England’s upcoming match against Japan next month is at risk of becoming the first Red Rose men’s Test in decades not to be televised live.
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Last week, it was reported by The Times that the RFU has yet to secure a broadcast deal for the first Test of the summer, set to take place in Tokyo against Eddie Jones’s team in four weeks.
Sky Sports has signed a deal with Southern Hemisphere rugby chiefs (Sanzaar) to broadcast England’s two summer tests against New Zealand, with the Red Rose facing the All Blacks in Dunedin and Auckland on July 6 and 13.
However, since Sanzaar does not cover Japan, there is currently no broadcasting arrangement for that match.
RUCK understands that the BBC is the unlikely frontrunner to broadcast the game.
Additionally, Netflix, which confirmed a second season of their Six Nations documentary, is also considered a viable option as they seek to expand their live entertainment offerings.
If an agreement isn’t reached in a worst case scenario, the RFU is confident they could stream England’s summer opener on either their website or YouTube channel.
Six Nations: Full Contact, Season 2
The success of the series has seen nations giving Netflix more access to teams. This should mean even more insight in the new season.
The first edition of Full Contact generated some viral moments. The most famous is Scotland fly-half Finn Russell jokingly comparing himself to footballer Lionel Messi.
Russell said: “Some people might say I’m good to watch – if you’re a football fan you might say like Messi.”
The comment blew up on social media and Russell had to downplay the remark in a pre-Six Nations press conference.
The 33-man England Squad Steve Borthwick Should Select For Summer Tour
It’s been a decade since England’s last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
The memories of the 2008 tour aren’t any sweeter, with England tasting defeat in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup.
In this highly anticipated tour, Borthwick’s squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo.
Here is the list of our predicted squad organised by their current clubs:
RUCK’s England squad for the summer:
Harlequins
- Joe Marler
- Fin Baxter
- Chandler Cunningham-South
- Marcus Smith
Bristol Bears
- Ellis Genge
- Harry Randall
- Gabriel Ibitoye
Saracens
- Jamie George
- Theo Dan
- Maro Itoje
- Ben Earl
- Elliot Daly