- All games live on ITV1 and ITV4, broadcast in high definition and simulcast live on ITV.com
- Steve Rider and Craig Doyle lead ITV’s Rugby World Cup team
- Highlights broadcast every evening on ITV1 and ITV4
- New Zealand born singer Hayley Westenra performs 2011 version of ‘World In Union’
ITV Sport kicks off coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup from New Zealand, with live coverage of every match – from the opening game through to the Rugby World Cup Final on October 23rd.
Veteran sports presenter Steve Rider will front ITV’s coverage, with Craig Doyle also presenting some games and highlights programmes.
They will be joined by a team of expert former players who have won six World Cups between them, including Lawrence Dallaglio, Michael Lynagh, Sean Fitzpatrick, Francois Pienaar and Phil Vickery.
Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas, Alan Quinlan, Scott Hastings, Martin Bayfield, Thom Evans and Andy Gomarsall will also be involved with network’s coverage of the tournament.
ALL of the home nations’ matches will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITV1 HD.
ITV’s Rugby World Cup coverage of the opening three weeks of the tournament will be presented from London, with both commentary and reporting teams based across New Zealand.
From the knockout stages of the tournament, ITV’s coverage will be presented live from a studio overlooking the pitch at Eden Park stadium in Auckland– the venue for the final.
ITV’s live Rugby World Cup coverage and highlights will be anchored from the studio, whilst ITV’s commentary team including Nick Mullins, Simon Ward and Martin Gillingham, will be live at the match venues.
ITV will broadcast a comprehensive one-hour highlights programme on every tournament match day on both ITV4 and ITV1.
Former England international and ITV rugby presenter Martin Bayfield will be based with the England camp reporting throughout the tournament.
In addition, ITV Sport’s award-winning Gabriel Clarke will report the latest news from all of the home nations and bring a flavour of New Zealand to the UK.
All of ITV1’s live games will be broadcast in full high definition on the ITV1 HD channel, available on the Freesat, Freeview, Sky HD, and Virgin Media platforms. ITV4 HD is available on Sky HD.
ITV.com will show every match live on the dedicated Rugby World Cup website, accompanied by a live chat which will give fans the opportunity to interact with each other.
Viewers will also be able to catch up on any matches they might have missed with both highlights clips and the full programme in ITV Player.
The website will also provide extended interviews, extra analysis and video blogs from our ITV Sport talent – as well as breaking news, tournament information and action from previous Rugby World Cups.
Fans will be able to catch up with the latest action on the move with our Rugby World Cup iPhone app, which will feature live streaming and highlights clips of every match, and will be able to show their team colours on Twitter and Facebook with ITV.com.
In addition to the live match coverage and highlights from ITV Sport, ITV4 has commissioned a new six part series Dallaglio’s World Cups, in which Lawrence Dallaglio looks at the key moments in Rugby World Cups over the past twenty four years.
Presenter Craig Doyle says that spirits are high within the ITV camp ahead of the tournament, and believes that the broadcaster has now firmly established itself in the eyes of die-hard rugby fans as the home of the World Cup.
“I really like this group, the difference compared to ITV’s coverage of past tournaments is that we’re doing rugby every week now, through our Premiership and European Cup coverage.
“We see these the likes of Lawrence and Scott all the time, and it’s very relaxed.
“We have also established our own team this time, rather than wholly rely on bringing in commentators and pundits from other channels.
“It will feel like viewers are watching ITV’s coverage this time around, rather than a mish-mash of different broadcasters.”
ITV secured the rights to the 2011 and 2015 tournaments last year in a £60m deal with Rugby World Cup Ltd, fending off strong competition from BSkyB.
They have been the exclusive UK broadcaster for every Rugby World Cup since 1991.
In 2003, 15 million viewers tuned in to ITV1 to see Jonny Wilkinson’s last gasp extra-time drop goal as England beat Australia in the final. Four years later, 16 million viewers watched an England lose in the final to South Africa in Paris.
“Through its commitment to the sport and exceptional production values ITV has played a central role in the promotion and growth of rugby and the Rugby World Cup in the United Kingdom and we are looking forward to extending that fruitful partnership over the next two RWC tournaments,” said RWCL managing director, Mike Miller.
ITV controller of sport Niall Sloane said that rugby’s greatest showpiece is a key part of their “commitment to high qualiity live sport”.
“ITV has a long association with Rugby World Cup and we are delighted to have secured the next two Rugby World Cups free-to-air for ITV’s viewers, particularly as the 2015 tournament takes place in England,” he said.
Opening Titles and Theme Music
ITV’s Rugby World Cup 2011 opening title sequence is inspired by the inks used in Maori Ta moko (tattoo).
The title sequence tackles the beauty and flow of rugby formations, movements and action through the medium of ink in water.
Ink flows between and forms players, at times becoming so detailed that key players can be recognised in unforgettable ‘Tattoo Moments’ from tournaments past.
Punctuated by New Zealand landmarks, also formed by ink, the liquid rugby world swirls within the form of a Ta moko decorated rugby ball establishing the programme logo.
The music used is ‘World In Union’, the Rugby World Cup anthem, sung by Hayley Westenra.
New Zealand born Hayley has performed for Her Majesty the Queen on a number of occasions, President Bush and Tony Blair, Prince Charles, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and in July 2007 Hayley was asked to perform for the Dalai Lama.
Hayley has also performed at many prestigious sporting events, including football, baseball, tennis and rugby, with her proudest duty – singing the New Zealand national anthem in support of her beloved All Blacks rugby team.
The version used in the titles, produced by Jump Design, has been specially recorded by Hayley for ITV and is sung in both English and Maori.
Find out when and where to watch ITV’s coverage of every match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup – HERE
SPORTS VIEW
Read Tom Leese’s verdict on ITV’s Rugby World Cup coverage so far – CLICK HERE
It was horrible to watch, but equally horrible to listen, two buffoon’s of rugby commentating, I have not listen to such drivel, and ranting from Phil Vickry than, when the less than eloquent voice of Brian Moore was on tv, what childish school boy standard ITV need to get qualified professional or ex rugby player the like’s of Francois Pienaar and Fitzpatrick two professional in every sense, less said about Daligilo the better. Glad we won’t be listening to these two again in the world cup.
get Nick Mullins to concentrate on commentating, rather than being a rather smug-sounding cheerleader for the Irish. Grating.
Has a rugby supporter what do you think of the ITV coverage of the matches? Yesterday the England match ITV did not show the live try conversions but replayed the tries, I think the replays could be shown after the conversions, they were cutting away from the main event to show the coach and other reporters, how intrusive and unnecessary, and you couldn’t tell unless you were concentrating all the time whether it was a replay or live picture. Similar things happened the last time I watched the Rugby World Cup match and I found it most annoying.
I found this as I was looking to see who created the opening titles. I think they are awesome and commendable. Wish I knew how they were put together and I could have been involved in making them. Fantastic graphics!! Thank you for this. I can say it has really got off to a good start!
Great to have Steve Rider back as a key ITV presenter. Sorry the best ever (well since Dickie Davies & Brian Moore retired) sports presenter Jim Rosenthal isn’t involved.
No doubt ITV’s coverage will be innovative and far superior to the “same as always” boring BBC coverage.