From the moment I
stepped onto the bus heading to the BT Sport studio for Rugby Tonight, I knew I
was in for a treat. Olney RFC had
hijacked the radio and were singing all the way. With coach loads of rugby supporters turning
up to participate as the audience, the atmosphere was bound to be electric for
this exciting highlight of the week.
The lean, mean,
rucking machine, James ‘The Hass’ Haskell, was welcomed into the studio by an
almighty roar from the audience and he certainly didn’t fail to impress, giving
several female members of the audience a very sincere kiss –
No James, it’s not
Take Me Out!
The
self-proclaimed ‘Archbishop of Banterbury’ was in for a revelation if he
thought heading to the studio to be met by BT Sport’s five International
Players turned presenters would be an easy ride. They don’t pull their punches these
guys. There were bound to be a few
surprises along the way.
Lawrence Dallaglio
threw the first curved ball, stirring twitter into action with the ‘caption
competition’ for Haskell’s spray tan.
The response on
Twitter was hilarious, with no other than David Strettle jumping onto the
banter bandwagon with,
‘Spray gun for the Abs and a shotgun for the
face.’ Ouch!! This had us all chortling.
But the best by
far was a suggestion that James' audition to play Austin in "Splash! The
Movie". Would he get the part?
Having highlighted
Sam Burgess move from Rugby League to Rugby Union and the mention of Wilson
replacing Dan Cole in the England Squad, It was the moment we were all looking
forward to, James trying his luck at the Smash-o-meter!.
He took off his
blazer to prepare for the hit and surely it was certain to rival Lawrence’s
brutal result of 101, but did it?
No - it was
nowhere near! Whether it was the effect
of ‘Stampgate’ from the episode at the weekend, he scored just 62 and 69
respectively, leaving him looking not so much the ‘Haskellator’ more the
‘Masquerader’. As we all looked to the
scoreboard, it put the ‘Archbishop of Banterbury’ to shame, especially when an
Olney RFC player hit 72, with Lawrence Dallaglio leading the scoreboard at 101
to date.
Audience participation in the demonstrations
is definitely one of my favourite elements of the show: And a rucking masterclass from the very best
was definitely worth the wait.
James Haskell
lived up to his reputation tonight but I was slightly disappointed by his lack
of gas to take down the tackle bag - all show no go?
His nutritional
tips and insight however were invaluable and it’ll be interesting to see how
Martin Bayfield progresses, taking on the challenge to follow James Haskell’s
diet.
Speaking as a
rugby fan, there is absolutely nothing like Rugby Tonight on TV. It's impressive to see how some of the
legends of the game have made the natural and professional transition to TV
presentation .......with a rapport and banter to rival any top rated TV
show.
The whole
programme brings together lovers and participants of rugby union, up and down
and the country, professional and amateur alike.
It is compelling
viewing; edgy, constructive, topical and informative. There is something for
everyone, served up with a great dollop of camaraderie, fun and good
humour.
With the
Northampton Saints special being shown next Wednesday at 8pm, which player
would you like to see hit the Smash-o-meter?
I’ll go with Samu
Manoa!