Ex-England star and TV presenter Martin Bayfield has called for a huge BBC and ITV revamp to enhance the coverage of the Six Nations.
“Rugby just can’t hide away and only jump out from behind a tree and say, ‘Here we are!’ and then disappear again. It needs oxygen otherwise it is just going to fail,” Bayfield told The Telegraph.
“The Six Nations has to be free-to-air and has to be one platform so you have one focus, one message, one tone. I don’t know if I am too old-fashioned, but I want to be able to hear the theme tune and think, ‘That’s the Six Nations’ and walk in from the other room to watch, a bit like when the Rugby Special music started, and everyone would sit down and watch it.
“You have to have a good build-up but even more important is having good analysis afterwards, and access to the game through the week. Every Six Nations game should be like a mini Super Bowl. You have press conferences, you have interviews with players, and superstars who enjoy rugby.”
