Rugby commentary is usually fuelled with passion. It helps to add to the intensity of the game and is the cornerstone of match coverage on TV. However, the commentary team for Australia v Argentina on Saturday was someway short of what viewers have come to expect.
Sky had the UK rights to broadcast the Rugby Championship match, which was the second fixture of the Southern Hemisphere tournament. But what unfolded was one of the most bizarre match commentaries ever broadcast by the respected station.
The commentary team for the match were not first language English speakers, describing much of the game in monotone voices and getting basic facts wrong. It left viewers confused and annoyed.
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When Jordan Petaia ran in for the Wallabies' opening score, the commentator said "There goes Jordan Petaia, scoring Australia's first try, quite an easy try I would say", in a rather unenthusiastic delivery.
Viewers of the match were quick to point out something was amiss as social media became a playground for complaints.
It's emerged the commentary was provided by the world feed and it's understood Sky are looking into alternative arrangements for this weekend's repeat fixture.
With the match being a high scoring event, there was ample opportunity for adding pace and intensity to the commentary. However, the commentators, albeit in their second language, failed to provide any spark. The main commentator also failed to state the correct final score until his fifth attempt.
The players' on-field celebrations drowned out the commentator's description of the tries scored, leading many to ask what was going on.
One viewer wrote: "Never thought I'd ever take for granted the atmosphere that commentary can create... But here we are lol. The 'ooooh' at the end was probably the most emotional sound this man has ever made.
"Shout-out to the funeral home directors who commentated on the game," added another.
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