The Advent of the Rugby Disco

When did the stadium announcer become a DJ?

It used to be that the only music a spectator would hear at a rugby match came from the brass band that played before kick-off – and you only got a brass band at Test matches. Beyond that, the crowd would have to provide their own music, singing traditional songs and the hymns they sang at chapel. That changed with the advent of professionalism and it became common for music to be played over the loudspeaker when a try was scored; some southern-hemisphere sides asked their players what song they wanted to be played if they scored, which brought a personal element to proceedings. If there were complaints from traditionalists at these developments, the introduction of music to celebrate the scoring of tries was otherwise generally accepted as a fun, inoffensive addition to the game.

The situation has changed in recent seasons. No longer is the playing of music limited to the build-up to a game and to the scoring of tries; now, stadium announcers seem to have been given free rein to play music as they see fit during play. Towards the end of last year I attended a RaboDirect Pro 12 match at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea between the Ospreys and Munster. At every break in play, whenever a player needed treatment, the stadium announcer would blast out a chart hit until play was about to resume. Fair enough, you might say; but towards the end of the game, with Munster camped in the Ospreys’ 22 and pushing for what would be a match-winning try, there came a break in play. The travelling fans started up with ‘Fields of Athenry,’ the home crowd responded with the chant of ‘Ospreys, Ospreys,’ a genuine atmosphere was building; and what happened? Well of course, music came blasting out of the stadium speakers and – inevitably – the singing stopped. This, to me, was proof that the playing of music during play actually takes away from the experience of a rugby match, rather than enhancing it, which must be the intention of those who have decided to have music played.

Let us look at this season’s Six Nations championship. The opening weekend saw Scotland play England for the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield. Sure enough, music came blaring out during breaks in play. In Dublin, following the singing of ‘Ireland’s Call,’ the stadium announcer ordered the fans to ‘stay on your feet and keep your flags in the air’ as he shoehorned in a final record just before kick-off. (Do rugby spectators require a director these days?) And last weekend, as Wales faced Scotland at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, music was blasted out at stun volume as the teams took to the pitch – for the second half.

Now, the defence for this intrusion of piped music into the game will be that it is done in the name of entertainment. But surely in buying a ticket to a rugby match, the spectator has made it clear how he wants to be entertained. If he wanted to listen to music, he would have bought a ticket to a gig or gone to a club – or stayed at home and listened to a CD. And as I have witnessed, there is a danger that the atmosphere of a rugby match – that wonderful, communal match-day experience - could actually be being put at risk as a consequence of the music being played.

Please, don't play it again, Sam.

They didn't need directing, the Irish fans knew when to raise the flags, as Halfpenny lined up the crucial kick...

In a HC match at PYS against Tigers the Scarlets fans for the first time at the new Stadium got Sospan Fach building only to be drowned out by the 'techno' version. The second it stopped you could hear a pin drop, an opportunity pounced on by the Tigers fans!

That's exactly what I'm getting at, Glas. The music played during play stops - prevents - people from singing or chanting or whatever. I really don't like it.

Devils advocate - youngsters are rubbish, they don't know any folk songs or hymns and the clubs feel they have to do something.

Maybe so, but the something they're doing is counterproductive.

Either way, what do you make of the article?

You need a hook and a loop, a memorable way to start and finish it.

Okay, I've given it a tweak.

Excellent! Top quality article.

Tommo Scarlets FM DJ and Parc Y Scarlets 'announcer'

See, it's already happening. I don't know who's on the 'wheels of steel' at the Liberty, but he's a real Sensual massage.

You've got to put that in as an anonymous quote from a 'fan'!

I love the swear filter on here. I'd never tried typing Sensual massage before.