Luatua to make history by wearing 'Player Mic' for the first time
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.
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.
“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.
“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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It’s not new for nines to be the key playmaker. For the Boks it has been common, with Fourie du Preez and Joost vd Westhuizen being obvious examples. It's also not that recent for nines to be box kicking, covering high balls in the back field, and tackling in the defensive line. For example, Faf de Klerk has been doing all of that for years.
Go to commentsThe hell with this constant regurgitation of what this pretty boy is doing. For all I care he might as well be doing a Jamie Oliver cooking course. Rugby is not a progression toward the NFL, which, given its prominence in your reporting, you appear to regard as the ultimate contact sport. It has virtually nothing to do with rugby, and forever may that remain the case. I know that if I don’t like it I don’t have to read it, but I’m sick of seeing this dishwater-dull nonsense.
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