Tag: URC

URC 2022/23: 7 to Watch

URC 2022/23: 7 to Watch

We are now just days away from the return of the URC. The debut season of the new league was a roaring success and the new season, kicking off on Friday evening as Benetton host Glasgow, will surely even be more exciting.

And so with jut days to go, there is only one thing that remains: my look at all the players who have moved clubs this summer and selection of 7 players who I think we should be keeping an eye on this season. And as usual, we have a nice blend of domestic transfers and new arrivals to the league…

Marcus Watson

Not my original pick of Benetton’s new signings as I was going to look at Alessandro Garbisi, however with the announcement that Monty Ioane has been released from his contract, the acquisition of Marcus Watson suddenly goes from being a great signing to a crucial signing. The former England 7s star and Olympic silver medallist has impressed in the 15s game for years with Newcastle and Wasps, and I can only assume that he was one of the many casualties of the reduced salary cap in the Premiership, but I expect him to thrive in the URC. He may have lost a little pace from his prime but is still more than fast enough, while his years of top flight experience will be vital as Benetton push for a Champions Cup spot.

Sio Tomkinson

It’s a new name for Dragons RFC and (hopefully) a new and more successful start. Well the signing of Sio Tomkinson from the Highlanders certainly feels like a step in the right direction. Tomkinson is a highly physical centre who, at 26, should be in his prime years. The former New Zealand U20 will have a key role to play in a team that has not qualified for the top tier of European Cup competition since the 2010/11 season, helping to set and organise the defence, while using his hard running to create space out wide for the wings.

Malakai Fekitoa

Tomkinson isn’t the only former Highlanders centre joining the league this year as Malakai Fekitoa makes the journey from Coventry to Limerick. With Damian de Allende leaving, there wouldn’t have been many replacements of the same quality available but Munster managed to find one as they look to rebuild under Graham Rowntree. A solid and dependable all-rounder, the former All Black and now Tongan international will be looking to provide an X-factor that will help the province compete with Leinster.

Vaea Fifita

The second former All Black to leave Wasps for the URC this summer, Fifita is one of many who tried and failed to secure the All Blacks 6 shirt since Jerome Kaino left New Zealand, but that does not mean that he is not a talented player. Has transitioned from blindside flanker to lock over the years, creating a dynamic option in the Scarlets tight five with solid handling skills. New World Rugby eligibility laws could make this signing interesting, as he is now eligible for Tonga, so have the Scarlets signed someone who will be an ever-present, or someone who will be absent during international windows?

Vincent Tshituka

Considering the Sharks have also signed Eben Etzebeth and Rohan Janse van Rensburg, this may seem like an odd pick, but such is the potential of Tshituka. One of the few players to stand out for the Lions against the British & Irish Lions, Tshituka is a hard-hitting, dynamic loose forward and one of the new generation of impressive loose forwards coming through in South African rugby. With the Bulls and Stormers facing off in last season’s final, Tshituke is the kind of player who can help the Sharks be even more dangerous this season, while also giving them a true talent to build around in the future.

Josh Furno

It’s been all change at Zebre Parma this summer, with 21 players leaving and 22 arriving. One of the most recent of the 22 is my pick here, Melbourne-born Italian international lock Josh Furno., who returns to the club he played for in the 2016-2017. A journeyman whose list of former clubs includes Newcastle, Biarritz, Otago, San Diego Legion and most recently Union Sportive Bressane (Bourg-en-Bresse), Furno brings years of experience, including 37 caps for the Azzurri. With such a turnover of playing staff, such experience will be crucial to help the suad gel quickly and effectively in a competitive league.

Byron Ralston

This time last year, Irish-qualified Australian Mack Hansen was preparing to make his competitive debut for Connacht after a summer move from the Brumbies, and we all know how well the last 12 months have turned out for him. Well Connacht will be hoping that lightning strikes twice as this summer sees 22-year-old Irish-qualified Australian wing Byron Ralston arrive from Western Force. A real speedster whose chance came when COVID saw the return of the Force to top-flight competition in Super Rugby AU, which led to a place in Super Rugby Pacific. While a repeat of Hansen’s first season feels unlikely given the depth Ireland have on the wing, don’t be shocked to see Ralston become a regular starter at The Sportsground.

Which new signings are you most looking forward to watching?

Thanks for reading!

Priced Out

Priced Out

Last week, Premiership Rugby announced a new streaming service called PRTV Live, which will allow fans to stream and watch all Premiership Rugby games live, starting this coming weekend. As the pilot kicks off, it is £4.99 to watch a game of your choice or £6.99 for a full round.

Will I be paying for this service? No. Why? I’m already paying for BT Sport to be able to watch Premiership Rugby. Sadly, for one reason or another, the broadcaster makes the decision to only broadcast a couple of the games each week—basically the Saracens, Exeter and Harlequins matches, a Friday Night Lights game and maybe one more match—and not even that many when there is international rugby on, such as the Six Nations. Sadly it’s not just the Premiership where BT Sport choose to deny their audience, as BT Sport also hold the broadcasting rights to both the European Rugby Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup, but while they endeavour to show all of the Champions Cup, you’re lucky to see more than a handful of Challenge Cup matches broadcast all season.

Sadly in a time when rugby should be trying to reach new audiences and grow, it feels like it is getting harder and harder for people to watch. The men’s Six Nations is split between BBC and ITV. The women’s tournament may hit the BBC red button if you’re lucky. Premiership Rugby is on BT Sport or PRTV Live, with the occasional match and a highlights show recently added to ITV. The URC is on Premier Sports (which doesn’t even come into the most expensive Sports packages for most TV set-ups) with some games on BBC Wales or S4C, while the Top 14 and a number of internationals are also exclusive to the broadcaster. Premier 15s (the top flight women’s league in England) gets 1 game on the BBC red button per round. Sky Sports used to be the home of rugby but their offerings have dwindled over the years, losing the Premiership, then the precursors to the URC, stopping broadcasts of the Championship and now most recently losing broadcast rights for SANZAAR competitions, which has led to the loss of Super Rugby and left Southern Hemisphere Test matches in a position that I am currently unsure where I stand as a fan. Super Rugby is now found through a SANZAAR streaming platform. A season pass that will allow you to watch all 91 matches during the tournament costs £49.99, while a season pass for the Rugby Championship will be available later in the year.

As a big sports fan, I have shelled out for BT Sport and Sky Sports, but I am now finding my love of rugby unsatiated, and I’m sure that I’m in a much better financial position than many other fans. Granted I didn’t purchase the channels just for rugby, but that was a damn big reason!

Rugby is still a very small sport in global terms. That’s half the reason why rugby fans can be so happy about a rugby game even when it has just a couple of licences and looks like it was made for consoles that have aged out years ago despite the game only releasing at the end of January. If rugby wants to grow as a sport, it should be making the sport more accessible to potential new fans, and yet if anything, it is hiding the sport behind a paywall that will push away both potential new fans and die-hard fans who just want to watch as much rugby as they can.

Right now, the only competition who feels like they are getting this right is the MLR, whose games can all be streamed for free on The Rugby Network.