TNT Sports is screening all the matches involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with the benefit for pub licensees being the possibility of gaining additional footfall and sales from fans of the sport.
The action starts on Saturday 2 November with England playing the mighty All Blacks of New Zealand while Scotland take on Fiji – some 21 matches later, the final game will see Ireland face Australia on Sunday 30 November.
The Morning Advertiser managed to grab some time with former international players Danny Care, Jamie Roberts and John Barclay – who are all on the punditry team for the ANS for TNT Sports – to tell us their views on pubs and their lives while playing for their countries.
Former England scrum half Care, who still plays club rugby for south-west London-based Harlequins, says: “I’ve been that guy in the pub that watches the game and shouts at the TV and gets really stuck into it.
Make a pub erupt
“I’m a football fan and a rugby fan, so I’ve been the guy in the pub and on the terraces shouting and screaming for that team, having an opinion – as everyone does in a pub – especially after a few pints of Guinness but I love the thought that you could score a try or do something that would make a pub erupt and go crazy.
“People should support pubs because it’s one of the most fun places you can go to and socialise.
“It brings people together, gets people talking. You know what men are like – they don’t really talk but get them get down to a pub and they’re more likely to open up and have a conversation and listen to their friends. And pubs also support the community.”
Roberts, who played as a centre for Wales, was on two British & Irish Lions tours, and played for clubs including Cardiff Blues, Racing Metro and Harlequins, has a similar attitude.
“Pubs and rugby clubs in general, certainly in Wales, are the hub of the community, he explains. “It’s a massive, massive part of people enjoying our sport socially if they’re not coming to the game.”
Better than being at the stadium
He jokes: “My tired legs sometimes want sit down in the corner [of a pub] where there’s no seat, so that is frustrating but to have a couple of drinks, take the edge off and enjoy a game of rugby down the pub is sometimes better than being at the stadium itself.
“[The pub] is a great place to watch rugby and long may it continue.”
Former Scotland back row star John Barclay, who played for club teams such as Glasgow Warriors, Scarlets and Edinburgh, reveals: “Watching it in a pub, having a drink with mates is a ritual. People say ‘come to my house’ to watch the rugby and it’s comfortable but it’s also pretty boring so to watch live sport in a pub with your pals with some food and beers is hard to beat.
“When you’re in the pub watching a match with loads of people who are in the same mindset as you, the same emotional state, living every minute of it – it’s probably more fun at a pub than being at the games themselves.
“You can actually really let your hair down and I’ve had some of funniest conversations I’ve ever had while at the pub watching games and there’s also the camaraderie that goes alongside it and even if you’re the underdog or you’re in away territory, I used to quite relish that.”
What the players had to say
Were you aware of the thousands, if not millions, of rugby fans in the pub watching the screen when you played?
Danny Care: Yes, you are aware of that, definitely but once the whistle goes, no.
Before the match starts, you realise what a privileged position you’re in but you’re also in quite a vulnerable position. There’s literally millions of people watching you on TV, especially when you play for England.
You’re very aware that if you mess this up, a lot of people are going to see it but, if you do well, a lot of people are going to see that – and that was the kind of thing, the thrill, that I got the most out of it.
It was about trying to entertain people, trying to make people happy. I kind of enjoyed that pressure but it’s certainly a privilege.
I loved it actually. I made so many mistakes and I still make so many mistakes [for club side Harlequins], which I’ve learned to just not care about.
Jamie Roberts: Without a doubt. You’re well aware when you’re playing in the stadium that every clubhouse around the country is packed to the rafters with people enjoying the beers and watching the match.
When I wore the number 12 jersey, I was representing everyone who played 12 in the country and when I played for the Lions, I was representing all the home nations.
And you’re well aware all those players are in the pub and rugby clubs and of all the watching fans – that kind of responsibility on your shoulders is significant and it makes you feel alive and I feel hugely privileged of having done that.
John Barclay: Yes, I was that 18-year-old watching Scotland beat England (Six Nations match) in 2008 in a pub.
[When I was playing] I had forgotten how emotionally invested people in a pub are. In rugby environment, you live in a little bubble and you know it’s important and you know the stakes are high and how lucky you are but I didn’t quite fully comprehend the level of passion people have.
What is your favourite pub?
Care: There’s a few but my favourite pub is obviously the Cabbage Patch in Twickenham. I’ve got some good memories there.
My local is the Running Mare in Cobham, Surrey, so I’ll obviously go in there a bit more often.
In fact, any pub that shows sport, I’m keen for and I’ll visit.
Roberts: My favourite from when I was in Wandsworth Town, London, was the Alma in East Hill. When I was in Paris, it was Bar du Marche in St Germain. Now, in Cardiff, it would be the Cricketers, in Cathedral Road, near to the cricket ground.
They’re not all sports pub, they’re more traditional. I’m often at the rugby so less likely to watch a match at the pub.
Barclay: It’s not a sports pub and it almost feels a bit like a speakeasy but it’s Bon Vivant in Edinburgh. They sell great Guinness.
My local pub is not bad either and if I was going to watch rugby in Edinburgh, I would go to Hamilton’s in Stockbridge [Edinburgh]. It’s one of those destination pubs where people go to watch rugby. It’s great and has loads of space. The beers always flowing and it’s always a great laugh.
What is your favourite drink in the pub?
Care: I’m a Guinness man. If you asked me 10 years ago, I have probably been like ‘pint of lager’ whereas now I feel like I’m a bit older and there’s nothing I love more than to sit in a corner with a couple of mates trying to split the G and chatting nonsense about rugby – that’s my happy spot.
I’d probably open a bottle of wine afterwards as well.
Roberts: Guinness and my second choice is now Jubel peach beer. Love it.
Barclay: I like a Guinness. Some places pour it well in Scotland and that’s the challenge. If I’m not having a Guinness, I’m hopefully having a whisky. I work for the Dalmore and that’s what I would go for.
What will TNT’s coverage bring to pubs and viewers for this tournament?
Care: The fact that TNT is showing 21 games in the Autumn Nations Series is great and although I don’t get that excited for games as I used to when I was playing, I think I’m even more excited for these games, I genuinely think they are going to be incredible.
It’s almost as highly anticipated as a World Cup or a Six Nations competition and I think TNT is trying to do things a little bit differently to other broadcasters. They’re trying to make it a bit more fun, personal and bring in the viewer from anywhere, make them understand the game and show them something they’ve not seen before.
Obviously you want to see the action on pitch but you also want to hear opinions from people that, hopefully, know what they’re talking about, or if they don’t, they’re good at blagging it.
I’ve been blagging it for 20 years with my playing but when I watch TNT for either a big football game or rugby game, I’m glued to the screen listening to the snippets you can pick up before, during and after the match.
Hopefully, we can provide some good info for everyone and a bit of entertainment.
Roberts: TNT’s big focus – especially in the Premiership – is on trying to bring the fans into the game more and trying to give them access to all areas.
If they can replicate that at test level, then wow, because in these unseen, unheard places, whether it’s a changing room, the warm-up areas and these sorts of places, to give fans that insight is absolute gold because traditionally, rugby hasn’t been open to giving that.
We’ve seen the impact that insights can have with other sports, right? Formula One being a prime example. Once you open it up and give people access, it’s gold for supporters to be able to feel and experience those emotions.
So TNT and making a really conscious effort to do that they’ve done in the Premiership and looking to replicate it at test level and I can’t wait to be part of that.
There’s a realisation and understanding that players have a responsibility to grow the game and also an appreciation and understanding that they are in an entertainment business.
Ultimately, the fan pays to what you play, it’s professional sport and it you have a duty as a player to give back to the fan. Obviously, as players we assume that’s by playing rugby but part of that duty is also to give access.
Players traditionally thought that access was an interview post-match or an interview in the week but it’s far more than that. As the sport evolves, it’s access on match day and a huge part is to educate our players that this is part of the ecosystem and it’s hugely important.
Barclay: The people TNT Sports has got involved, the knowledge they have and their understanding of the game is up there with the best – that includes the production team and the hosts whether it’s Craig [Doyle] or Doddsy [Emma Dodds].
Also, life is serious enough and instead of having dry and serious conversation, TNT is having a bit of fun with it are trying to be a bit creative and inventive.
Rugby is a very traditional game and it’s hard to get access for the international teams that you can get in the club game but TNT is looking at it a bit differently and is asking what can we do that’s a little bit different, how can we give more access to people who don’t really understand the game but when they watch a production of ours, they think ‘this is cool’.
That side of things is becoming as important as the match itself and could certainly make more people watch it and we make it more experimental and more accessible.
