BBC's Rugby Coverage

dulpit · 20-08-2007 11:41am #1

Hey, so i was watching the Wales - Argentina game on Saturday on BBC, and the more i watched it, the less i liked the BBC... I've never really watched a game on BBC before (generally any games they have are on RTE) so it was a first for me... The guy they had doing colour-commentary (some welsh dude) was so flippin partisan, it was tough to watch... They are too bloody one-sided, I know that they're Welsh or whatever but they should still try to remain somewhat neutral...

Their analysts (Keith Wood & someone else -Jeremy Guscott??) are ok, but for such a big station i was surprised how bad it was...

Anyone else think the same??

Edit: Oh and ment to say, the way they use technology pisses me off too, they use all these circling or players and lines and stuff for no apparent reason other than they can...

Linford · 20-08-2007 12:16pm

I often choose to watch matches on the BBC because I find them the best. In fact they cover sport better than any channel. Look at their coverage of the soccer world cup or the olympics. Of course they are bound to be a bit partisan, are you saying RTE's commentators aren't?

Its a terrible shame the BBC don't have the rugby world cup...

dulpit · 20-08-2007 12:24pm

There's partisan and there's partisan... I think the problem was the guy they had, some welsh lad, he's a fool and a half...

Sangre · 20-08-2007 12:34pm

Assume you're talking abotu jonathon davies. He definitely is very one eyed when it comes to the Welsh game but I think, as a commentator, he has one of the best grasps of the game.

tHE vAGGABOND · 20-08-2007 12:53pm

I liked the biased commentry like that, davis is a legend of the game [union and league] and knows his stuff. He is involved with welsh rugby, so why not? 90%+ of the people watching that game will be from Wales, so why not tell them what they want to hear, and talk about the things that will interest them?

Woody does the *exact* same thing for our games

Nothing is more boring than the BBC soccer coverage where everyone is everyones friend and no one will say a bad thing against anyone..

Inquitus · 20-08-2007 12:54pm

Davies is so one eyed it's actually ridiculous, and gets on my tits. Theres nothing wrong with a bit of partisanship, he is Welsh after all, but he calls every possible minor Argentinian infraction as a penalty, half the time the slowmo shows nothing anyways, and he ignores every instance of Welsh ball killing etc etc

opa01_2000 · 20-08-2007 1:01pm

I think Woody is OK ( but maybe I'm biased). The worst of all is Brian Moore - he is terribly biased.

However, I would choose the Beeb over Sky for sport any day. Sky, with it's over the top reporting, really gets to me. Andy Gray and Chris Kamara seem to think to make a game more exciting (or less boring) they have to shout a bit louder and they then bring on the awfully bland Jamie Redknapp to sum up.

Some games which are truly awful they try to tell us were sensational....

daveirl · 20-08-2007 1:16pm

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zAbbo · 20-08-2007 1:40pm

Davies is mildly annoying, while Moore appears to be, he also calls it both ways, I've the Ireland v England game from Croker earlier this year, and he calls it as much for Ireland as he does England. He is English afterall, I actually find him alright

Barnes and Sky are probably the best, although Woods on BBC gives good insight, as well as their mid game snippets from Austin Healy who is surprisingly good at play-by-play analysis.

I also enjoy our own Ryle Nugent and whoever broadcasts with him

At the end of the day, I don't rely on commentators to tell me whats happening, and I don't get this whole XYZ is a biased/crap cnut rant and rave which appears here every second week.

RuggieBear · 20-08-2007 1:43pm

yeah Davies was particularly bad on Saturday.

but you've got to remember that at the end of the day all these guys are basically hired as their nation's cheerleaders.

Punchbowl · 20-08-2007 2:16pm

I sometimes cringe when Davies does his thing, but I'm sure the BBC know what they're doing.

Hearing him scream 'OFF!!' at one of the argentinians the other day made me laugh... quality entertainment from a quality idiot

ALH-06 · 20-08-2007 3:24pm

Dont think you can compare Woody to Davis. Woody at least pretends to be objective! Davis is a hell of a lot worse...

But the two of them together dont come close to Brian Moore! I cant stand that guy... Always watch England matches on RTE if they're on because BBC coverage is completely intolerable to anyone other than the most ardent, diluded English supporter.

I dont agree with the BB-style nationalistic pundits and commentators. Fair enough its what that nation's supporters want to hear but when did that become anything to do with quality sports coverage? Dire....

Inquitus · 20-08-2007 5:02pm

Brian Moore is great, if England are getting creamed, I often turn over to listen to him for the 2nd half if England, as they so often are recently, are getting stuffed while being uncreative and taking 20 phases to go back 15 yds. Particularly satisfying to listen to Guscott at these times aswell.

MGrah · 20-08-2007 5:19pm

I think there's a big difference between Wood and Moore on one side, and Davies on the other. I'd describe the difference as being partisan rather than biased (there might be no difference in the dictionary).

What I mean is that Wood and Moore will obviously favour one side but will still call a spade a spade.
Whereas Davies will blatently call every refereeing decision against Wales incorrect, and regularly want players sinbinned for nother etc.

Difference is Wood and Moore are partisan but can still see the wood (no pun intended), Davies's view is unfortunately obscured by all those trees.

buck65 · 20-08-2007 5:23pm

I hate the English too

is this what this is bcoming?
actually Ryle annoys me the most , i 'd prefer Marty Morrissey

zAbbo · 20-08-2007 6:34pm

Try reading all the posts, Buck.

Almost every commentary team is made up of one commentator and one ex-pro co-commentating.

They are paid for their views on whats happening, not on providing play-by-play updates.

Honestly don't know why people get so upset

ALH-06 · 20-08-2007 6:38pm

They are paid to provide expert and professional analysis of the match, that the average viewer will find helpful. Not cheerleading.

dc69 · 20-08-2007 6:55pm

if i saw jonathon davies i would kill him,no joke,he is in the top 3 of the people i hate most in the world,his biast view are just rediculous,as far as he is concerned wales are the best team in the world and if another team beats them its becuase they were either cheating or wales had a bad day,i dispise him,words dont even desribe my hatred

brian moore is also extremely biased but not as bad as davies and keith wood in my opinion calls a spade a spade and isnt biased or if he is it is tiny compared to the other clowns

Sandwich · 20-08-2007 8:14pm

People only ever complain about partisan commentators from countries otherthan their own. How often do you hear people complain about one being partisan towards their (the complainant's) team? Never.

Complaining about foreign partisan commentators is just partisan I think.;)

Hamo · 20-08-2007 8:57pm

Whilst I agree that Mr Davis certainly has a bias opinion he is commenting on behalf of the BBC to and too a UK audience, we on this side of the pond are a mere by the way.... however some of us are old enough to remember Davis playing and he was superb, so perhaps he can speak Wales up a little, not that it matters anyway....!!!

Brian Moore on the other hand is a complete and utter annoyance, he is so much of one opionion as completly one sided no matter what happens.

RTE have the best coverage,

remus808 · 20-08-2007 9:19pm

Hamo wrote:

RTE have the best coverage,

QTF. Their coverage is amazing!

And I mean come on: HOOK & POPE!

daveirl · 21-08-2007 8:36am

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Danie Gerber · 23-08-2007 1:28pm

No TV stations commentators are nearly as bad as Australia's ABC network's Gordon Bray and Jerry Collins. Man that's one-eyed if ever a commie was one-eyed!!

NotWormBoy · 23-08-2007 1:38pm

So long as you know they're being biased, its ok. I much prefer watching the BBC commentary (and the RTE analysis pre-mid-and-post match) - I actually swap between the two. Especially during England matches. Irish commentators are biased as well, Ryle goes nuts sometimes when Ireland score. Moore is partisan, of course, he is, but he does usually call it like it is - with a few exceptions. Example, during the England Ireland Croker game, he was continually going on about little things like BOD's "retaliation" and what the ref termed "dangerous" play by Grewcock... but if there was a situation when the ref penalised Ireland wrongly he'd come out and say it. I don't mind Moore too much, he loves England but then again he's English. It was quite satisfying listening to his reaction to the Boss try at Croke Park.

pred racer · 23-08-2007 4:41pm

I like davies, I can live with the partisan part, coz we all do that. plus he can have a laugh! I loved his comment before the last six nations when asked about englands chances, he turned to Woodie (with a big dirty grin on his face) and said "I hope England improve, as the celtic nations need someone to challange them this season" and the two of them fell about the place laughing. Classic:D with comments like that he can stay forever!

BBC's Rugby Coverage

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