including Shaun
Edwards, who used their studio pitch to demonstrate blitz and drift defences.
It was a shame that Will Greenwood didn’t make the move, or
wasn’t offered to move but his work with Rugby Club and School of Hard Knocks
alongside Craig Quinnell was clearly a priority. ESPN’s dominance in viewing
figures clearly paved the way for contracts for Ben Kay and Austin Healey. I
will say it now! I like Austin Healey. I apologise if I have offended any
people reading this and would urge you to read to the end. I enjoy his
relationship with his co-presenters and the element of fun he provides on match
days. He is also very insightful when it comes to talking about backs
(something I really have no idea about). Having played nearly every position in
the back line, as well as representing his country and the British Lions, we
really cannot afford to ignore his insights. Alongisde the’ forward’ thinking Ben Kay (see
what I did there) they give the viewer a clear picture of how teams play, and
what they are hoping to achieve.
The promise of 69 live Aviva Premiership matches brought
mixed emotions in my house. On the one hand the thought of a Friday night,
Saturday and Sunday game brought tears of joy (to me) although the other half
seemed decidedly put out at the thought of spending weekends alone. If it
wasn’t for my generous donation of the TV on a Sunday night for Downton Abbey
then I may very well have been newly single.
Four weeks later, 12 games down and I can safely say that BT
Sport has been a very welcome addition in my household. It was a brave call to broadcast Newcastle vs
Bath first. In terrible conditions Bath claimed a 21-0 victory in a game which
never really took off and didn’t fully show the capabilities of the new TV service.
It was the double header the next day which offered more to the viewer. Pitch
side insight and on field interviews during the warm up gave you a feel of the
intensity within the squads and provided you with a feeling of being there even
though you were sat at home on your sofa with a beer!
The games which have been broadcast have also been
crackers. From a biased view as a
Saracens fan it has been excellent watching the first 4 games on TV, and I find
myself quite put out that they have been shunned this week. The game of the season so far for me was
Gloucester vs Northampton. It had everything. Excellent rugby from superstars
of the game. Tightly contested scrums,
contender for try of the season and some horrific refereeing decisions, this
game had it all. All this in only the third week of the season. It also saw
everyone’s comedy villain presenter Austin Healey losing the plot on the side
lines about the abysmal refereeing decisions of Martin Fox.
I’m looking forward to another three games this weekend,
although as Saracens aren’t playing I have promised the northern other half I
will sacrifice a game to head to the pub and watch her beloved Wigan in the
Grand Final in rugby league. It’s a
thumbs up from me for the new BT coverage and I would be intrigued to see what
others think about the coverage too. A
full season should serve the test of time, but it’s looking very promising so
far.
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