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Friday 29 June 2007
RugbyWA Chief Executive Peter O’Meara has expressed his disappointment at Channel Seven Perth’s decision to broadcast Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match at 10.30pm (WST), four and a half hours after its kick-off.
The annual clash between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks is one of the highlights of the rugby calendar and always a compelling spectacle, even more so in a Rugby World Cup year.
While Channel Seven viewers in Sydney and Brisbane will watch the game ‘live’, WA sports fans will have to wait until the conclusion of the Great Outdoors, Great Comedy Classics and the Saturday night movie.
Mr O’Meara said Channel Seven prided itself on its comprehensive and up-to-date sports coverage but, by broadcasting such an important game three hours after the final siren and well into Saturday night, the network was letting down local sports fans.
“I don’t know what it says about how seriously Seven takes it sport but it’s certainly disappointing for those West Australians who can’t afford Pay TV and want to watch a world-class match at a reasonable hour,” he said.
“We have been inundated by phone calls and emails from sports fans expressing their frustration. We could understand Seven delaying the broadcast if it clashed with an AFL match…but Great Comedy Classics?? It’s just not funny!”
He said RugbyWA had raised its concerns about scheduling before the start of the domestic Test series but no changes had been made.
“Next week, the Wallabies play the South African Springboks, one of the favourites for the Rugby World Cup, and Channel Seven Perth is planning to broadcast that game at an even later time,” O’Meara said.
“The popularity of the Emirates Western Force shows there is strong support for top-class rugby in this State and a recent independent survey indicates more than a third of WA’s population has at least an interest in rugby,” he said.
“I think it’s time Seven Perth caught up…for the sake of WA’s sports fans.”
The Fox Sports coverage of the match begins at 5pm (WST), an hour before kick-off.
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