Premiership Rugby has confirmed will continue to trial a new NFL-style talkback system on Friday night that will allow referee Craig Maxwell-Keys to speak directly to the crowd during the Premiership Rugby Cup match between London Irish and Saracens, which is live on BT Sport.
Last weekend Anthony Woodthorpe pioneered the new system at Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby, an innovation that received overwhelming support from fans.
Utilising the excellent public address system at the state of the art Brentford Community Stadium the trial will continue at several Premiership Rugby Cup matches this season allowing referees to explain key TMO decisions directly to fans in the stadium.
Phil Winstanley, the Rugby Director at Premiership Rugby said: “We are constantly looking at innovations and ways to grow the game.
“Currently, the fan watching the game at home can hear the match official discussions with the television match official but those inside the stadium without one of our Fan Radios cannot.
“We hope that this will improve the match day experience in the stadium and allow those at the ground to understand the discussion and rationale for decisions made.
“We are running this experiment in partnership with the RFU and BT Sport and thank the match officials for the way they have embraced this new trial.”