42 replies to this topic

[Bleep1673]

I was unable to post my thoughts anywhere else so...

While it was nice of the BBC to show coverage of the France v Wales, but why was it on BBC2? & why wasn't it publicised more? I nearly missed it & it was only because my daughter stood on the remote & turned the TV over that I caught a glimpse at 52 mins.

Nice to see the other matches are being broadcast on BBC 1.

VERY odd comment from the BBC commentator about the replays, it was almost as if instant replays had never happened in a British Live Broadcast when he laughed and said "They love their replays don't they?", can we expect from the BBC the usual 2 camera broadcast next week when the English are at home? You know, wide angle for the play-the-ball, and close up for the tackle, no replays & Commentators hardly knowing who the players are, but knowing who their grandad was (a.k.a. Ray "erm" French).

[RIGGY]

Good coverage today and they are showing the Wales v England next week on BBC 2 (2-30PM) AND the England v France on Nov 3rd again at 2-30 with the final the following Sunday.

Riggy

[Bleep1673]

It's on BBC1 according to my TV Guide

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

The feed was from the French TV?!

[metallithrax]

Was good to see Eorl Crabtree not um'ing and erm'ing when he was talking (like most fairyballers do). Rugby League may be a very poor relation - money and attendance wise - to football, but from what (limited) interview stuff i've seen, RL players can talk a lot better than footballers (at least english footballers, the foreign ones seem to speak better than they do).

Then they spoke to Elima after the match, and he spoke better than most footballers.

[Ex-Kirkholt]

Was good to see Eorl Crabtree not um'ing and erm'ing when he was talking (like most fairyballers do). Rugby League may be a very poor relation - money and attendance wise - to football, but from what (limited) interview stuff i've seen, RL players can talk a lot better than footballers (at least english footballers, the foreign ones seem to speak better than they do).

Then they spoke to Elima after the match, and he spoke better than most footballers.

Yep - thought Eorl was very good - with his "individual look" and fluency he makes a good tv pundit.

+1

[Just Browny]

The collective French skills of the BBC team left a little to be desired when it came to buying a train ticket back to Lille at Lens station - fortunately help was at hand.

[Leeds Wire]

Was good to see Eorl Crabtree not um'ing and erm'ing when he was talking (like most fairyballers do). Rugby League may be a very poor relation - money and attendance wise - to football, but from what (limited) interview stuff i've seen, RL players can talk a lot better than footballers (at least english footballers, the foreign ones seem to speak better than they do).

Then they spoke to Elima after the match, and he spoke better than most footballers.

Yes, totally agree, it was great to see. Sky Sports take note...

[Wolford6]

One of the pundits that fans of my generation would most expect to be full of "ums and ers" would be Lee Crooks. In fact, whenever I've heard him, he's both articulate and analytical.

[Swansea Jack]

I too was impressed by Eorl Crabtree. Let's see more of him. RFL take note.

[FlattenedbyWard]

BBC coverage was great. Looked a decent crowd too given a non- League stronghold. The french have some great non-Dragons players too which wouldn't look out of place in the SL.
Game was good too with some great collisions a bit of biff and Bosc playing it off the cuff like a game of T+P.

[Mushy]

Really enjoyed the game and thought the BBC covered it quite well. Frizzell and Emmit to add to the Wales pack with Briers coming out of retirement and the World Cup should be good for them. Also the most joined up French performance I have seen for a while despite he errors. Bosc was class.

[philipw]

with Briers coming out of retirement and the World Cup should be good for them.

Eh?

[Mushy]

Eh?

Not at my most eloquent this morning! I think with a rest Briers will want to play in the World Cup, and with at least a couple more players Wales will look pretty decent. Frizzell has been massive for Cronulla, and Emmit is as solid as anyone.

[philipw]

Not at my most eloquent this morning! I think with a rest Briers will want to play in the World Cup, and with at least a couple more players Wales will look pretty decent. Frizzell has been massive for Cronulla, and Emmit is as solid as anyone.

Fair one....thought you meant he HAD come out of international retirement!

[Tre Cool]

I think the coverage was spot on. Not really a big enough game to warrant more publicity but covered well. Not Woods biggest fan but far better than French and Davies. Nobby's excellent.

[JohnM]

Briers has...well, he certainly was on the pitch enough to count as a player.

In fact, if he HAD been playing, he'd have made a real and positive difference, in my view. I would not be at all surprised if he does come out of international retirement and gets selected.

Yes Crabtree was good but I can't agree that RL players can talk a lot better than footballers ....(like most fairyballers do) Sure, there are some eloquent British RL players and in my view, if they are not already doing so, the RFL etc should be seeking them out and giving them media training and pushing them forward for interview. However, to many of them hide their light behind some exaggerated and almost incomprehensible Northern accent mumbling, some thing I never find in soccer players.

Edited by JohnM, 21 October 2012 - 09:25 AM.

[Tre Cool]

England captains always seem devoid of charisma on tv. Sinfield, Peacock, Judas....

[trakl]

For those of us desperate for French rugby league to recover some of its former glory - and who have been watching rugby league on the BBC for decades - to have any game from France broadcast live and in full in this country is something of a triumph. In, say, 30 years has this happened more than half-a-dozen times?

Like others on here, I enjoyed Crabtree's contribution and, I must say, McNamara's too.

I was disappointed only with the incessant reference by everyone (especially Noble) to France's forward pack being "big" - a forward pack missing "big" Ferriol and "big" Fakir and including the "big" (?) Mounis and "bigger" (!) Pelissier... as if being a rugby league forward means being "big" and absolutely nothing else.

I do wish also that Dave Woods - whom I like as a commentator - had made a "bigger" (it's catching) effort in terms of his preparation re. the pronunciation of French names eg. he kept rhyming the 2nd syllable of Barthau with "cow" while Noble insisted on rhyming it with "poo" - neither of which is correct.

As for the game itself, I enjoyed the ferocity and relentless commitment but thought that the back-line plays were bereft of fluency and were rather pedestrian and telegraphed - for the first 30 minutes Bosc looked as if he had passed his prime by about 5 years...

The attendance was not bad but for the most part the only noise coming through the TV screen consisted of "move!" and "big" - thankfully the ground announcer appeared to know how to help generate some atmosphere.

French rugby league is capable of providing a vibrant, colourful and partisan backdrop and, with the best will in the world, yesterday's match fell short on that score.

[roughyedspud]

i think mark chapman is a excellent host......i think he's gonna get the bbc RL gig now clare balding has jumped ship to channel 4