ITV's coverage

[Bullitt]

It's all identical to ITV's poofball WC coverage though, if you remember they were heavily biased to England back then also. It's the same withg their Formula 1 and Champions League coverage.

Unfortunately however, a lot of it is dopwn to Jim Rosentiel and all the football pundits/commentators who are involved; None of them will know anyone who's not English, nor will the script writers.

 

[I Bleed Black]

Well some people have to complain about everything...

At least it is free to air... In all parts of the UK. Whether its on ITV1 or ITV or regional channel - who cares as long as its on.

I just wish they have more post match interviews with players/coaches etc.

And by the way, ITV do an excellent job of streaming all games live on the internet. If you have trouble with Freeview, watch it on line!

 

[Sorp111]

Whatever channel it's on i am finding Murray Mexted (great player though he was) rather difficult to follow. He sounds like some random punter who has been dragged off the street to comment, given some tranquillisers and then instructed to come out with the most banal self evident comments possible. Some of his comments in the Ireland/Namibia game were almost worthy of Gazza's football world cup efforts.

 

[Substitute]

Tbh when compared to the last world cup the coverage this time is infinitely better. Asides from missing the start of an England game to shove in an extra ads, they seem to have done alright so far.

The problem is the personalities they've dragged in to commentate. Big name players don't make the best pundits necessarily, and Murray Mexted appears to be the worst.

But the worst is Jim Rosenthal. Obviously ITV's budget was blown paying the likes of the eternally boring Will Greenwood and so were left with exciting Jim at the helm, who is not suited to Rugby in the least. He asks no probing questions, he always wear a perplexed look. But at the end of the day it's the rugby that counts and so far it's been good.

 

[MontyJohnson]

ITV's coverage is really starting to get to me.

Jim Rosenthal is worse than the BBC's use of that Irish chap from Wish You Were Here. Either he has the personality of a dinner plate or he couldn't give two shits about rugby.

Whose idea was it to pay Martin Bayfield to be Presenter?

Apart from Francois Pienaar and Michael Lynagh the pundits are ****. The bloody adverts have limited them to about a line each and even then its about the England team.

I'm missing Johnathan Davies but Murry Mextead makes up for it with his randomness and player weight obsesions

But at least all the games are being shown.

Any ideas on who has the next world cup?.

 

[Bullitt]

the eternally boring Will Greenwood it's been good.
[/b]

Die

 

[An Tarbh]

Will Greenwood is a legend, is there anything this man is bad at, I doubt it.

As for Rosenthal he could learn a thing or two from Greenwood, his delerium over the performance today was bizarre to say the least and the obsession with Wilkinson was pathetic, you'd swear Johnno was ready to thump him.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Greenwood is quite simply a God. Perhaps THE God.

His reaction following England's win against Samoa was glorious, particularly his representation of how Barkley should be more vocal towards Wilkinson during the match. Perhaps it was Greenwood who actually made Wilkinson look good.



Only disappointment is that ITV don't seem to trust him to commentate on the really big matches. If they knew how popular he was, I'm sure they could find an excuse to chuck the ever terrible Stuart Barnes.

 

[shtove]

Pienaar is brilliant. Nothing to do with ITV. His jokey-jokey false modesty is slightly painful, but he spots the smart, crucial plays and analyses them brilliantly.

Greenwood is fine, but what the England studio set up needs is an Eamon Dunphy, the Millwall soccer player turned journalist, who supported Roy Keane through all his ups and downs and used to throw spectacular hissy fits on RTE whenever Ireland were playing. He had people glued to their screens all over the country during Italia '90, and he's still doing it.

But rugby types don't go in for that kind of thing. If you want to see how bad they get, watch UTV - still stuck in the '70s, with dull men droning on in their cheap suits in front of cardboard sets.

Brian Moore is the answer - the only one who shows passion. But he's on holiday ... squashing frogs in his hobnail boots.

 

[xxdansigxx]

The coverage is fine i mean it sure beats last times world cup...

It's just some of the commentators that are not very good quality, for example the welsh games, i mean scott quinell was a very good no8 but when it comes to charisma he falls short...

Just wish they would have paid Jonathan Davies to do some work for them...

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

What on earth is going on with ITV's advert links....a person with a painted face does a gymnastics move and then there is a random clip of a rugby player diving for the line then cut to a close-up of the painted-face person smiling at the camera.....I just don't get it.

 

[Prestwick]

Greenwood has been awesome, absolutely awesome. Has the jovial "I have no idea what I'm doing" way of commentating that only Murray Walker did and yet is so smart about Rugby and knows when and where to put this knowledge on the table.

In the studio, Pienaar is good and a very nice man to listen to, kind of like my old Gov & Politics lecturer. Sean Fitzpatrick however just sounds really, really greasy and sly, kind of like Tony Blair, my local Bank Manager, accountant and Estate Agent rolled into one devestatingly disgustingly untrustworthy package. And why is he holding his hands together like Mr Burns all the time?! Why?! It just makes him look even more sleazy!

 

[O'Rothlain]

What on earth is going on with ITV's advert links....a person with a painted face does a gymnastics move and then there is a random clip of a rugby player diving for the line then cut to a close-up of the painted-face person smiling at the camera.....I just don't get it.
[/b]

I whole-heartedly agree.
"Oh lovely, we're doing a new intro/outro thing? My daughter-in-law is a lovely facepainter for children's festivals, we could feature her work!"

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

I whole-heartedly agree.
"Oh lovely, we're doing a new intro/outro thing? My daughter-in-law is a lovely facepainter for children's festivals, we could feature her work!"
[/b]

Phew, glad it's not just me missing something painfully obvious.

I do like Greenwood's blatant dislike of Australia. To be commended & encouraged I'd say. Yo be fair to Will what exactly is his remit? The producers have plonked him on the touchline as some sort of roving reporter then ask him for his insight into the game...well given he has the worst view possible it's going to be difficult to meaningfully summarise the general play.

 

[mofo]

ITV are not interested in making Rugby available to the masses, they just saw the world cup as a chance to make some money by having a billion and one ads in the space of a hour and a half. This is further evidence by the minute analyisis allowed by the studio guests

 

[Black-Monday]

I think it has been a refreshing change from BBC's sometimes bland coverage, the gloss is there. However so are the adverts.

The Football commentators are ok, if a little eager to emphasise everything like it's do or die.

Puts skys coverage to shame, pity the commentators followed.

BM

 

[shtove]

<div class='quotemain'> What on earth is going on with ITV's advert links....a person with a painted face does a gymnastics move and then there is a random clip of a rugby player diving for the line then cut to a close-up of the painted-face person smiling at the camera.....I just don't get it.
[/b]

I whole-heartedly agree.
"Oh lovely, we're doing a new intro/outro thing? My daughter-in-law is a lovely facepainter for children's festivals, we could feature her work!"
[/b][/quote]

I like the bit where yer one tucks her chin in to her chest and goes twirling through the air like a drop kick on its way to the target. Apart from that, it all looks sort of French and unfathomable - but without the nipples.

 

[SimonTaylor]

Cant complain. Pienaar the best analyst Rosethal silky smooth

IMHO

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

I'll watch the match commentary on ITV but their studio analysis is drab and lacks any insight. Setanta are way ahead of them in that regard with Matt Williams (former Scotland coach) cutting right to the heart of the game, Emmitt Byrne (ex-Leinster and Ireland prop) delving into the technicalities of forward play, Neil Francis (rubbish player and journalist) offering an off-kilter perspective constantly, Andy Robinson looking, well, confused and Ciaran Fitzgerald (former Lions and Ireland captain) acting as cheerleader. They cover a wide spectrum of opinions rather than the ITV (and English punditry across sports in general) where nobody has an opinion and if they do, it's somebody like the unbelieveably dull Jamie Redknapp, idiotic Ian Wright or constantly bored Jeremy Guscott providing it. On Setanta debate is encouraged whereas on ITV, it's become little more than Jim Rosenthal's show of appreciation for Jonny Wilkinson.

 

[An Tarbh]

Yeah I particularly enjoyed his grilling of Eddie O'Sullivan, I bet he's not too pleased he let himself go through with those interviews, don't think any other coach would have.