Rugby World Cup on TV

Press, 20 May 1987, Page 19

Rugby World Cup on TV

Television New Zealand faces its biggest challenge this side of the 1990 Commonwealth Games in providing full coverage of the inaugural Rugby World Cup. TVNZ’s' coverage will not be just for New Zealand viewers but' for a potential world-wide audience of TOO million. Although overseas countries will in the main be taking only the games their own. sides are involved in, TVNZ will be providing its home audience with full live coverage of. every match except one. The only game not to be screened live will be Ireland vs Tonga, which will be played at the same time as the Australia vs Japan match. With games at nine

New Zealand venues — Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Rotorua, Palmerston North and Wellington in the North Island and Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill in the South — the month-long tournament presents sizeable logistics problems for TVNZ. All outside broadcast units will be in use and production facilities stretched to capacity to provide simultaneous international coverage for as many as half-a-dozen countries all requiring commentaries in their own languages. The Rugby World Cup begins at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday when the game between the All Blacks and Italy kicks off. ,It will end at the same venue almost a month later.

bnW match days there- : will be a one-hour summary of highlights on One at 9 pjn. (9.45 p.nu on . Saturdays). On any ..given. < driy dyed-in-the-wool •; rugby followers can watch the' match live in the afternoon and/or watch the highlights ;; that /night .•>. ;r TVNZ - and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have worked’ closely together to coordinate match times and •■so ensure maximum coverage. Games will start at 1 p.m., 3 pjn. or 5 p.m. and on some days it will be possible to see games at all three times. To summarise TVNZ’s domestic coverage: • All coverage will be on One. • Thirty-one of the 32

matches will be shown live. . ■ • A one-hour summary of . highlights will screetr each night at 9 pjn. (Saturdays at 9.45 pjn.) . • Coverage begins with a . preview at 9 pan,; to-’ morrow. . • The first game — New : Zealand vs . Italy ’ — , screens live. oh. Friday, from Eden Park, Auck- ? land, at 3 pjn.. • / z- * • • Kick-off times have been staggered to allow ; maximum coverage. ; - . ? • On four days there will be three matches : in a row. ■ .-.i. . ; • i • On a further four days there will be two matches in a row. .. .. • The Final will be_ transmitted live via satellite to an estimated world- ■ wide audience of 100 million. --