Rugby League BackChat - sponsored by TotalRL.com - Watch weekly on FreeSports TV

[John Drake]

Just a bit of a reminder that the new series of Rugby League BackChat, now sponsored by TotalRL.com, starts on FreeSports this Thursday, 1st March at 6pm.

Hosted by Dave Woods, this week's guests are Martyn Sadler (Editor of League Express), Danny Lockwood (Publisher of League Weekly) and Chris Irvine (The Times & Sunday Times).

FreeSports is available on Freeview (Ch 95) and a variety of other platforms including Sky, FreeSat, TalkTalk and BT, check their website at https://www.freesports.tv/ for details.

We will be adding each episode to TotalRL.com after broadcast (not entirely sure of the timescale on that yet, watch this space) so it can be viewed online by anyone, anywhere, so there's no excuse not to watch it, and we will be asking questions so pay attention!

[Oxford]

Danny Chuffin' Lockwood what's that all about?

 

How about young, fresh and with a non-Northern accent? Surely there must be someone who fits these easy criteria who likes TGG and can talk about it without the usual miserable overtones of someone from the mosque ate my gerbil school of jounalism. When Schoey looks like a better alternative you know your sports in trouble!

[Scubby]

I agree if would be good to see some new faces on there - people like Matt Smith, Jonathan Liew, James Deighton and Aaron Bower. I do enjoy the format and will be watching.

[Oxford]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

I agree if would be good to see some new faces on there - people like Matt Smith, Jonathan Liew, James Deighton and Aaron Bower. I do enjoy the format and will be watching.

Couldn't agree more ..... the ones you mentioned, accents, age, street cred? JUST WONDERED!

[Scubby]

5 minutes ago, Oxford said:

Couldn't agree more ..... the ones you mentioned, accents, age, street cred? JUST WONDERED!

I don't really know their accents but they certainly have many years ahead in the media. Smith and Deighton are accomplished RL broadcasters and Bower and Liew write some genuinely insightful and objective pieces about the game in the national press. Gareth Walker and Tanya Arnold are others but Walker does get an outing once in a blue moon.

Irvine has become tiresome with his sighs and moans about the game. As I said, it is great to get it on Freesports. Fair play to TotalRL.com for sponsoring. It is easy just to pick up the phone to the usual suspects however.

[John Drake]

There will be different people on each week.

It's on for 30 weeks.

That's an opportunity for a lot of different people to be on!

Worth bearing in mind, though, not everyone would want to do it, even if asked (eg, I didn't want to do it when I was editor of Rugby League World).

Also worth posting suggestions on who you'd like to see on Back Chat in future on here. You never know who might turn up!

[Spidey]

I think you should get Parksider on

[John Drake]

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I think you should get Parksider on

Be careful what you wish for...

[DavidM]

I’m just glad it’s on . It’s a rare bit of RL programming and tv chat nowadays 

[Scubby]

16 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I think you should get Parksider on

Have you ever seen Parky and Chris Irvine in the same place?

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

There will be different people on each week.

It's on for 30 weeks.

That's an opportunity for a lot of different people to be on!

Worth bearing in mind, though, not everyone would want to do it, even if asked (eg, I didn't want to do it when I was editor of Rugby League World).

Also worth posting suggestions on who you'd like to see on Back Chat in future on here. You never know who might turn up!

For starters, Tony Collins when you have an issue due to be discussed that includes an obvious, historical perspective, Padge from on here for the same reason (but obviously I don't know how well he speaks spontaneously, in public), and, to discuss Anglo-French contact, an authority from France with adequate command of English to make a worthwhile contribution, so either an Englishman resident over there (eg Mike Rylance or Gordon Derbyshire) or a suitably bilingual Frenchman, somebody articulate who could talk about Cubrian rugby (not sure who, perhaps Steve Szostak, ex CEO of Britain's Energy Coast and dad of Alex).

Don't mind what accent people have; it's oral articulacy in spontaneous conversation that is the key asset for this sort of programme.

 

[Wirral Warrior]

Good news that it is back. Dave Woods is a consummate professional and even when being critical he exudes confidence and positivity. Agree they need to feature more contributors , particularly those who don't always get a platform.

The agenda should focus more about the game, the players , form, tactics etc. Too many forums including the local Radio Stations now just revert to endless speculation about politics - structures , finances , governance. To the outsider it would appear that the sport is too inward looking with no confidence or belief in the merits of the sport.

In football you never hear constant and boring opinions on re-structuring options - they talk about THE GAME.!

Hope Back Chat doesn't fall into that trap.

[Oxford]

9 minutes ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

Don't mind what accent people have

Nor me but it is much better for illustrating the appeal of the game if the guest is unquestionably "not Northern" and if they're younger that it's not just a game watched by OAPs ....... in fact the wider the social mix the better.

As opposed to the usual suspects who represent the rather small social-group - the interminably miserable, eternally negative and terminally Northern. All they need is Will Hay and they have a nap hand!

 

 

[John Drake]

8 minutes ago, Wirral Warrior said:

To the outsider it would appear that the sport is too inward looking with no confidence or belief in the merits of the sport.

In football you never hear constant and boring opinions on re-structuring options - they talk about THE GAME.!

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but, perhaps (sadly) that's just a true reflection of the way things are in Rugby League?

Football doesn't restructure as often as Rugby League does, maybe that's why they don't feel the need to talk about it so much?

[Oxford]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

There will be different people on each week.

It's on for 30 weeks.

That's an opportunity for a lot of different people to be on!

Worth bearing in mind, though, not everyone would want to do it, even if asked (eg, I didn't want to do it when I was editor of Rugby League World).

Also worth posting suggestions on who you'd like to see on Back Chat in future on here. You never know who might turn up!

Really glad to hear this John,

[John Drake]

Totalrl.com’s sponsorship of RL Back Chat ready to roll

http://www.totalrl.com/totalrl-coms-sponsorship-rl-back-chat-ready-roll/

[Oxford]

"Topics covered today include a review of the start of the Super League season at all levels of the game, a look back to the World Club Challenge and the visit of Wigan and Hull FC to Australia, the rise of the London Broncos, England’s forthcoming game in Denver, the apparent dispute between Super League and the Championship and League 1 clubs and the likelihood of the Hearns’ Matchroom Sports organisation getting involved in the promotion of the game. "

Looks good!

[Graham]

Hopefully as above plus a touch of NRL which starts in about a week's time.

[Gerrumonside ref]

What does everyone think so far?

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

What does everyone think so far?

Excellent 

[Gerrumonside ref]

I think the fact it is not on Sky or BBC is allowing everyone to stick their neck out when having their say.

Thst makes for proper entertaining debate.

[paulwalker71]

Caught the last 25 minutes and thought it was good

I'm going to be making a note to watch it regularly 

[Charlie RL]

My Freeview does not show channel 95 or Freesport.  Makes me grumpy. 

[John Drake]

6 minutes ago, Charlie RL said:

My Freeview does not show channel 95 or Freesport.  Makes me grumpy. 

Try retuning/rescanning the channels. My Freeview TV hadn’t been rescanned for ages (I usually use Virgin Media) and it wasn’t showing FreeSports either, but it showed up after the rescan.

[Yosser]

Following on from some of the posters above on the theme of guests and accents, I'd like to see former Backchat guest Lionel Hurst (ex All Golds Chairman) invited back. He is so not the RL stereotype it's almost surreal watching him talk so knowledgeably about RL.

In particular I'd like to hear his opinion of the demise of the All Golds and what he thinks of the chances of Bristol getting off the ground.