It’s not boring Ugo, it’s called winning
Last week I commented on BT Sports’ attitude towards the fare served up by Bath and Sale in horrendous conditions at the Rec’, and they were up to the same kind of nonsense when the Exeter v Gloucester tie took place in Round 3 of the Champions Cup.
Once again conditions were pretty tough at a sometimes wet, and always windy, Sandy Park. What annoyed the commentator and pundits this time was the Gloucester tactic of box-kicking, which Ugo Monye described as boring.
They need to ask themselves a serious question about their attitude. Both in the Premiership, and the Champions Cup, this was sport at the highest level, where the result really, really mattered to both teams.
They were trying to win the game, and were using the tactics set out by their coaches to give them the best possible chance of achieving the right result. I don’t suppose that Rob Baxter and Johann Ackermann had prioritised entertainment when they did their planning, and I doubt the pundits would have thought that way in their playing days.
Exeter Chiefs are one of the top two sides in English rugby, and Sandy Park is a bit of a fortress, which means that visiting teams have to do whatever they can to eke out a result. In the conditions, the Gloucester players were clearly told to pin the opposition in their own 22, and make them attack from deep, a tactic that to everyone’s surprise worked rather well.
I’m dubious about the view that the game is in the ‘entertainment business’ – is that really the case? Broadcasters and supporters have very different priorities, and sometimes they clash. As an example, Leicester Tigers are currently going through a rough period, but if you popped onto the Crumbie Terrace at Welford Road and took a straw poll, I’ll bet you any odds you like that the word ‘entertainment’ wouldn’t be uttered very often. If you’re a fan then what you want is your team to win, and you don’t give a hoot about how they do it.
When the Tigers were in their pomp their success was built on a fearsome pack and you just knew that if they got a five-metre line-out or scrum they were going to trundle over – now we get a former Tigers half-back on BT Sports moaning about scrums! I suspect Austin Healey saw things differently when he was playing behind that dominant pack! Similarly, in the early days of Saracen’s ascendancy there were lots of moans about how boring their kicking game was, but it helped them to Premiership and European success.
BT Sports pays royally for the privilege of screening Champions Cup games, and does it brilliantly, but with that should come a sense of responsibility, not this idealised view of what constitutes entertaining rugby. Rugby is about so much more than the shallow views we’ve heard over the past fortnight, so let’s have more positivity, and maybe start congratulating coaches and teams for their tactical nous, or great execution in grim conditions.
What about taking it upon themselves to ‘sell’ to their viewers the whole range of rugby’s charms, as David Flatman does so excellently with the scrum, not just the fast-track subset they currently seem to favour?
Did you read the Bath Rugby statement on their decision to refuse to let Leinster supporters take flags into the Rec head of last weekend’s Champions Cup game?
I read it with disbelief, as I don’t recall flags spontaneously combusting, being snapped and used as weapons, or injuries being caused by members of the crowd slipping on them.
A couple of things struck me about ‘Flaggate’. First, taking a flag to a match is about on a par with those odd characters who like to take a drum or a trumpet – why on earth would you want to do that? The fact is that those kind of things deeply irritate some other supporters, and having a bit of respect for the people around you isn’t a bad thing.
When your team scores, then shout and punch the air, but don’t do anything as anti-social as blocking your fellow spectators’ view during play. If I’ve paid £50 for a seat, I don’t want some muppet waving a flag in my face.
I haven’t met anyone who found Bath’s statement to be anything other than daft – I’m sure it’s all accurate, but really?
“I don’t suppose Rob Baxter and Johann Ackermann prioritised entertainment when they did their planning”