Rugby TV Shows

[spooony]

I have no doubt that ultimately their goal is to enhance the FoxSports rugby product and entice more subscriptions. Hardcore fans will pay for Fox regardless, so entertaining the masses would be the brief.

Exactly. Now who owns all the rights for it?

 

[Hawko]

At the moment, the Rugby Club feels more like that boring-as-shit AFL show where some old guys just sat on a coach and talked about the old days.

If you listen carefully to that "boring-as-shit" AFL show you will find more detailed discussion of the game and issues surrounding it in just 5 minutes than you will in the whole hour of the rugby club.

Fox is trying to make the rugby club interesting to morons. Because they don't understand their audience they think that the average rugby supporter has an IQ < half a league supporter. So they think that they have to pitch the show lower than the Fatty Vautin show. It would not be hard to make a really good rugby show if they only just understood who their audience was - well educated professional people who are interested in the game; its issues and strategies right across the three countries in the Super comp.

The coverage in New Zealand is way better (from my visits when I was travelling there regularly for work). The midweek rugby show (Reunion?) was excellent and could be transferred across the ditch without too much effort. But then I could discuss Rugby intelligently with 80% of the men and 50% of the women in NZ. There is just a much better knowledge base there as I am sure there is in South Africa.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

I enjoy the show. I suppose don't expect much from it, if I want in-depth discussion of super rugby I'll listen to G&GR podcasts

They could improve the show in areas (like dropping the silly games), and probably should reach out to fans for more ideas. But I can live with the current format, it isn't that bad.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

If you listen carefully to that "boring-as-shit" AFL show you will find more detailed discussion of the game and issues surrounding it in just 5 minutes than you will in the whole hour of the rugby club.

Thats a big and improbable "if".

 

[qwerty51]

this has been said before plenty of times but I wish they still did crosses to NZ and SA for their opinions. I'm guessing scrapping it had something to do with what Hawko is getting at, they think their audience has no interest in the other countries.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

this has been said before plenty of times but I wish they still did crosses to NZ and SA for their opinions. I'm guessing scrapping it had something to do with what Hawko is getting at, they think their audience has no interest in the other countries.

Scrap SA

 

[cyclopath]

Some good points, especially as to the lack of expertise the experts seem to bring to the panel. I was somewhat flabbergasted when Horan started up with the "Cut penalty goals to 2 points" with Lyndon Bray, or "go back to short arm penalties", one of which measures would encourage infringing in the red zone, and the other which had been tried extensively, and dropped.
I agree that Kearns and Martin bring little, if anything, of value to the panel anymore.
They should sub-contract to GAGR to get some decent interviews of players weekly, rather than the idiotic tripe they deliver currently.

 

[Gagger]

I think one of the key problems is how matey they are with all the players and the teams. I assume it's because they think all supporters want to be?

By being so far on the inside they lose any ability to offer scrutiny and comedy from the outside.

 

[Brumby Jack]

I think it's the same problem with players not making good coaches - they sometimes don't make good commentators either.

 

[Bowside]

I think they need to decide if they want to be an analysis sort of show - where they discuss selection and tactics. Or if they want to just be lads throwing out banter.

Maybe there needs to be two shows?

 

[suckerforred]

I actually liked what Lyndon Bray had to say. Was like wise suprised at Horan's comments. Hopefully we will hear more from Bray during the year. He sounds quite sensible. Bit of a change from previous ref bosses.

On the show in general. I don't mind it. Like all media I watch it for the entertainment, sift out the crap from the interesting, and inore what I can't bear. Some segments need to be dropped ('Call it like Clarkie' cringe) others need to be expanded (Kafe's analysis) but it is only an hour and the balance would be hard to strike.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I think they need to decide if they want to be an analysis sort of show - where they discuss selection and tactics. Or if they want to just be lads throwing out banter.

Maybe there needs to be two shows?

Or just give us the Kiwi shows in addition, including full pre-game with chicks who know more (or at least talk more sense than) Marto, Kearns and Horan

 

[Stands]

Lose the players acting like idiots, get rid of Marto and Kearns, bring back Clarkie, have one interesting guest every week. Better highlights of the previous games. Highlights of the Shute Shield and the Brisbane comp. Short highlight footage of Aussies playing in Europe. More Plays of the week.

 

[Sully]

I like the Rugby club. I wonder how they'd go if they lost the suits?

 

[liquor box]

i have often wondered why they cant show other rugby shows that cover sa ans nz teams, even in the middle of the night instead of showing the same aussie episode 5 times a week.
I for one would watch it and i know my foreign friends would too.

 

[Bowside]

They do show total rugby which is pretty good. Especially when they have interviews with players from the lesser international teams, guys who don't play for fame or money but just cause they love rugby and their country.

 

[Dan54]

I wonder what's happened to the Rugby Club too, seems it has tried a bit hard to be 'entertaining' and not enough about the game, which is what would make it entertaining for me. Saying that I did enjoy hearing Lyndon Bray explaining what refs are trying to do, right or wrong it is good to hear the reasons or outcomes they are attempting to reach.

 

[Waylon]

The show is good

It takes the game to the remote ares of Australia via satellite

If you live in non rugby areas, no free to air coverage or media exposure to rugby exists

The show covers last weeks games, hot topics and the upcoming matches.......with an element of light comic relief

The show has interesting guests

There has not been a lot of prime time rugby shows over the years primarily because the powers that be reside on the north shore of Sydney with their introspective heads rammed so far up where the sun doesn't shine, that nobody else in Australia gets a lot of consideration.

Rock on the Rugby Club

 

[ChargerWA]

I don't mind it except for Kearns. I think he was the best panel member on there in 2010. His dry wit was natural and well timed. Through 2011 his commentating became worse. He became quite negative and his usual dry wit came across as more sarcastic or whingeing and the change was also notable on the rugby club.

Like Gagger said, one of the biggest problems is they are too close to the clubs and therefore can't afford to offer overt criticism even when warranted for fear of ruining their privileges.

The other thing that they could bring in is a stats segment in addition or conjunction with Kafes Breakdown (Foxfield?). There is a real lack of stats used on the show in general. If I didn't come to GAGR I would have no idea how good Tom Carter's stats are (as opposed to TC himself ). Things like that on the show would be interesting to most rugby supporters.

 

[No4918]

This is the problem with a show trys to be everything to everyone. In fairness it probably strikes a good balance. And lets face it, members of this site are prob not what they consider their average rugby target audience. Most watchers would probably switch off with an in depth look at stats. There could be improvements, segments where they used to cross to the other countries were good and 'call it like Clarkie' is plain bad.

Didn't Clarkie host a weekly wrap a couple of years ago? Would be great if they could bring it back and show it throughout the week. Maybe the ARU could even negotiate to have the show given to a commercial station to save them production costs in exchange for a good time slot.