Are you ready for .... <drumroll> Player Mic !!

[Volun-selected]

This weekend is going to see a Bristol player wearing a mic during the game.

A three-person team, featuring a dedicated camera operator, EVS replay editor and producer, will monitor the audio feed throughout the match to bring viewers all the best insight during breaks in play and in sequenced packages at half time and post-match.

Anyone here get their Premiership fix via TNT Sports? I'm initially (very) skeptical about yet another gizmo but will be interested if anyone watches this and whether they find any value in this.

Premiership Rugby | ''Player Mic'' to be used for the first time in Bristol Bears v Bath derby, live on TNT Sports

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[didds]

lol. it will last about 5 minutes until the TV producer realises the average rugby player uses anglo-saxon as about 75% of game utterances

 

[Phil E]

They did this in the cricket last summer, and interviewed the player when he was on the boundary. Rugby's a bit different to cricket though.

Not to mention the fact that they must have chucked away the law book when they decided to do this

law 4.4
A player may not wear:
h. Communication devices.

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

Bristol vs Bath? It'll sound like a Wurzels Convention.

 

[smeagol]

I don't get the skepticism. I'd rather they try something and have it flop than not try at all.

 

[DocP]

They did this in the cricket last summer, and interviewed the player when he was on the boundary. Rugby's a bit different to cricket though.

So the Prem is not that different. Anyone who watched the first couple of weeks of the season on TNT would of seen Martin Bayfield interviewing players on the pitch right after they had scored while the conversion was taking place. Was very strange and didn't last long. Mostly because it probably took the players' concentration away from the job in hand. They did look curfuddled

 

[Jz558]

I don't get the skepticism. I'd rather they try something and have it flop than not try at all.

Scepticism and disapproval is what we do best! I read an interview with Pat Lam about the mic and he said it obviously couldn't be anyone calling the moves or whose language he didnt trust so he was struggling for candidates.

 

[crossref]

they could mic up one of the scrum halves and dispense with the commentary team.

 

[Decorily]

they could mic up one of the scrum halves and dispense with the commentary team.

Even dispense with the referee!

 

[Volun-selected]

I don't get the skepticism. I'd rather they try something and have it flop than not try at all.

I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised, just struggling to see the value
based on what we’ve heard from elite players on the ref mic (England and Romain "I'm the referee not the coach", pretty much any reported coming out of Ben Young’s mouth).

At the elite level, given the plethora of tech and tracking we now have, maybe they could find a way to confirm if the ball was grounded on or over the goal line while it’s buried under a pile of bodies.

 

[Harry]

When I'm watching on TV I would prefer to hear in order the Ref, the crowd and a pundit introduce the squads before KO.
As for common taters no thanks my youngest Granddaughter usually knows more than them.

 

[tim White]

Re; Commentators -I was pulled up very early in my reffing career for disputing a TV decision. " He is an IRB ref, worked his way up through the game, assessed at every game by a former international ref, appointed to this game because he is the best suited to it -and you are saying he got this wrong???????"

 

[crossref]

an Argument from Authority

Argument from authority - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jdeagro]

At the elite level, given the plethora of tech and tracking we now have, maybe they could find a way to confirm if the ball was grounded on or over the goal line while it’s buried under a pile of bodies.

I always thought it would be neat if they could incorporate tech to solve this problem, in this day and age. Maybe not until the day everyone's got a self driving car...

 

[Stu10]

"AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ"

(You'll only understand this if you watched the game )

 

[Phil E]

"AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ"

(You'll only understand this if you watched the game )

I only watched the highlights, didn't hear an player comms?

 

[Stu10]

I only watched the highlights, didn't hear an player comms?

I think you could follow it via Discovery +

Steven Luatua was the player with the mic and they reviewed the coverage at half-time... there wasn't a lot of inciteful stuff and less comms than I expected, but there was an instance when he was screaming to get AJ MacGinty's attention and clearly not getting the result he wanted!

 

[crossref]

the producers probably imagine that they'll enjoy a constant stream of Joe Marler or Jamie George style wit & bantz.

for that they need to mike up Joe Marler or Jamie George ... and even then I think they'll be disappointed as most of the communication is pretty workmanlike and purposeful

 

[Stu10]

the producers probably imagine that they'll enjoy a constant stream of Joe Marler or Jamie George style wit & bantz.

for that they need to mike up Joe Marler or Jamie George ... and even then I think they'll be disappointed as most of the communication is pretty workmanlike and purposeful

The likes of those here might be very interested to hear what level and type of workmanlike communication is required to coordinate and perform at elite level, though I imagine a large proportion of viewers might be less enthralled.

 

[SimonSmith]

They miked up Pat Carrigan in the NRL last year. I found it both insightful and amusing.

The amount of work that fella did organizing defence and calling plays because he could see what would unfold beyond the next tackle was impressive.

That, and continually telling assorted team mates to breathe.