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Luatua to make history by wearing 'Player Mic' for the first time

Steven Luatua of Bristol Bears looks on during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby at Ashton Gate on December 02, 2023 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

Bristol Bears flanker Steven Luatua will become the first ever player to wear a ‘Player Mic’ tomorrow when Bristol Bears take on Bath at Ashton Gate in the Gallagher Premiership.

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TNT Sports announced on Thursday that the new technology would be unveiled in the derby match, and Bears captain Fitz Harding has chosen the former All Blacks, now Samoa international, to be the player to make history and wear it during the match.

Harding will start alongside Luatua in the back row, and chose the 32-year-old as the candidate as he has an “encyclopaedic knowledge” of the game, which viewers will be able to tune into throughout the match.

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      “I think the breaks in play are probably the most interesting points where players are able to give slightly more detailed feedback on how they’re seeing the game,” Luatua said, as reported by TNT Sports.

      “From my perspective, as a young back-rower sitting at home, I’d want to hear every single word that was coming out of Steven Luatua’s mouth, because he’s got an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and anything that you pick up is valuable there.

      “As a young player or young coach watching the game, a focus on the basics, how you exploit space, how you read an attack, those real key cornerstones of the game need focus.”

      Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam added: “We have a genuine responsibility because we’re in an entertainment business to try and get the game as close to the fans and supporters as possible.

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      “As a club, we’re open to any innovation, so when they mentioned it to us, we said: ‘No problem.’

      “I’ll actually be really interested to listen to it as well because we always talk about your communication and the way you speak is crucial as a top rugby player.”

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      Comments

      2 Comments
      C
      Clive 536 days ago

      Pointless gimmick, the game needs more ball in play time and less ref and TMO input, not a mic. Speed the game up, less pens, offences generating free kicks which can be play the balls a la league or hoofs, not penalties which change results or lead to more set pieces. Running and passing is what we want.

      T
      Timmyboy 536 days ago

      Honestly I wish they just had the crowd noise and the ref mic. Don’t need commentators waffling rubbish or stuff like this which will get scrapped once they hear swearing every 5 seconds through the mic.

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      PM 50 minutes ago
      Why Henry Pollock's x-factor could earn him a Lions Test start

      Nick,

      I am a long suffering England fan, who has had to endure watching 4 years of dull rugby, poor selections and painful defeats. Steve Borthwick talks about GPS and picks squads by numbers and then we put in a poor performance on the pitch - it’s been a consistent trend.


      Something changed in the Six Nations and we totally changed our style (literally overnight) and played some really good footie, which finally felt like positive rugby for a change.


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      Chessum has had a good year and hasn’t played a poor International game this season.


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      Pollock will be a good player but like all young emerging players, he is inconsistent and can go quiet in games, which is why Curry should be the starter at 7. He brings energy to games, which is why he is good from the bench but there is an argument to say he is the 5th best England openside (Curry x2, Underhill & Earl are currently better) but will improve over the next 5 years. We just need to stop the media building him up for a fall, let him play and develop and you will see a sensational Henry Pollock for the Lions in 4 years time.


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