What Could Rugby Take from Other Sports?

Other sports do some things better than rugby - here are five examples of where other sports excel and rugby could look to learn from
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[@alexnaismith351]

The sport needs to take a lead out of the NBAs book and be so much better at marketing the star players. No sport does player marketing worse than Rugby Union.

[@ghostcrabman]

Not sure if players want that. I guess I can only speak for South Africans, and our players are often humble family men who don’t seek the limelight. They just want to go home to their kids and their farms. They often seem uncomfortable under the spotlight. There’s a lot of appeal for the fans in that. The guys are actual role models and not arrogant celebrity types with bleached teeth and chunky jewellery.

[@itistrue101]

@@ghostcrabman fair point

[@adamdwyer776]

NBA is making good money from social media huge views on clips

[@chesterdonnelly1212]

The NBA isn't getting any better. It's got worse and I'm a basketball fan. The NBA has too much focus on individual players to the detriment of the league.

[@olglez9230]

I guess it's easier for only 5 players in an NBA team to be in the spotlight and to have time to shine , as opposed to rugby union where there's 15 players on the pitches per team and each player sadly gets lost in the shuffle comparatively speaking. You make a good point though

[@Blackbeard0456]

More Xhosa commentators commentating in English! Watching Xhosa commentators are so enthusiastic and absolutely entertaining. 🎉

[@christopherdewet2836]

True. But don't forget Hugh Bladen. Maybe in SA we are lucky to have some real passionate commentators. Just no Naas Botha, Darren Scott or Nick Mallet.

[@mikescudder4621]

I'm sure the players workout sessions would also benefit from Amapiano! I don't understand a word but it gets me buzzing at work every day!

[@michaelodonnell824]

More Xhosa commentators commentating in Xhosa! If International players are expected to understand English, it's not unreasonable for viewers to learn Xhosa...

[@wilhelm7222]

was watching Bath vs Saracens the other night and it was a kick heavy but very tactical game, the commentators spent 10 minutes moaning about how boring it would be for a newcomer to the sport to be watching that... ffs imagine being a newcomer to that game and the commentators are telling you how boring and shit what youre watching is... the game was fucking good as well

[@chesterdonnelly1212]

These commentators lack self awareness and common sense. If fans hate watching kicking so much AFL wouldn't be so popular. If people want to watch rugby without kick tennis they could watch Super League. The only thing that would put viewers off is the moaning commentators.

[@charlottescott7150]

Well said. Squidge rugby did a great video on the kicking battle in a game. It is very tactical. The commentators need to stop being so ignorant and learn about it

[@jakeclough8090]

It was true though. I was at the game and it was the most kicking I’ve probably ever seen in a game. But bath and Saracens are both kick heavy teams and no Finn Russel made bath worse

[@jukeseyable]

personally i thought it was a fantastic game from a strategy point of view, but im an ex player, and could be labeled a purist

[@installtechireland]

Well preferably not Conor McGregor 🤮

[@creekyknee]

My thoughts exactly.

[@Ho3n3r]

From F1: Teams use their social media accounts very effectively these days, and it creates a lot of engagement between the teams themselves, as well as between teams and fans.

[@adamdwyer776]

Yeah big worry is kids and young’s aren’t watching rugby and that’s entirely down to stuck in the past traditional broadcasts sure that’s how everyone used to watch but definitely need to start getting younger eyes on the product with new media

[@freetimefoster]

100% right on the commentary

[@silversolver7809]

1. Commentary doesn't bug me much, I mostly tune it out since it's 90% poor. But the camera work has deteriorated hugely in recent times, compared to amateur days or early days of pro. Rugby is probably the most strategic field game, so I want to see how the sides are lining up for each play, not how many hairs in some guy's left nostril. 2. Embellishment-it's not a big problem …yet… but I agree, that's a good law. 3. Live stats, all for it. The time to show them is during the prep for the set pieces. 4. Aggressive marketing-I don't agree with this, but celeb mania is probably inevitable for rugby too if it's necessary to attract the younger audience. 5. Ads… yeah. They're already all over the kit, painted on the pitches, and scrolling on the pitch-side billboards-we're being short-changed for 'em, right? :D If it made games free to view, then there's a case for it. Show 'em during pre-game build-up, half-time, and after the game-those are the times the more captive audience …ie more susceptible to ads… will be watching. I'm not aware of any sport which controls its own product's TV coverage, perhaps rugby could try it out. I would need 3 different otherwise-useless subscriptions at least to watch the rugby I have time to follow-URC, Champions Cup, 6N, Summer & Autumn internationals. Can World Rugby organise worldwide coverage of its sport-I'd pay $100/year for that.

[@jakeclough8090]

Defo a fan over 60 you 😂

[@jukeseyable]

100% agree with you and i love it, that ist not just ablut the play on the field but the strategy that structures the onfield play. its closer to gladatorial chess in that respect, and i love it for it

[@silversolver7809]

@@jakeclough8090 You're right there, kid :)

[@Stephno86]

Nobody wants to see adds during a game. :) ...zero adds.

[@lukeytron]

Just fyi: it's spelled "ads" short for advertisements.

[@denok411]

todays, no ads to no media to no stream to no fan to no sports and even aging fans, being demolished. media mafias makes us watch ads...

[@jakeclough8090]

But what about during breaks for scrums/lineouts. Extra money potentially

[@ragnarlodbrok9186]

You're absolutely right about cricket and the stats. The stats add so much to cricket. An otherwise uninteresting game can really be elevated by a notable statistic, even if it's something like a couple of batsmen at the crease are approaching the top five sixth wicket partnership in a domestic innings. You want to keep watching to see if they can make it. The stats make the game have things at stake other than the final outcome and improve the spectator's experience tenfold.

[@joshmackenzie3301]

100% agree, think the way the games marketed is the big one or more so the lack of marketing. The NRL comparisons all the time can get frustrating but I think it’s because it’s such a similar game and competition and their marketing is frankly better. Need to market our games star players better. One thing that was awesome during RWC was the fantasy rugby, super rugby have dropped the ball by never running an offical fantasy super rugby like the NRL does. Just another tool to get more people engaged in the game

[@deathisaprimitiveconcept]

For the UFC one you almost could have used the NRL. Obviously the NRL is not as extreme as UFC but there’s no doubt that the NRL is a fun comp to follow with all the big characters… the coaches, the Aussie pundits, the big name players… there’s always a lot of ‘drama’ which like it or not makes it a fun comp to follow. As a kiwi, SA leaving our comp was catastrophic, not just for the loss of everything that they brought but also for the loss of continuity, the loss of history. Current comp feels like a weird ad hoc thing that’s open to change at any time. People don’t like that, they want something they can rely on that has a legacy and weight to it (see NRL).

[@charlottescott7150]

You are so right about the commentators. Particularly about scrums. We need more forwards in the commentary box like Flatman!

[@Samizouza]

If there's one sport rugby can learn from is football/soccer, especially the Champions League model for financial reasons which could work for Super Rugby and League One since Europe has the Champions Cup already. Just my opinion.

[@casperkruger348]

One from the NFL - referees anouncing the calls on the loud speakers in the stadium, especially TMO review decisions and penalties. If you look at crowd attendance in NFL vs. rugby... you just miss so much in the stadium vs the TV

[@jeff123088]

As a Canadian who is both a massive rugby/hockey fan im very curious how you became a NY islanders fan😬😂

[@owaldock]

More stats for sure. You see them all running about with gps trackers on their backs? Why can the people that pay for the game see that as part of the broadcast. Run meters, top speeds, meters covered etc.

[@Zomo1553]

because rugby are so behind the norm in stats, its hard to even get accurate player stats post match (meters run, defenders beated, tackles etc). every website will have slightly different numbers

[@hankgoldenshaft]

I love the NFLs production value, and when they talk about a player, generally they’ll bring up height and weight and sometimes 40 yd dash time. I want to know how big and fast rugby players are

[@WEBBERSPADE]

Do you know what...that ad idea of sponsoring the scrums, is very clever.

[@buildingstufflike]

Connor mcgregor ain’t the best to compare to regarding theatrics, considering his “theatrics” they consist of sexual assault charges among others… it’s amazing that just because he’s a ufc fighter he somehow gets a pass on being a horrific human being.

[@barryduff7533]

You're obviously not a fan then if you think Conor is the worst example. He's no angle and more than likely a rotten human being but looking to MMA fighters as your moral role models rather than just enjoying the in cage entertainment won't bring you any joy. From the entry level racists and homophobs right down to war criminals associates the UFC roster is filled with unsavoury characters but it's definitely entertaining and the sport is growing while rugby is fading away in many regions.

[@clementbatut4053]

In France we the talking points are no way to blend, just last week-end the camera got the ubb players talking about how much they hate and despise their former coaches who were coming back with the Clermont Ferrand team.

[@MCChops]

Great videos. Found you about a month ago. now I don’t miss a video

[@buildingstufflike]

I wouldn’t mind stats coming up in replays, but I’d hate the live overlays they do in American football.

[@ElectroMagneticJosh]

The NRL one is spot on. I have watched turgid NRL games where the commentators did everything they could to tell the viewers how great the game they were watching was. Guess what? That truth became reality for a lot of viewers. The next Monday at work colleagues were talking about how exciting the game was.

[@vuyaniman9440]

We need less JK definitely.💯 Nic white’s acting was outrageous.

[@arkdeniz]

Both points spot on.

[@craigwithey]

I agree with the commentators need to be more upbeat sometimes I would like to see stats and 1v1 highlights or speed trackers but only during downtimes it could distract if scrolling near the score as for advertising well the jerseys are getting more and more covered some of the northern hemisphere teams especially in France have so many that it getting difficult to see what their colours are I know more money is needed but we need more eyes on I think what could help is if world rugby would leave the laws alone for a season or two instead of the constant changes and amendments

[@mirkus21]

In Arg.... really is very amateur and friendly between players...

[@mirkus21]

Football is a never ending fight and rivalry

[@gavinrawiri4760]

Good information mate. What is the web site you get your jerseys from please

[@rahimoneill7294]

Rugby 7s does that speed tracking thing...they used to do it all the time with carlin isles and Jordan Conroy. It was a pretty cool feature.

[@BraziwiSteve]

Nailed it. Great video. I agree with every point. World rugby or at least NZR need to see vids like this.

[@chesterdonnelly1212]

These are all really good points. There's another one i have thought of. I live in England and i am exposed to the Premier League mostly through the radio. It seems to me the real stars of the Premier League, especially on the radio, are the managers (head coaches). In football they are far more interesting and articulate than the players. Rugby needs to make the head coaches or directors of rugby the personalities of rugby. This happens in international rugby but not in professional club rugby.

[@michaelodonnell824]

There's a reason why you are most familiar with the Premier League mainly through the radio - Pay-Walls - That's one lesson Rugby has learned TOO WELL from Soccer...

[@letsgo8814]

Ref - Scrum south Africa "Sponsored by bongi's cakes " 😂😂😂 The statistics would be great

[@geotruthnz7013]

Commentators definitely need to be more upbeat sometimes. I see amazing skills and Nisbett just drones on like it's just another try or pass. Justin Marshall brings great energy to his comments but OZ commentators are like well the team is playing too much Rugby and should be more conservative and kick for the corners almost wanting more boredom. The NRL tries very hard to be upbeat but it is over the top and sickening how nearly every try in the NRL is built up to be the best try they have ever seen in the self proclaimed worlds best sport with apparently the worlds best athletes.

[@jukeseyable]

Bill mclaren, thats all im saying,marshall is a D head, but that is down to the individual person

[@Ophelia771]

McGregor is a terrible terrible role model. He sure keeps his solicitor busy.

[@Lechef53]

Rugby biggest problem is that they don’t utilise social media enough. Other sports I follow (Football/Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Athletics & NFL) use their social media accounts A LOT to engage with fans. For example, they ask fans for predictions, they have a whole show and dance for new signings and contracts, clips of the team training, vlogs for match day matches etc. Rugby teams don’t have this same mentality. For example, my team, ASM Clermont Auvergne, didn’t have any announcement on their new signings, Michael Ala’ Alatoa and Kylan Hamadoui, whatsoever on their website or social media accounts. Most other fans (admittedly, not as avid as I am) didn’t know about these signings. Other sports, Mainly Football and American football, plaster these types of things all over their social medias. Heck, even for major signings such as Farrell to Racing 92, there wasn’t much fanfare outside of the Rugby Union fan base. By contrast, in football, Kane to Bayern Munich and Bellingham going to Real Madrid (2 huge teams in Europe), had huge fanfare in Britain and had lots of anticipation and excitement not just from football fans but from the public in general. Even on sites like KZbin, Football teams upload videos interviewing players, match highlights and similar types of content. Not to mention other sports utilise the KZbin community page to communicate with audiences and see how they reacted to a match or to the current league standings. Rugby doesn’t this, making it hard for audiences to be engaged with rugby. Only the official Six Nations and Super Rugby Pacific and TRC actually try to communicate with audiences and therefore their videos have higher amount of views compared to the other rugby Union league channels. Another similar issue is the poor quality highlights. Highlights are only a few minutes. For other sports, like football/soccer, can have shorter highlights since the amount of big plays in these sports are more sporadic compared to rugby. The longer highlights give audiences a better feel of how the game played out and how which players dictated how the game was. For example, the Clermont V Sharks game didn’t show any of the yellow cards and big plays in the match.

[@michaelodonnell824]

Here's a few - Player Safety - NFL the way the American Footballers are armoured helps limit player injuries - Now I know that such elements as Full Helmets and the level of body armour is impractical in Rugby Union, but we have to stop sending players out heading into dangerous (though perfectly legal) tackles, with noting to protect them than a piece of cloth... Refereeing - Australian Rules Australian Rules has a situation where there may be more than a single referee on the pitch at the same time - Rugby can often be a very fast moving game and, all due respect to referees, they are not 100m sprinters, though many of the Players may be. In the last Six Nations we saw Duhan van der Merwe getting away with an obvious seat-belt tackle because the nearest on field official was not even on the screen when he did it. A Second Referee in the Back Field (or on the other side of a scrum) would take the pressure off the Referee and ensure that they weren't relying on an Assistant who may well be over 50 m away... High Fielding - Australian Rules/Gaelic Football. Both Aussie Rules and Gaelic Football allow a Mark for a Player who fairly catches a long Kick. Rugby only allows this inside the players own 22. Which basically means that a player, brave and skilful enough to catch a high kick is more likely to suffer an injury (from being trampled by onrushing attackers) than to gain an advantage for their team. FWIW Many of the best High Fielders in Irish rugby learned the skill from their involvement in Gaelic Football as underage players... Racism - Soccer - A Controversial one BUT... English Fans regularly express their support for their Albino White team by singing a Black American Spiritual - something that would NEVER be allowed in modern day football. PLUS It took almost a quarter of a Century of Italian involvement in the Six Nations before an Italian was allowed to referee a Six Nations match (despite the reality that Italians have been refereeing Celtic League/Pro 12/14/ URC for almost Twenty years - Oh and by the way, How many Fijians or Samoans have EVER Refereed Super Rugby/Rugby Championship matches? PLUS - GAA - Appearance of Refereeing Bias: In the 1980s/1990s Paddy Collins was widely recognised as the best Gaelic Football Referee, but was never allowed to referee Meath, because he was born there. MEANWHILE in Rugby we have Andrew Brace, Born and partially between Wales and Munster, educated in Exeter and later employed by Munster but regularly used to referee Munster, Exeter AND Wales... And then there's the clear appearance of bias in the RWC when a New Zealand Referee is not only allowed to determine who will potentially be NZ''s opponents in a potential Final by being assigned to referee the France/South Africa Quarter Final but also enabled to referee the South Africa/England Semi Final - In soccer, in the quarter, semi finals and finals, they ONLY use referees who's National teams DIDN'T make the Quarter Finals... FINALLY - Most World Sports - Anglophilia - LOVE of the English language - I once watched a match in the European Championship where John Lacey, a referee who's local accent is so strong that Irish people might have difficulty understanding him, spent a match between Russia and either Poland or Romania screaming instructions in what he consider English at players who would have enormous difficulty understanding perfect English speakers. I also watched an U20s Six Nations match where the commentators criticised the winning Italian Captain because he needed a translator to give the post-match interview. And in the most recent Six Nations match between France and Italy, the English referee never even attempted to speak in either French or Italian, when the vast majority of BOTH teams play their club rugby in either Italy or France. If Rugby Union ever really wishes to become a World sport, and not just one played overwhelmingly in former English colonies, it needs to lose its DEMAND that International referees only referee in English. Do you think that referees in the French Top 14 only use English? Or in lower Japanese leagues? or in Domestic Italian Rugby? or in Argentinian Rugby? or even in much of Boer South Africa? Better yet, lets simply have referees signal or penalise - and KEEP QUIET. We may have a few extra penalties for a while but non English peaking players would not feel that they are being discriminated against - which has long been a French concern....

[@LourensBester]

Genuinely curious what you think of South African comms. I think 6N comms are also pretty good.

[@olglez9230]

That's a good point. If removing a pay wall means more adverts but more eyes on the game then so be it

[@ALANL4460]

Id bring in challenges inspired by NFL. The coaches get 2 TMO challenges per half. If theyre right they keep their 2 challenges but if wrong theyve one left and 2 wrong done

[@DownUnderWarboss]

Just watch Rugby league. Nearly twice the amount of rugby being played and the Ref often doesn't choose the winner 😅

[@Zomo1553]

I get commentators being too negative is bad, but at the same time in NH the commentators who constantly brown nose and worship the favourites are so annoying. One team will be horrendous and the other mediocre and all of a sudden its ' truly incredible' when nothing special happened. Warburton and Barclay are my favourites because they can be critical in a positive light, and they actually played modern rugby so know what theyre on about

[@jakeclough8090]

And who don’t you like

[@jukeseyable]

warburton has transioned from great player to great commentator

[@hendrileroux751]

Agree on all except the UFC trash talk. Rugby has great amature sport values still. Respect for ref and other players. If you trash talked another team or player before a game, how are you gonna swop jerseys, share a beer in the change room or pray in a huddle after the game. I believe thats a slippy slope we dont want rugby to go down. Rest makes a lot of sense.

[@hendrileroux751]

Also love the comments on commentators. I think Sam Malone is great. He has a way most other rugby commentators dont. Get him to train a few people.😂

[@rhyswilliams4893]

The whole Amazon taking on the autumn nations cup up north came with the prospect of AWS doing all the data. So give it time and the rolling stats thing will be common place they just need a company powerful enough to collect and present it... one like AWS

[@ratticus_finch]

Last year Sky TV dug into their commentator pool due to the World Cup, and had Andrew Mulligan commentating some games, and honestly, he was so enthusiastic and sounded like he was having a whale of a time watching the game. Get Mulligan into rugby commentary more regularly.

[@JSL2000]

Just as an alternative - What can other sports learn from rugby? 1. Penalty Try. If a football/soccer player handles the ball on the line, fouls outside the box when it's a 1-on-1 - penalty goal. 2. Crackdown on fighting. Ice Hockey in the NHL, like rugby, has always had a bit of a 'hardman' reputation. These so called 'hardmen' were a blight on the game. The days of doing that are over in rugby and for the better. The NHL needs to follow suit. 3. Blood Substitutions and concussion protocols. Suitable for any team sport. 4. Timeclock on kicking - A good rule for football and could also be used for throws and corners. 5. 'Ref's Call' (Rugby League). VAR is killing football/soccer and some of the decisions are a mystery. Allowing the ref to stick to his/her own decision would also benefit football. They could send marginal decisions right back to the ref.

[@RRTNZ]

Honestly, I love rugby the way it is. There is a code of conduct that we want to preserve. Not all rugby players are angels , on or off the pitch, but the usual respect that is shown the ref puts rugby on a level way above Football or many North American snoozefest sports - I moved to Canada as a kid, from Wales. Nice people, but I found their sports f@cking tedious, moving to New Zealand was like coming home to real sports.

[@tonymatthews6928]

Mate love your channel but what's with the thumbnails? Has Murdoch bought your channel!?

[@adamdwyer776]

NZ rugby suffers from having one broadcaster with the same commentary over and over, listen to a game from early 2000s sounds the same, to many ex players who aren’t particularly good at the job and to many negative comments. Crickets nice for having a few internationals from the touring side. Enjoy hearing the main Irish guy for a change. But would rather have the Spanish commentary on can understand a thing but they sound excited to be there

[@jeremybeavon4476]

In terms of improving commentary, I don't think you can get better than Peter Montgomery, who managed to make boats going around a course for between 1.5 hours and 4.5 hours sound exciting. Rugby commentators could learn a lot from him. Keith Quinn seemed to know everything about everyone. In think the facts he recounted on a broadcast were way better than what we get today. The interviews in rugby are always terrible. The interviewer commentates their opinions and asked a question at the end and the player usually agrees with them and repeat what they've just said. Interviewer should just ask questions. Rugby is sometimes called a gentleman's game. From what I understand, there is a great rugby community that I think we'd want to keep. I remember reading Ali William's book and him saying that his rugby teammates were his friends and they spent a lot of time together when not training, which was different to soccer, who all arrive in their supercars, train for a few hours together, then leave in their supercars and the player don't spend much time together and don't generate good relationships with each other. Rugby fans for opposing teams can watch the game together and enjoy it and not try to kill each other. Opposing teams socialize after the game. These are all good things and can make UFC style conflict harder to do in rugby.

[@cashel77]

We can learn nothing, nothing from Conor McGregor. Nothing.

[@Chmb99]

False

[@edconway8599]

Learn nothing from a very successful athlete who happens to be the biggest star in his sport and one of the biggest stars in sports as a whole??

[@michaelharnedy]

Amen. Violently attacked a potential customer. He is a thug in real life. His act is accurate lately.

[@christopherdewet2836]

Accurate. Very accurate. Your assumption of false is, well, false. ​@@Chmb99

[@mikescudder4621]

Conor desperately trying to stay relevant while not fighting and having not won a fight in years???? Reminds me of Eddie Jones and his stint with the Wallabies....

[@ProTantoQuid]

The UFC approach resembles Jones as England head. The result was England red cards

[@mikescudder4621]

Rugby doesn't have ANYTHING to learn from Conor McGregor!

[@mirkus21]

Sorry, as Argentinian football player ( like you ll never be ) joke... and also played basquet, practice martial arts... I think the other sports have so much more to learn from rugby...

[@ChrisBrown-or8ky]

1. Yes, commentators are part of the show, like WWE 2. Yes, also an nhl fan and love this rule 3. Tricky. Rather than stats, I'd prefer greater analysis on scrums, lineouts and defence. Eg, why is one scrum completely dominating? I would expect that would expose a lot of commentators who know SFA about them. 4. Yes, to an extent. It's a hard sport for tough ppl, and generally they're tougher than most ppl and that should be part of marketing 5. Not for me, but we want the game to survive so i guess there needs to be room for it One more from me: refs need to be respected again. That is, dissent needs to be punished. In AFL, any form of dissent is a 50m penalty. Yes, 50m. I don't know about 50m for rugby, but 20m automatic march down field seems worthwhile. We need refs in the game and part of that is getting players to stfu!

[@jukeseyable]

watch squidge rugby

[@ChrisBrown-or8ky]

Squidge is great but I meant live analysis during the game at stoppages. Just doesn't seem to happen much anymore

[@jukeseyable]

@@ChrisBrown-or8ky you get a bit off jiffy if you are watching northern hemisphere internationals, but normally it revolves around soft shoulders. 🤣

[@jukeseyable]

scrums are tricky, i played openside, and i never knew what was actually going on ahead of me, just if we were forward or going backwards, so much legal and elegal stuff is happening similtaniously, obvious stuff like boring in, and the binds are easy enough to spot, but that doesnt guarantee assendency or loss, and for every attack there is mostly a counter. used to play hooker if it was 7s, but that isnt a real scrum. you would need someone like adam jones to comentate specifically. they have david flatman and phil vickery on occasionally, but they seem as clueless as can be when it comes to explaining what is really happening. then you get a ref like nigel owens who will see some of the infringements, but often those infringements arnt real well they are, but if you have a tall prop against a short one, of course their feet need to be a long way back. a short guy, might let the tall guy come on a bit to have him off balance, but its the short guy at fault by not taking the weight. i do love a scrum though, so many little pieces come together to make the battle

[@Lezzyboy87]

You could maybe drop to 13 players and limit tackle sets to improve the game.

[@olivermilgate7220]

We need characters, stories and tribalism on the same level as the AFL or NRL. Super Rugby lacks the intense engagement that these other sports have for that reason and that will never change as long as the sport is strictly marketed to Privately educated corporate executives, because people in this area of society are often a bit less intense and passionate personalities than those of wider society and lower socio economic backgrounds who the game needs to be more accessible to

[@SentzNonu89]

that embellishment law sounds good. should work great for halves acting on players trying to roll away when the ball is actually free. some calls are legit and do slow down play when team has momentum but happens rarely. most of those penalties are just good Hollywood actors. guess it just comes down to the ref on the day and how he wants the game to be played. good stuff bro

[@michaelodonnell824]

I don't agree that "it happens rarely". Both Leinster and Ireland depend on fast ruck speed and the number of times you see teams they are playing against "accidentally" slowing down rucks is insane. PLUS - I have a real issue with the "Embellishment" idea - Brian O'Driscoll, one of the greatest Rugby players of all time, admits that, during his own playing days, he often "played on" though he knew that he would have failed even the most cursory concussion test. If any "Embellishment" rule was brought in, it would "encourage" VICTIMS of Violence to attempt to play on rather than seek the medical attention they need, out of fear that a referee with ZERO medical knowledge would penalise them and their team for "Embellishment". Further, what recompense would there be for a team/player, punished for "Embellishment", if it turned out they had actually sustained a match/season/career ending injury? Would the officials have their own careers ended?

[@johnryan509]

Austin Healey 😂

[@jakeclough8090]

Is a great commentator though. Literally the best pundit on tv

[@dan15000]

Agree with the first 3 but not the last 2

[@scottwarwick7514]

We’ve been learning what (not) to do from soccer for over 100 years!

[@D4N1CU5]

On the commentating, I can imagine some don't like him but it's the thing I like the most about Sean Maloney, he actually seems to love rugby and reacts like a regular fan to what's going on. On the rivalry thing, maybe it's different in NZ but I don't get the feeling that the rivalries are real anymore. In the modern era, playing the game is your job, you're a professional facing off against a bunch of professionals so there's no real reason for animosity against another team. Also, players move around so much more now that quite often a good portion of the team you're playing against will be people you went to school with or you played age grade rugby with so you're actual friends outside of the game which trumps any kind of Us v Them mentality. On a practical level, it's hard to get up for the rivalry if you're the highlanders (getting beaten all the time) or the force (haven't been around long enough or performed well enough to have built any rivalries) so then it's just QLD v NSW or Saders vs Everyone else.

[@itistrue101]

Maloney should be doing magic shows in retirement homes. he's awful

[@D4N1CU5]

@@itistrue101 I’ll take him over Phil Kearns and Greg Martin any day

[@itistrue101]

@@D4N1CU5 yep thats a fair reflection of Maloney... only two blind mice are worse

[@D4N1CU5]

@@itistrue101 And JK. And Woodward. And SBW. There's plenty of people below Maloney imo.

[@itistrue101]

@@D4N1CU5 Maloney would be a C grade actor in B grade movies. He gets calls wrong, names, rules. And his delivery is childish.

[@braindeadprawn]

See quite a few comments disagreeing with the UFC take, I agree with you. Rugby players and coaches are forced to be very sanitised and politically correct when facing the media and it comes across as inauthentic at times, and when one player does say something slightly negative it gets reposted by dozens of "rugby content creators" and is taken completely out of context by the pearl-clutches, eg Lawes comment on Jake White last week. Some individual quotes are taken out of context and so-called rugby values are called into question. We expect a guy who folds people in half for a living to be a diplomat. Let them be who they are, they are players, not half-time show presenters.

[@Alfonzridesagain]

Rugby has an institutional problem in that it has only been professional for 30 years - barely two generations in real terms. As such, a lot of fans and even people working in the sport at the highest level as pundits, grass roots level coaches and administrators don't really understand the sport as it exists now. That's a bizarre situation for any major sport to be in and it means that it is at genuine risk of leaving its own public behind.

[@philgardiner445]

Players miked up like nfl. Imagine if broadcasters could find a way to get a camera into the middle of a scrum! Interchanges like afl. (or the springboks)

[@theItalianshamrock]

Love the Islanders jersey. Even in NY im the minority lol

[@gerryoconnor5846]

Mate , watch all Ireland hurling final, best game in the world

[@jakeclough8090]

Best thing in football and rugby league in Europe is home and away ends. Going to get lots of people disagree with me here because most union k they’re above that and are stuck in their ways but home and away ends should be brought in at club games, at least in Europe. I don’t mind talking to other fans before and after the game sure but during the game I have no interest in hearing a load of people cheering on the other team. Just annoys me

[@mikehosken4328]

Rallying NZRC, WRC and ERC.

[@shyloevans9241]

you need announcers like darts. Watch "the greatest leg ever" adn tell me it doesn't get the hair on your arms raised

[@RoyBattyLives]

I'm sorry to see you had a picture of McGregor on your thumbnail Mark. As an Irishman I find him a despicable human being. He punched an old man in the face for not drinking his whiskey. Keep him away from Rugby please.

[@jackwynne19]

I find it appaling people still promote him.

[@RoyBattyLives]

@@jackwynne19 boggles the mind

[@mikescudder4621]

Bro, NFL is like watching a 80 minute game spread over 4 hours. People go to the game because of the crowd atmosphere/costumes/ theatrics or watch it at home and get boozed - which is most of the entertainment. Reminds me of watching Bathhurst with mates. The ads suck but the game is so slow it goes hand and hand. Speeding up rugby is where its at.

[@gianlucacolatei5820]

Did you even listen to what he said

[@jakeclough8090]

Seems to be controversial but I love the current commentators on TNT in the premiership. Austin Healey is genuinely the best pundit out there, and if you get his sense of humour he’s very funny. I think you will misinterpret his tone as moaning if you don’t listen to him regularly. David Flatman is one of the best at hyping up the game. He’s one to usually praise a player when they do something well rather than criticise the opponent and he likes to hype up and explain scrums. Ben Kay is pretty decent to listen to and good with Austin healey. Ugo money is a decent pundit and a great host. They have o’driscoll as a pundit who is classy as well. I think tnt does the best punditry in rugby quite easily

[@jukeseyable]

see everyone but bOD for me are the worst not the best, flatman doesnt have a clue

[@paulM-gs7jz]

lets not let Rugby go down the UFC route. Exactly for the reason you mentioned - its a family oriented spectator sport. Respect is a key pillar and i'd rather it stays this way so our kids who watch / play it don't end up like mcgregor or any other mouthy idiot. Also, i've never in my life had a fan want more adverts - this is a strange take.

[@gusgrannan2353]

Rugby could use some stats, but other than penalties how do you mathematically model the scrum? I’m not saying that you couldn’t but I think it would be tough.

[@jakeclough8090]

In the premiership they had yesterday Harlequins have won 96% of their own scrums this year. In the 6 nations they always show the pack weights. You could shownscrum success with certain props etc

[@patrickthomas8101]

I think Rugby should adopt the NFL draft system where the worst performing teams choose the best young players first. to keep leagues competitive. Not sure how it would work in England and France because they have promotion relegation. however, I'm sure that can also be solved. France's league has an economic system. where lower league teams share TV revenue from higher leagues so players wouldn't leave their clubs. The Springboks market themselves a lot and i think every country should do the same thing.

[@chesterdonnelly1212]

I think that it could work in England. The English Premiership is fantastic but there needs to be acceptance that in England a pyramid system right up to the top doesn't work. I mean it doesn't. No one gets promoted from the Championship. The Premiership is already practically a closed shop.

[@jakeclough8090]

@@chesterdonnelly1212no thanks mate

[@jakeclough8090]

Then what’s the point of academies 😂

[@philgardiner445]

Mid-season trade windows.

[@Claggyt]

Disappointing that you pushed for more ads. Down with that sort of thing!

[@jakeclough8090]

So you want no money in the game?

[@Pauld42]

I want commentary to explain as well as give moment to moment description; and to be neutral (home town commentary can be very annoying). Jingoism is no substitute for an explanation of the tactical approach of the two teams. Kind of thing a (retired?) match official can do better than most players as they see everything close up and are impartial. Or do rugby supporters want their enjoyment downgraded to the level of soccer?

[@christobessinger105]

No adds!!!!

[@thegeop5906]

The only thing Rugby could learn from NFL Football is the marketing. But the popularity of AF is resulting from 70% Chi Chi and 30% sports. 😏

[@davidpells4298]

We can learn from soccer .FIFA very , very seldom change a Law ..It has to go through almost mindblowing trials over years before ..if.. its changed ...Average rugby fan has no longer a clue as to the Laws ..Point made.

[@johnpaulmolloy8127]

Rgarding your UFC comment. I must disagree. Whats great about Rugby is the respect. You dont have to love your rival but the respect between players and the fans to the rivals is something that makes rugby stand out to the likes of Soccer. If we go down the UFC or even soccer route then we condition the young up and coming players to be the top level, toxic, narcissistic arseholes we see in other sports. There is enough negativity in the world. Leave Rugby as is.

[@jinjaman101]

never understood the them and us thing.

[@EamonWalshe]

I really disagree with modelling anything on the UFC. Off field aggressive tribalism might damage one of the nicest things about rugby - fans from opposing teams can sit together without being intimidated. Encourage MgGregor style theatrics and fans would end up being segregated.

[@brianmurray6287]

The SA teams need smaller stadiums..looking at more than half empty stadiums is not a good look.

[@stormtrooper4654]

Slow day at the office, Mark?

[@oldtighthead2459]

We can learn NOT to always change the laws....

[@nealgarner6431]

Financial husbandry

[@illegalkiwi2193]

embellishment rules please!

[@LeSchmoo2K]

If the commentary is in Irish / Welsh - at least enable the english subtitles...

[@HelloHumanIAlsoAmHuman]

MLB Baseball really takes care of the fans who show up to stadiums. Giving free season tickets to lifelong members etc, rewarding spectators instead of milking them. They also glorify the history of the game - you have fans who can quote stats going back for decades, who attend every home game, collect trading cards and memorabilia that gets given out for free to people who attend. Rugby does the opposite of that, completely changing the game every few years so there is no history and no legacy.

[@usarugbyleagueunionfan]

The Six Nations doco was superb. Have more media showing the players and getting to know them. Rugby players are like alter boys compared to NFL players. They’re very humble and relatable.

[@TOTN17]

Football already has rules about diving, if you get caught it's a Yellow Card the problem is far too many refs in Football let things go when they need to be enforcing the rules.

[@cameronround4277]

another thing we should nick from ice hockey (and there are a bunch, big fan of their fighting rules) is calling it a power play not a yellow card, everyone winges when someone goes to the bin rather than seeing it as opening up the game for a bit. Also if it's a power play we can do more than just a 10 minute card, cause not all yellows are created equal

[@minki46664]

What can tennis learn from monster trucks? If you ask that from a tennis fan they would think you are f*cking insane, but somehow this is a legit conversation in rugby.

[@GeorgePlaten]

More ads and theatrics are cancerous because you're just taking more time, attention and money from fans you already have. Grow the market, not your share. I like the stats idea though.

[@betterfit87]

MMA is the sport. UFC isn't a sport it's an organization

[@runforrestrun1965]

Not so with Rugby itself but League specifically, some interviewers in NZ are simply shit and league interviews are actually such a suck up. So much Bro worshipping. There’s one radio guy that is so brown nose that he never asks any tough questions. Think hes worried hell never get any more interviews. Part of the reason that the one NZ team hasn’t won their comp yet after twenty five years of being in it. They never seem to actually address poor play, it’s always just glib comments and ignore reality and focus on big hits, rather than tactics or personnel failings. I have always appreciated the difference there with Rugby where they actually get a roasting for poor decisions or play, keeps the players focussed and raises the level. We see this with the All Blacks. If they have a bad game, they get hammered by the public, not so with league. Where League here does so well is the marketing. They make a crap game being played sound like it has intense excitement. Watch without the league commentary, most games are as dull as dishwater in reality. Rugb y really needs to get that balance right.

[@matthewvanrensburg3824]

We could certainly learn how to read and report stats, current and historical better/more honestly, jeez, the amount of nonsense narratives outthere these days about the last 100 years and what not... Horrendously misleading and certainly do think a big, BIG part of the problem in how the sport perceived and marketing it. For example: Up to 1992: ABs winrate against Boks was 41% 1992 to 2018: ABs winrate was 70% 2018 to present: ABs winrate is 45% Overall winrate: +-58% Aussie winrate against ABs over their 177 games played... a paltry 25%. Except for a golden era in the 80s/90s and the blip in the 2000s, Aussies are not this 'powerhouse' so often bleated on about. They've always been the little brother who gets beaten/bullied by the older one (NZ). Aussies being competitive is far, far from the norm. Let's not forget how everyone keeps ignoring the past 10-15 years worth of results in general.... it doesn't help the narratives, stories and whatnot. One of the reason such a fan of this channel. One place doesn't shy away from asking the real questions, shining spotlight on the reality, even if risk would be unpopular. Kudos, great respect. Seriously, rugby commentary, stat recording, presentation, reporting, all needs MAJOR overhaul to come out of the dark ages and catch up with rest of professional sports, a lesson seems nobody in WR etc seems interested in.

[@d.jparer5184]

I think rugby needs to sort out the current refereeing crisis before we look to other sports for ideas.

[@jackwynne19]

Please think twice about what criminals you use on the thumbnails