Premiership Rugby has worked with Aviva to develop club rugby’s first ever online rugby show, “Aviva Behind the Badge” which launches this week.
As the title suggests, the show aims to take supporters behind the scenes and provide an insight into the workings of an Aviva Premiership Rugby club, as well meeting some of the characters involved on and off the pitch.
Each week ITV’s former Northampton and England second row Martin Bayfield will spend time with a different club and see what makes them tick, talking to players, coaches, medics and other staff, supporters and media.
Players will be given cameras to show what they get up to off the pitch and they will also have the chance to pit themselves against players from the other Aviva Premiership clubs to demonstrate their knowledge and rugby skills.
Three and five minute versions will be free to watch, via a range of platforms including Facebook, the Premiership Rugby channel on YouTube, and premiershiprugby.com. To view the first show go to www.premiershiprugby.com.
The first episode will go online today (Friday 11 February) and will go behind the scenes with Harlequins and London Wasps as they prepare for their Aviva Premiership Rugby round 14 matches against Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester Rugby, as well as all the best moments from the pairs’ recent trip to Abu Dhabi.
Host Martin Bayfield said: “Aviva Behind the Badge will be a great way to get under the skin of the clubs, see what makes them tick and get an insight into the team behind the team.
“Viewers of the ITV show tell us they want to see as much action as possible on that show. Now we have Aviva Behind the Badge to cover all the other stuff that goes on at the clubs, to take them behind the scenes and get a taste for the banter and chat that happens at all 12 clubs across the country.”
Aviva UK’s head of sponsorship and CR, added: “We have worked hard with Premiership Rugby to create a show that really gets up close and personal with the fantastic characters that are at the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs, showing what they are like of the pitch.”
Episodes of Aviva Behind the Badge will run weekly from now until the end of the season and the schedule is as follows:
– Thursday 10 February, London Wasps/Harlequins
– Thursday 17 February, Bath Rugby
– Thursday 24 February, Leeds Carnegie
– Thursday 3 March, Gloucester Rugby
– Thursday 10 March, Sale Sharks
– Thursday 17 March, London Irish
– Thursday 24 March, Leicester Tigers.
Source : Aviva Press Release
