Cape Town – Pay-channel SuperSport has responded after Western Province and Lions fans were upset that their teams’ Currie Cup games will not be shown live this weekend.
Scheduling of games in the premier all-domestic competition has been affected by the clash on Saturday with the Rugby Championship Test between the Springbok and Wallabies at Newlands (17:05 kickoff), meaning that two Currie Cup games are down for Friday and another pair on Saturday.
Log-leaders WP face a perilous away match against the fourth-placed Pumas at their Mbombela Stadium fortress – where they are undefeated – on Friday night (19:00), but the televised game at 19:10 will instead be the clash between the Free State Cheetahs and the struggling Blue Bulls.
The same applies to the second-placed Golden Lions, who go into battle at another potential “banana peel” venue, Kimberley, against Griquas – their match on Saturday (15:00) also takes place without live television cameras present.
Instead the televised Currie Cup fixture on the day is the third-placed Sharks against the wooden-spoon, winless EP Kings (14:00, in time to allow an hour or more afterwards of build-up coverage to the Test).
SuperSport has subsequently released a statement explaining their decision to not broadcast the two top-ranked teams in the competition’s matches.
The statement reads:
“SuperSport is unable to broadcast tonight’s Currie Cup fixture between Western Province and the Pumas, but will broadcast highlights on the Blitz channel from early on Saturday morning.
“Logistically, Test match weekend necessitates that SuperSport can only broadcast two Currie Cup games and a single First Division match on the same weekend. The Springboks play Australia at Newlands on Saturday.
“Notwithstanding the appeal of the WP-Pumas match, broadcast selections are made at the start of the season – to enable planning, bookings, etc, well in advance – and preference was given to the traditional rivalry of the Bulls against the Cheetahs (SS1, 19:10 on Friday) in this instance. SuperSport ensures that teams enjoy an equal distribution of TV time.
“SuperSport cannot carry the entire round of Currie Cup action live because the bulk of resources are dedicated to the Test match, chiefly cameras (16), production staff and Outside Broadcast units.
“Other live local broadcasts this weekend include four PSL football fixtures, a First Division Currie Cup game (as per contract) and two full days of basketball, all of which require production facilities and staff.
“Saturday’s Sharks-Kings match will be broadcast live (SS1, 14:00), but the Griquas-Lions match is, like WP-Pumas, similarly affected by the Test match’s production demands.
However, highlights will be broadcast on the Blitz channel on Sunday morning.”
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Currie Cup: Round 8 – No TV coverage for the cream of the crop
The top two teams thusfar in the 2014 ABSA Currie Cup – Western Province and the Golden Lions – have sidestepped SuperSport’s television coverage for Round 8 this weekend.
Scheduling of games in the premier all-domestic competition has been affected by the clash on Saturday with The Castle Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and Wallabies at Newlands (17:05 SA Time kick-off), meaning that two Currie Cup games are down for Friday and another pair on Saturday.
Log-leaders WP face a perilous away match against the fourth-placed Pumas at their Mbombela Stadium fortress – where they are undefeated – on Friday night (19:00 SA Time), but the televised game at 19:10 will instead be the clash between the Free State Cheetahs and Blue Bulls.
It is far from an irrelevant encounter, given that it affects the chase for semi-final berths and that the Blue Bulls will almost certainly be buried as last-four prospects if they lose in Bloemfontein.
But many fans of WP, traditionally well supported countrywide, and the Nelspruit-based surprise packages this season will be disappointed not to see their meeting, higher up in the table pecking order, overlooked.
The same applies to the second-placed Lions, who go into battle at another potential “banana peel” venue, Kimberley, against Griquas – their match on Saturday (15:00 SA Time) also takes place without live television cameras present.
Instead the televised Currie Cup fixture on the day is the third-placed Sharks against the wooden-spoon, winless EP Kings (14:00 SA Time), in time to allow an hour or more afterwards of build-up coverage to the Test).
A SuperSport spokesperson confirmed the scheduling status quo earlier this week; the official listings had not been altered by Thursday.
Kings in need of revenue?
@ Scrumdown:
Ha ha, they need more than that. Seems like this weekends CC coverage is a mixture of rugby and reach for a dream, the less privileged getting their moment in the sun.
Don’t worry SD, when it’s time for the final they have to show our teams 😉
@ nortierd:
@ Scrumdown:
Well, at least you can see how the Blue Bulls get humiliated again. That should count for something. I know a lot of wp supporters that won’t miss that for anything.
@ leon:
The joke is on them, they still have to watch the game.
3 @ leon:
I’m still upset with the Bulls after their stupid loss last week
Actually surprised that WP did not get airtime, as they are the blue eyed team of Supersport.
@ Lion4ever:
The Pumas WP game would be worth a watch, both sides keen on running, would have been more entertaining than the Bulls and Cheetahs IMO.
Likewise the Lions v Kwas would be much better to watch than the Kings
I wonder what the travel arrangements are like? These games probably get planned well in advance, It is unfair that the Pumas lose out in another live match so soon.
@ MacroBok:
Agree, they could have shown both games on different channels, both on Friday and Saturday.
Wouldn’t be the first time they have done something like that
@ nortierd:
Do they have 2 vans? 4 vans? 5 vans?
@ nortierd@5:
Yes, me too. Now the Sharks are world beaters again. Everybody must watch out, they are on the rise. He he
@ MacroBok:
They will probably get bobby and Toks to commentate on the game, just to get the wp perspective.
@ MacroBok:
They use trucks for the broadcast, more than enough to go around if they wanted.
11 @ leon:
@ nortierd:
Vans, trucks whatever lol
12 @ leon:
Bobby and Pearce will be at Newlands for the main attraction.
They will probably send whiskey breath to Bloem and use cheap labour in the form of Capistagno in Durban
MacroBok wrote:
N van is n ding waarmee mens dronk gatte polisie stasie toe ry 😆
@ nortierd:
Well if pearce is at newlands there is no point in broadcasting the PW game anyway, he has monopoly on that shit
Lion4ever wrote:
They are the most supported team in the country and therefore we should not be surprised that the supersport commentators also prefer them.
There’s something about WP
Now here is a great song for next week’s pub night….
19 @ nortierd:
Tomm Catt, Mike’s (Of England and Jonah Lomu fame) older brother?
@ nortierd:
Vark in hell Nortie.
You must have searched for that shyte video for nearly as long as the SA National coach has searched for a decent 9, 10, 12 combination!
At least you managed to get it right eventually. The question is, will HM?
@ Scrumdown:
Ha ha
If you look up cringeworthy in the dictionary I’m sure a photo of Tomcatt will appear 😆
@ nortierd:
as they would say in Lancashire, “Appen, aye appen.”
Got to shoot.
Expecting a call from the Land of the Long White Cloud. A Kiwi has offered me gainfull employment so need to hear what he’s putting on the table.
Next stop Feilding? (Rugger team could be as shyte as the Lions!)
@ Scrumdown:
Wow, great stuff.
Good luck, hope it comes through and if it’s worth the while, make the move.
Fantastic
Who the hell cares about basketball?
Crap excuse, if they have cameras to film so that they can show highlights, then they could have used SS 5,6 or 7 to show the one match live and the other on SS1.
As seen in Poena is Koning ” %*& sokker en dubbele }%# basket ball”
@ nortierd:
Calm down Nortie,
“Notwithstanding the appeal of the WP-Pumas match, broadcast selections are made at the start of the season – to enable planning, bookings, etc, well in advance”
It makes perfect sense.
I also suspect the highlights will be from one or 2 cameras, however…
How does this effect TMO decisions?
I am also 100% sure that the production that goes into a Test match is considerably more than would in a Currie Cup match.
I know people are upset their beloved Pw wont be on tv, but pre season, PW vs Pumas would clearly not have been top bill, it only came in the last few weeks that in hindsight it will be the better game to watch… but now they would need another “truck” in Nelspruit as well.
@ nortierd:
@ MacroBok:
just ole nortemo @work, with the emphasis on the EMO-bit 🙂
must be a “lekka deng” fing … 🙂
@ Angostura:
Hehe, jip SS boradcasts 23 WP/ Stormers games in a row and miss one because of the Springboks and now they are useless 😀
Our resident Emo-Boy haha
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