Football should breathe easy, its armchair hegemony is stillsafe. The rugby authorities have proved once again that they are asgood at converting golden opportunities as Jonny Wilkinson is atmissing them.
And last week's shot at long-lasting glory was platinum-plated.They fluffed it, just like they always fluff it, with their eyes toofocused on the TV rights instead of the uprights, on the bottom lineinstead of the try-line. Alas, they may never get another chance.Indeed, they will not deserve one after succumbing to rabid short-termism.
The International Rugby Board's decision to charge pounds 6,500per clip of last Saturday's show-stopper was as predictable as itwas numbskulled. Instead of working towards an oval-balled future bybombarding viewers with Wilkinson's drop-goal, the square-headsconcentrated on the here and now, on pulling in as much money aspossible by ringfencing images that should have been everywhere.
So by Monday all we were seeing on the BBC bulletins were stillsof an event so dramatic it was fairly made for moving pictures. JohnLogie Baird must have wondered why he'd ever bothered.
The BBC, quite rightly, refused to be held to ransom, and otherchannels followed suit. All except ITV, bless them, who were at lastlaughing into a contract that had busted the bank but which nowgives them a full 12 months of clips with everything. The rest areleft with yesterday's newspapers.
But as ITV are still unsure how to handle rugby, it is littlewonder that an audience begging for more had to make do with thefeast the papers laid on. Yet again, television was put to shame byits print cousin, being so outpaced that the ink had dried on theplayer diaries quicker than their tears had. Fleet Street put on acommand performance of how to make the most out of history.
But on the medium that is supposed really to matter there wasnothing but the anodyne and the gut-churning. We had to wait untilFriday for the first meaty follow-up, and then it was a ghastly hot-pot of scraps masquerading as an in-depth profile of Wilkinson. Atleast this prime- time 'spectacular' served as another excuse forITV to reshow that most memorable of finales which we would allotherwise be in danger of forgetting.
It also served as a chance for ITV to try valiantly to'Wolstenholme' their match commentary, although I cannot envisage aquiz programme ever being named He's Got It! in honour of JohnTaylor's immortal words. Ian Robertson's Radio Five commentary wasfar more atmospheric, as were Rob Andrew's yelps in the background,and the BBC's move to put it out free on the internet was more thana mere sneeky swipe at the IRB's gross profiteering.
Meanwhile, Sky, the grossest profiteers of all, could not believetheir pluck. Having added the Heineken Cup to the Zurich Premiershipthey now have English club rugby videotaped up. It was impossiblenot to admire their cheek when their adverts asked: 'Think it's allover? It is now (unless you've got Sky Sports)'.
It is over for the millions of new rugby supporters who happen tobe undigitalised. It could prove the briefest, most frenzied loveaffair on record. After England's lap of honour against the NewZealand Barbarians at Twickenham next month, there will be a two-month hiatus of live rugby on terrestrial television until the SixNations, a void in which many will drift back to football orEastEnders.
It is easy to point the finger at the BBC here for ever allowingSky to steal the Heineken Cup from under their stuck-up noses, butreally we should be baffled at the rugby chiefs' continuingstupidity. Just what were the European Rugby Cup thinking inswitching the most-watched club competition in the world to achannel that will deliver less than a 10th of the audience?
Just like the IRB, they were thinking money, of course, of a fewmore quid today that may just bankrupt tomorrow. At this rate, agoose that promises so many golden eggs could be carved up byChristmas.##
