Big paint job before test on TV

Press, 28 August 1982, Page 1

Big paint job before test on TV

PA Wellington Live television coverage of today’s rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies will be sayed by paint brushes. Rugby officials agreed, under pressure from Television New Zealand, to paint over the two huge advertising signs in the in-goal areas at Athletic Park, Wellington. Sgnwriters had earlier used 160 . litres of paint, enough for five houses, to paint the signs for Broadlands Finance on the grass. The two-metre deep signs were part of a sponsorship arrangement between the Wellington Rugby Union and the finance company. In spite of the agreement to remove the offending signs, the painter who did the work told Wellington Rugby Union officials last evening that he could not touch the grass until the dew dried. It could be late morning before he Could begin the huge task of painting over the signs. If this happened, the paint would still be wet when the match started. Television officials discovered the signs late yesterday and said they were far bigger than normally acceptable sports ground hoardings, and could also present their cameramen with technical difficulties. The New Zealand Rugby Union took up the matter with the Wellington union and an agreement was reached to remove the signs. Television’s controller of news, current affairs, and sport, Mr Bruce Crossan, said last evening that the live telecast would go ahead.

Normal advertising signs round sports grounds were quite acceptable, “but, when you get to the level of these signs it is quite clearly outside the spirit of our agreement with the Rugby Union,” Mr Crossan said.

Mr Russell Thomas, chairman of the union’s national television sub-committee, said that while the television agreement was with the New Zealand union, the test was being staffed by the Wellington union, which had responsibility for the park. Television’s head of sport, Mr Keith McEwen, said that the signs could have caused "horrific” technical difficulties.

They could have been a “real irritant” for viewers and cameras could have had difficulty with the Wallabies’ yellow jerseys merging with the painted areas. Earlier yesterday, the Wellington Rugby Union’s deputy chairman, Mr Eddie Tonks, said there was no difference between the signs and other advertising round the ground. Similar signs were used at sports grounds overseas and the union felt it was being innovative by introducing them. He 1 declined to say how much the advertiser had paid for the signs. The idea came from the Wellington representative team which is raising money for an overseas tour to Britain in October. It had been hoped the signs would have been ready for last week’s Ranfurly Shield challenge against Hawke's Bay.