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After four consecutive home wins including triumphs over previously-unbeaten Leicester, European Champions Toulouse and high-flying Saracens the Coventry Building Society Stadium should be filled with contentment and positivity.
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However a growing number of Wasps fans are instead taking to social media to voice their embarrassment about the difficulties being experienced by their new stadium announcer.
Long-standing fan Steve who has followed the club home and away for many years is typical of those voicing their opinion regarding some less-than-perfect pronunciations.
“Is there ANY chance the Wasps microphone man could get the names of players right???” he Tweeted following his club’s latest win against old rivals Saracens.
Is there ANY chance the @WaspsRugby microphone man could get the names of players right???
— Steve (@charliewasp) January 30, 2022
Wasps used the services of the man widely regarded as the country’s leading stadium announcer, Pete Nuttall, and his production company P10 prior to the start of the current season.
Nuttall also has significant experience of operating at Twickenham and for Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens as well as in rugby league.
However, he has since been replaced by extremely popular local radio DJ John Dalziel whose connection with the former Ricoh Arena stretches back 15-plus years through his role as Coventry City’s stadium announcer of choice.
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Dalziel also takes care of local Elite League ice hockey team Coventry Blaze’s match night experience.
However, he has struggled to get to grips with rugby union’s diverse heritage – with Pacific Islander names in particular causing him plenty of difficulty.
And this has gone beyond a laughing matter for some Wasps fans exasperated by his continual mispronunciations of surnames belonging to some well-known Premiership players.
“Every match…. Complete amateur hour and makes us look v poor,” Tweeted another fan.
He continued: “It’s mind blowing that they never learn from their mistakes and actually rehearse names before each game even though every match it’s pointed out to them how shambolic it is.”
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Another regular Wasps fan pointed out: “It’s actually disrespectful to the players to keep doing it.”
A number of fans then cited recent errors which included some hilarious examples.
“Who the hell is Billy Vunipolo?” asked one of the former Wasps no.8. “A friend of Billy VuniTreborExtraStrongMints,” came a cheeky reply.
Who the hell is Billy Vunipolo?
— Duncan Steele (@DuncanSteele2) January 30, 2022
Dalziel often responds to Tweets in which he is not tagged – an approach which has brought a mixed response including a heated row from which he eventually deleted his contribution.
Agreed JD is rubbish
— Jane Webb (@minigirl18) January 30, 2022
“Different away team every week so it’s not a case of ‘keep doing it’ he wrote.
“I go through the list with the production team. Having the surname Dalziel no one ever gets my name right first time. If I get one wrong and I’m corrected it’s sorted. Enjoy the fact we won!”
“If you do go through names with your production team then someone is trying to get you sacked mate …..” came the sardonic reply.
At least he wasn’t there when Wasps played Samoa in a 2015 World Cup warm-up…
Comments on RugbyPass
Toulouse has enough quality players so no headaches 😁 Choco is rarely a starting centre. Throughout this championship there have been far worse actions that were never called… too many rules, too many rule changes, too many inconsistencies, too many angry fans. I'm not surprised rugby does not attract new spectators, how could they understand 🤣
6 Go to commentsAh yes Andy with his “Goode” views. Oke might as well come out and say it, “I like seeing South African scrums depowered in order to give the rest of the world a chance”. Somehow he thinks World Rugby always knew about calling scrums from marks and it just so happened to coincide with Damien Willemse’s call that they decided to change the rules. Ah come on, if he can't see it then he needs prescription glasses. No ways, they are doing this for the betterment of Rugby. They want to clamp down on Rassie’s innovative skills than encouraging coaches to think outside of the box to try new things. What they can't count on is what Rassie will plan next. I almost get the impression that once Rassie retires World Rugby is going to be scrabbling around trying to find their identity. Currently set at ARP (Anti-Rassie Party). Although I don't really care in that regard because they always a RWC step behind.
7 Go to commentsWow ten years since they had a backing and more from the paying public I’d also mention that as a blues man and in walking distance to the garden I’d say that this team and Vern Cotter have got us dreaming beautiful thoughts and the merit is there from numbers 1 to 23 but we would like to think this is the new dna for the ABs and a pack weighing 940kg dry y not I hasten to add it seems patty has to stay fit cause he is the driver the main driver and they follow plus the pipe man H Plummer is conducting his own orchestra ….. Beethoven anybody
1 Go to commentsJuicy stuff well covered I’d go as far as to say that the referee was a key component in keeping it a tasty spectacle
1 Go to commentsCotter has added that steel that has been missing. Let's see if it will carry until the Finals… Come on the Blues ….
2 Go to commentsAndy Goode just loves to be controversial. Its boring. Let’s all stop reading.
7 Go to commentsYou have got to consider that if the situation was flipped and the French were held to a salary cap with no English equivalent, the English would laugh in their faces and tell them to get over it. As for Leinster (as a fan), the central contract system is a dream but is guilty of cutting out the other 3 provinces. At the end of the day, it comes across outside of the English border that the Premiership is drowning and trying to take everyone else with it rather than adapt. The English lose, the English want new rules. We've seen this repeat (and once it even led to the current Champions Cup) You make many good and informed points, but if the flip was on the other flop, it wouldn't be Rugby’s problem I suspect - it would be a French one.
16 Go to commentsSeems to have been a bright start but it tailed off. To win the big matches you have to get used to putting your foot on the throttle and your opponent’s necks in an 80 minutes performance which is what the All Blacks were renowned for. An example in the Women’s game is England v Ireland in the 6N match played at Twickenham in April. Watch on YouTube.
1 Go to commentsBobby has been a first grade bonehead since high school. Like a true Cape Tonian, his own reflection is more important than anything else.
1 Go to commentsNo comment on the textbook red card for Ramm that was just ignored? Amazing that
4 Go to commentsThese rule changes have been implemented with good intentions, but much like every other rule change focus on isolated symptoms instead of the root cause. If you cannot croc roll, and cannot risk any head contact with a front on clear out, it is not clear how you are supposed to lawfully clear someone out who is attempting a jackal. This will backfire massively and lead to substantially more kicking. Teams will simply not want to take the ball into contact. Or it will lead to even more dangerous methods to clear players out who are over the ball. I much prefer having the set piece on a 30 second shot clock over no scrum on a short arm infringement. Resets are not a problem in themselves, but 90 second water and tactics breaks before every scrum are a big problem. Trainers constantly coming on to the field to help players pull their socks up and delaying the game are a problem. DuPont law was a blight on the game and should have been changed the day after it was first implemented.
79 Go to commentsAh yes, the opinion of Andy Goode… Andy Goode, the man who knows what some of the Irish players said to Eben Etzebeth after the QF, better than what Eben himself knows. And, judging by this piece, the Grandmaster of clichés.
7 Go to commentsI think this is a fair view. As a South African I am concerned about the depowering of the scrum but let’s be honest, until the SA vs FRA quarter many people didn’t even know you could take a scrum from a free kick. As you say it’s going to come down to interpretation… until then we don’t really know how this is going to impact the game. That would lead to my own objection. Do the unknowns of changing a law outweigh the cons of said law. With such an obscure law that most people had never heard of, one that had never really had an impact on the game in the first place is it worth changing to invite so much uncertainty. Better the devil you know then the devil you don’t as it were…
7 Go to comments162 comments so far and counting. i didn't realize that rugby fans are on the way to join the football brothers. what is the point to share personal opinion only to get all this shi*? it seems IRB bosses are doing the great job by killing the spirit of the game both on and outside the pitch. too sad, indeed. btw, was there anything on eben’s point of view from the boys in green, who he mentioned?
164 Go to commentsJob done guys. Great win in a game where things can quickly go wrong.
1 Go to commentsAlex Sanderson fantastic coach and person .So pleased he has signed another contract great days ahead for Sale under his leadership.
1 Go to commentsAndy Goode cant kick to 12
164 Go to commentsDoxed himself. Great work Johnny. You are well suited to the Saders
1 Go to comments_Best game players _
2 Go to commentsWho's Jarrad Hohepa?
1 Go to comments