ITV announces their on-air talent for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Headlines for me:
A change-up in presenters with Craig Doyle and Martin Bayfield absent for the first time since 2007. Jill Douglas, David Flatman and Hugh Woozencroft, all ITV Rugby regulars, will join Mark Pougatch. Bayfield is not mentioned at all after being the pitchside reporter for every England Six Nations game shown on ITV, so not sure if there is an issue with TNT Sports there; of TNT's other rugby hosts, Orla Chennaoui lives in Amsterdam so might no be available for all matches that are during the RWC, Craig Doyle has shifts on This Morning and Sarra Elgan is working on the RWC with S4C, so maybe Bayfield is last host standing for TNT in a way so won't be available for ITV.
Commentary comes from Nick Mullins, Miles Harrison, Johnnie Hammond, Martin Gillingham and Claire Thomas. So Simon Ward absent for the first time in a long time with Hammond and Thomas ITV RWC debutants. Although there was no indiciation it would happen, I'm slightly sad that Jon Champion will not feature now that he back living in the UK and he did the 2007 and 2015 events for ITV. Mullins and Harrison two of the best commentators around and are always great company, Hammond and Gillingham are decent lower order commentators and Thomas will be the first woman to be a lead commentator for a men's RWC in the UK on TV.
As previously mentioned, no Martin Bayfield in the reporting ranks, as Gabriel Clarke, Lee McKenzie and Topsy Ojo are named. This will be Lee McKenzie's debut on ITV Rugby, having previously appeared as a reporter for the BBC and presented Channel 4's rugby coverage; she has presented ITV's coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, though I don't think ITV have much say in that programme.
To pundits, new names include Greig Laidlaw, Philippa Tuttiett, John Barclay, Tom Shanklin and Sergio Parisse. Barclay is rapidly coming one of my favourite rugby experts through his previous work on the BBC and Amazon; Parisse will be making his punditry debut but I think will be a great addition and Laidlaw has been doing some punditry during the last few years in Japan. The full list:
Jonny Wilkinson, Maggie Alphonsi, Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts, Brian O'Driscoll, Greig Laidlaw, Philippa Tuttiett, Bryan Habana, Sir Clive Woodward, Rory Best, John Barclay, Sergio Parisse, Gareth Thomas, George Gregan, Sir Ian McGeechan, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Sean Fitzpatrick; Ben Kay, Ugo Monye, Shane Williams, Scott Hastings, Tom Shanklin, Gordon D’Arcy and Nolli Waterman.
I think from the below the studio is in France. Good to see that a referee pundit has been included too. JP Doyle was a great referee in the English game that really should have had a better chance in the international appointements before he left England for the US. The last week or so has certainly proved that a full understnading of the laws and their interprations are needed!
Quote:For the tournament ITV have designed an interactive studio set in the UK that allows the pundits to demonstrate physical analysis in the programmes, creating the platform for some of rugby’s biggest names to bring viewers fresh perspectives and insights into the sport. The augmented reality set will also feature a balcony area overlooking traditional Parisian scenes for presentation purposes. A world-class former referee, JP Doyle, will also be on standby to help unpick the very latest rule changes and give an insight into how they work in reality.
And finally, to the worst part of all. ITV's title theme will be Édith Piaf's 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'. They will regret not using World In Union! The 2019 world feed intro ditched World in Union and I can't see any mention of an official version for 2023, so it looks like for the first time since the first edition in 1987, World in Union will be absent. Not sure why everyone has decided to retire such an iconic anthem and I'm rather despondent by that.
www.itv.com
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