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Gabby Logan, Sam Warburton, John Barclay and Martin Johnson were all on form in the BBC studio at the Principality Stadium
The last England Six Nations match on BBC for five years at least was both a fitting (temporary?) farewell and an encapsulation of some of the strengths and weaknesses of the corporation’s rugby on TV.
A new deal sees ITV and BBC secure free-to-air coverage until the 2029 tournament but it is ITV alone that will show the England games. Rugby lovers are not thick on the ground in BBC Sport’s decision-making roles and the shot-callers there have evidently decided that resources financial and political are better spent elsewhere than on pricey England men’s games.
Continuing to show Wales and Scotland matches keeps those vocal regional lobbies quiet enough, ditto ongoing live coverage of the Women’s Six Nations thanks to Auntie’s glorious triumph in what one assumes was a hard-fought three-figure bidding war. ITV, while not necessarily a natural home for rugby, has done very well out of the deal with all five England matches each year. England rugby fans, however, have not and are left for half a decade to the tender mercies of a broadcaster that bungles the crucial moments of a key match (Finn Russell’s kick) and serves up the chippy mutterings of Eddie Jones and his Smurf hat in between the frequent adverts.
The build-up to Saturday’s match in Cardiff was a snapshot of the BBC’s situation. Gabby Logan, sure-footed as ever, expertly handled a smart pair of classy communicators in Sam Warburton and John Barclay, who had lots of interesting yet accessible things to say about topics as diverse as England’s tactical vulnerability to wide attacks and Tom Curry’s ferocious appetite for pain. Martin Johnson’s medals and gravitas justify his selection in the Grumpy Uncle role – the former England captain, for instance, remarking of an anticipated Welsh tactic to target the England No 15 with high kicks: “Well, you’d do it to a full-back even if he’s good.” A nice boost for Marcus Smith there from the big man.
The pre-match programming managed to stoke up the excitement while also outlining some broad tactical or sporting points but also highlighted the probably unsolvable problem for rugby on the BBC: trying to be all things to all persons. Gabby said: “We don’t need to hype this one up but we’ll do it anyway” and the montage began. Classic Eddie Butler territory, England in Cardiff. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here: just get a stirring tune, bombastic voiceover, men in sideburns, daffodils, choirs, possibly a few miners if you’re really committing to the bit, 1970s glory days, 2013 and all the rest. A little hacky, a little cliched, but it always hit the spot and the classics are the classics for a reason.
On Saturday, the montage began with silence and a title card of ‘Y Maestro’ as famous Welsh conductor Haydn James raised his baton to bring a male voice choir of boyos under starter’s orders. Off we go, bit of singing, there’s lovely. But after no more than a second or two, it suddenly cut to rave music and highlight clips that came so thick and fast you could hardly see what was happening, then back to the choir, then more pumping music and manic bits of match footage. And on and on.
The overall effect was like trying to watch TV with a hyperactive child who had got hold of both the remote and a bin-bag of Haribo. I just cannot see to whom this appeals on aesthetic grounds or sporting grounds and can only conclude it represents yet more well-meaning but misguided efforts to seduce a putative ‘yoof’ audience, as yet untapped, that will miraculously become devotees of the oval-ball code if only they could have it piped into their face-holes alongside a high-NRG soundtrack. With the best will in the world, I honestly don’t ever see that working but, in terms of the England men’s team at least, it is no longer the BBC’s problem.
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