MEDIA VALUE
This year we decided not to include media on the list, but that is not to deny their influence in the game. Whether it be hard-hitting views that generate debate or high-value broadcast deals that provide a cash injection for tournaments, the media play a huge role in the game. Here are seven key figures in rugby’s media world… STEPHEN JONES THE SUNDAY TIMES Chief rugby correspondent for more than 30 years at The Sunday Times and a regular RW contributor, Jones’s strident views don’t always meet with universal approval – in New Zealand there is a urinal with his face on it – yet he is respected and feared in equal measure. His is the opinion that matters most to current players and administrators alike. BARBARA SLATER BBC HEAD OF SPORT Responsible for 450 staff and 20,000 hours of coverage across TV, radio and online, Slater is a former international gymnast who has been
Spotlight
in the role since 2009. She has presided over the BBC’s Six Nations coverage, which regularly pulls in audiences of more than 10m. NIALL SLOANE ITV DIRECTOR OF SPORT A former colleague of Barbara Slater, Sloane moved to ITV in 2009 after a distinguished career at the BBC and was key in orchestrating the deal with the BBC to keep the Six Nations on terrestrial TV. ITV also screened the Rugby World Cup, where the England v Wales game peaked at 11.6m – the biggest rugby audience since 2007. ERIC BAYLE CANAL+ HEAD OF RUGBY A rugby man from Bayonne and a former journalist who worked across