Silence the razzmatazz, best tunes are on field
The Rugby Paper|July 12, 2020
When the new All Black captain Sam Cane and his fellow Chiefs reached halftime during last week’s painful Super Rugby Aotearoa defeat by the Hurricanes in Hamilton, they were serenaded down the tunnel by a blast of Don’t Stop Me Now, a song recorded, to the best of your columnist’s limited knowledge of glam rock, by Queen.
CHRIS HEWETT
Silence the razzmatazz, best tunes are on field

The choice of tune seemed just a little odd, for there had been precious little evidence in the first 40 minutes that Cane and company had actually started. Freddie Mercury’s lyrics were almost as irrelevant to the 20-3 deficit as his range of sequin-studded jockstraps, although the home side could certainly have used some of his energy.

All of which begged an important question about rugby’s love affair with “event packaging”– not just the prematch and post-match brands, but also the during-match variety. Namely: What is it for? Or to put the same query in a different way: Why bother?

Leaving aside Gloucester and Northampton, two well-supported clubs with a deep-grained suspicion of “entertainment add-ons”, it is difficult to think of a Premiership venue where the crowd is considered capable of lasting longer than 30 seconds without some form of non-rugby sensory sustenance.

Even in quietly prosperous Bath, where a Liberal Democrat fondue party is viewed as dangerously radical, the resident genius in the marketing department decided that the Recreation Ground atmosphere needed zapping up. Long gone are the polite, precisely articulated tones of Alastair Steel, an affable soul whose years on public address duty were notable for two things: the clarity of his team information and the complete absence of spluttering “come on you Bath” inanities.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 12, 2020-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 12, 2020-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE RUGBY PAPERAlle anzeigen
Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
The Rugby Paper

Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy

TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
South America look to keep on building
The Rugby Paper

South America look to keep on building

AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Scarratt excited by new pathway
The Rugby Paper

Scarratt excited by new pathway

ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Baxter: I want to make things better
The Rugby Paper

Baxter: I want to make things better

ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
The Rugby Paper

Pearce walks in his father's footsteps

PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
New England group will cause uncertainty
The Rugby Paper

New England group will cause uncertainty

SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Galthie turns his sights to the future
The Rugby Paper

Galthie turns his sights to the future

FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
The Rugby Paper

Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson

CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
The Rugby Paper

Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath

BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
The Rugby Paper

New faces take the plaudits for Saints

NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 03, 2024