This is not a joke: Take a bow, NZ Rugby
Warning: you are about to read something that may cause hallucinations, or at least a panic to check that that coffee didn’t contain doses of the heavy stuff.
All right, slowly does it now, deep breaths . . .
New Zealand Rugby is deserving of praise in its treatment of the fans.
Yes, that very organisation which has so often struggled to get in touch with its core fanbase has come up trumps with a new initiative for the 2020 Super Rugby season.
Punters at stadiums are being thought of to ensure better engagement with the product. Mind-blowing, really. But any move in this direction at least deserves some credit.
What we saw from the opening weekend of the Super season was that you can now attend a match and not be left in the dark when it comes to Television Match Official decisions. That is because everyone at the ground will now get the full conversation between referee and TMO broadcast live at the venue.
Praise be.
The enhanced experience was on show in the competition opener between the Blues and Chiefs at Eden Park last Friday, when the voices of TMO Aaron Paterson and referee Angus Gardner were played to the crowd over the PA system as they deliberated over try decisions.
World Rugby regulations allow the TMO-ref chat to be broadcast, and competition organiser Sanzaar is happy for national unions to decide, in conjunction with their on-site broadcasters, what they want to do with it.
The Waratahs are the only overseas team which will embrace the live audio feed through the stadium, but NZR has made the call to have the system in place at all of its grounds through the season. Well played.
It has previously seemed absurd that fans were out of the loop (unless they were wearing the SportsEars product) with what was happening, in what are so often the biggest moments in the games.
The NFL is a shining example, where referees’ decisions are clearly communicated to make those attending part of the action, and not wound up in a fog of frustration. Even the NRL’s bunker has a voice at the ground.
But in rugby it’s been a ‘yourguess-is-as-good-as-mine’ scenario in the stands. What does the ref want to check here? Has he gone ‘try’ or ‘no try’ as his own-field decision? Was he happy with that grounding?
Whether you like their involvement or not, TMOs are now a huge part of the game, and fans at the park should not be at a disadvantage to those watching on TV. After all, they are the ones forking out for the tickets and potentially generating an atmosphere.
NZR knows it has a competition which is battling a drop-off in attendance and which has lost its zest of yesteryear, so, along with the slightly earlier kickoff times, this is at least a move in the right direction to give supporters what they deserve.
Hear ye, hear ye.