I noticed during half time at Cardiff, he said something to Ray French about when he first met him outside the truck as a young lad, so he must have some kind of background within the sport. Personally I think the smitten outsider image which started with Balding does wonders for the sport. It is one thing hearing how great it is from a northerner with a thick accent, but hearing it from a respected voice in sport carries a lot more weight.

Although Chapmans has a northern accent it is (thank god) not in the Eddie Wareing or even Ray French mould.

Woods / Noble and Jiffy are fine for me and Hunter-Paul and Peacock are good too as guests.

Not sure about the 'roving camera in your face' and 'instant half time comment from the players' works though.

Just a shame it'll be months before we see them on the box doing RL again.

Player interviews at half time...bin that no need.

Chapman has been pretty good, not claire balding wide eyed amazement good but stilll very good, i've liked the pre match stuff where he's played off peacock, Crabtree and Noble and RHP. Some good little talk, hyping the game, and a few little jokes, just the right balance.

I have to disagree on Jiffy, calling it straight or not, wire legend or not, it's just very very apparent that he doesn't watch Superleague, and he's not up to speed with the current product, and even less so with the NRL.

Commentators need to evolve with the product, he hasn't and he's now very early on in the stages that people have complained about French for ages in that, he's old product, he's pre superleague.

This isn't just bore from this current tournament,(it was evident though) but from Challenge cup games over the past couple of years.


(please note, try and read the last couple of paragraphs in jiffy's welsh accent and speech patterns, it's very very easy to do)

I suppose the BBC have to justify paying Jiffy though because apart from a handful of Challenge Cup games & Six Nations he doesn't do anything else unless he is on BBC Wales. Some of the other presenters are on week in week out.

God bless

I wish he'd've done it a decade earlier, so we don't have to put up with "Happy Christmas, War Is Over" every December

I always thought it was "Happy Xmas, War Is Over"

He never sung Xmas in the "song"

Your both correct! "Lets hope its a good one".