Luatua to make history by wearing 'Player Mic' for the first time

Bristol Bears flanker Steven Luatua will become the first ever player to wear a ‘Player Mic’ tomorrow when Bristol Bears take on Bath at Ashton Gate in the Gallagher Premiership.

TNT Sports announced on Thursday that the new technology would be unveiled in the derby match, and Bears captain Fitz Harding has chosen the former All Blacks, now Samoa international, to be the player to make history and wear it during the match.

Harding will start alongside Luatua in the back row, and chose the 32-year-old as the candidate as he has an “encyclopaedic knowledge” of the game, which viewers will be able to tune into throughout the match.

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“I think the breaks in play are probably the most interesting points where players are able to give slightly more detailed feedback on how they’re seeing the game,” Luatua said, as reported by TNT Sports.

“From my perspective, as a young back-rower sitting at home, I’d want to hear every single word that was coming out of Steven Luatua’s mouth, because he’s got an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and anything that you pick up is valuable there.

“As a young player or young coach watching the game, a focus on the basics, how you exploit space, how you read an attack, those real key cornerstones of the game need focus.”

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam added: “We have a genuine responsibility because we’re in an entertainment business to try and get the game as close to the fans and supporters as possible.

“As a club, we’re open to any innovation, so when they mentioned it to us, we said: ‘No problem.’

“I’ll actually be really interested to listen to it as well because we always talk about your communication and the way you speak is crucial as a top rugby player.”