Sport 360° comment: Six Nations finale is a real TV turn-off

Martyn Thomas 12:20 11/03/2014
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  • Fiasco: The Six Nations decider this weekend may render proceedings meaningless.

    Rugby fans should be gearing up for an exciting climax to one of the most open Six Nations in memory, but fixture scheduling could render Saturday’s action a damp squib.

    Following the weekend’s results, three teams – Ireland, England and France – go into the final round of action separated only by points difference. But by the time France host the Irish in what should be a winner-takes-all encounter to rival the dramatic finale served up between England and Wales in Cardiff 12 months ago – Les Bleus could be all-but out of contention.

    If England beat Italy by 20 or 30 points in Rome, a result they are more than capable of achieving, then Philippe Saint-Andre’s side would have to win by around 50 points to have any chance of lifting the trophy. The Irish may have a bad record in Paris but even so the hosts are entering the realm of fantasy.

    Moreover, a comfortable England victory in the early match could affect the hosts’ mentality meaning the Marseillaise might not sound so intimidating come kick-off in Saint Denis. If those in blue let their heads drop then the Irish are sure to take full advantage.

    No matter what the result in Rome, the men in green will be driven by the desire to give their talismanic captain Brian O’Driscoll the send off he deserves.

    To guarantee both teams have something to play for in Paris, therefore, the neutral must hope for a narrow England win, or worse, at the Stadio Olimpico. But if Saturday is about to turn into a procession, then there is only one place to look when apportioning blame – the Six Nations committee.

    They appear happy to allow teams to play on Friday nights, despite outcry from fans, but it doesn’t seem they have even thought about scheduling all of the final weekend’s games to be played at the same time. Such a move would ensure excitement levels remained high regardless of what was happening in Rome or Paris.

    Surely that is better than seeing the champions crowned before a ball has even been kicked, or scrum collapsed, as has happened in two of the previous four tournaments.

    Under the current set-up the only way to guarantee excitement on the last weekend of the championship is if the only two teams still vying for the title play each other in the final match.

    But there may well be 160 million reasons why the schedule will not change.

    The BBC paid that sum in sterling to ward off rivals Sky for exclusive UK rights in 2011 and would not want to harm their figures by broadcasting all games simultaneously. That would mean having to show at least one on digital TV, although that has never been a problem for their rivals at Sky whose football coverage comes alive on the final day of a closely contested season.

    And it is not just successful in the Premier League.

    Every major international football league has synchronised kick-offs, and while the sport may have arrived at them as a way to ward off corruption they have undoubtedly struck on a winning formula.

    The Six Nations and its broadcasters would do well to follow suit, otherwise the anti-climax that awaits in Paris may well become the norm.

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