LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'We should applaud to the rafters the news that rugby on ITV is back with a bang.'

As we all know, the best place to get a proper slant on things is the corner snug of a boozer. It was there last Sunday that I was chatting to a couple of mates who were discussing travel plans for a long weekend in Bilbao, venue  for the 2026 Investec Champions Cup final. Flights, hotels, noshing and sloshing – a few quid outlay but invariably good value as previous such trips have shown. ‘Oh,’ said I. “Did you see the opening round of games yesterday?’ Cue quizzical stares. ‘What are you on about? Has the tournament already started this season?’

In a nutshell this tells you two things. Firstly, that Europe’s finest club competition, once so rich and resonant, is in need of a marketing reboot And, secondly, that current listlessness is all the more reason why we should applaud to the rafters the news that ITV is back with a bang as regards its rugby coverage. The reported £90 million plus deal to cover the new Nations Championship for 2026 and 2028, allied to its existing shared arrangement with BBC to cover the Six Nations, (weighted 10 out of 15 games in favour of the commercial channel) means that rugby is planting its flag in a manner that will give it a valuable and much-needed profile. Rugby is a niche sport, popular but not that popular. It needs exposure more than it needs money. Given the fraught financial state of the game with clubs going bust and Wales in danger of slipping off the radar altogether, you’d have been forgiven for believing that money was the be-all and end-all. It is not. The books can be balanced, eventually. But there’s little point having bundles in the bank if there is no-one playing the sport. Participation figures are as critical as the bottom line.

Of course there’s a compromise mid-point between accessible wealth and greater reach to be found. But rugby’s profile, as the Sages of the Snug illustrated, does not extend that far. There are the hard-core followers, there are the big event fans, and then there is the floating voter. They are the ones that need to be engaged and entranced. Football dominates. That much is obvious. The fight to live with that behemoth is about hoovering up the scraps, like a Henry Pollock pursuing a kick-chase. The ITV deal does just that. It is demonstration of faith in our dear game and has opened up a tantalising market.

You only have to see how cricket has struggled since it took the Sky Sports shilling in 2005 to recognise that there is a downside to the transient upside of more money. Cricket is the national summer sport in Australia and that following is only like to grow now that England are being pummelled and kids under the age of 16 are being banned from access to social media. As the great Matt cartoon has it in the Telegraph, picturing a couple of MCC old codgers at Lord’s saying: ‘Australian under 16s have been banned from social media. I fear they’ll spend their time practising cricket.’

The mere fact that rugby will be a regular item on terrestrial television, on the listings and backed by the marketing department, it will soon become a subliminal as well as actual presence

Cricket in the UK is under the pump for all sorts of reasons whereas rugby now has a chance to find new converts. It’ll be a slow burner, all the more given that next summer, when the inaugural tournament gets under way, there will be a clash with the FIFA World Cup. However, the mere fact that rugby will be a regular item on terrestrial television, on the listings and backed by the marketing department, it will soon become a subliminal as well as actual presence. Ah, ITV – that shows rugby doesn’t it? When’s that next happening? The connection matters. Every England test match between now and 2029 will be available on free-to-air. The Pollocks and Noah Caluoris have an opportunity to become household names. The channel will want to promote its stars, just as it does for an ‘I’m a Celebrity’ programme. It’s a two-way street of mutual interest.

And there are signs that the RFU has begun to recognise the benefit of having its assets out there not just performing on the field of play but being showcased as recognisable figures on Instagram, Tik Tok and the like. It may not be for grumpy greybeards such as myself but even I can acknowledge the power of stuff such as the three Northampton England players along with Freddie Steward doing a bedroom dance, a knockabout segment that went viral. It’s a far cry from former England prop, Colin Smart, necking a bottle of aftershave in post-match frolics in the 1970s – more tasteful in all senses. The relationship between broadcast partner and governing body needs nurturing if the free-to-air access is to deliver value for everyone. It does not necessarily mean access-all-hours but up to now there have been too many barriers between the public and the stars.

It helps given that in terms of sheer numbers, that England are on a roll. It’s not Steve Borthwick’s job to find a way to appeal to a burgeoning TV audience but if he can carry on sorting stuff on the field then he’ll be worth every penny of whatever bonus is in his contract.

It’s always been baffling as to why some press officers hide behind the flimsy excuse of players being under too much pressure to be able to talk on the Thursday before a game when F1 drivers, in a far more perilous environment, feel happy to chat a few minutes before the chequered flag drops. No wonder Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ was such a global hit.

There are plenty of kinks and flaws in rugby’s masterplan going forward but for it to be able to negotiate a deal such as this and to recognise the value in reaching a wider audience are hugely positive factors as it looks towards 2026. It helps too, of course, given that in terms of sheer numbers, that England are on a roll. It’s not Steve Borthwick’s job to find a way to appeal to a burgeoning TV audience but if he can carry on sorting stuff on the field then he’ll be worth every penny of whatever bonus is in his contract. The England-New Zealand game at Twickenham on TNT hit around the million mark while England-France in the Six Nations topped out at around six million.

Those audience peaks are there to be scaled all the way through to the 2027 World Cup and beyond. The game is at base camp, getting ready for ascent. Onwards and upwards.