The coverage was branded ‘rubbish’ by some viewers as one pundit was heavily criticised
England legend Brian Moore has called out Sky Sports’ “cheerleading” coverage of the British & Irish Lions’ warm-up clash with Argentina, with viewers also voicing their frustrations about what they watched on Friday night.
Andy Farrell’s side kicked off their busy summer of rugby against the Pumas in Dublin, but fell to defeat as the South American side claimed their first ever win over a Lions side with a 28-24 victory. However, while there was disappointment in the match itself, many of those tuning into Sky Sports were also less than happy with the coverage around it.
Moore, for one, warned against those working in punditry roles for the broadcaster resorting to cheerleading and instead called for analysis to be “detached” and “objective”.
In his latest column for The Telegraph, the 63-year-old wrote: “It is said that every expectation is a disappointment waiting to happen and this highlights a challenge with covering the tour.
“There must be balance and not oscillation between celebrating tradition, and cloying sentimentality and cliché.
“The next few weeks are going to be full, if not overfull, of analysis and comment from every kind of media and this is where a note of caution should be sounded,” added Moore, who played on two Lions tours in 1989 and 1993.
“We all want the Lions to succeed, but this should not be at the expense of objectivity.
“Punditry and colour-commentary needs to be detached. These are not cheerleading roles.”
Other viewers were also not impressed with what they watched, with one taking to X to write: “The Sky Sports coverage of the Lions game yesterday was as cringey as it gets, and a sign of things to come in Australia.”
Another added: “Given up on The Lions game. Sky’s coverage is rubbish.”
“Too much fanboy commentary,” wrote another. “More critical analysis (it can be done in a positive way) of the play and players please.”
Former England and Lions centre Will Greenwood was on co-commentary duties for Sky in Dublin but received the brunt of the criticism from unimpressed viewers who accused him of acting like a “fanboy”.
“Will Greenwood is a pretty decent studio pundit, but he should not be allowed anywhere near a microphone in the commentary box,” wrote one viewer.
“His Lions fanboy comms is a brutal listen, someone at Sky Sports please please disconnect his mic. Incredibly painful to listen to it. It totally ruins the whole spectacle.”
Another added: “Watching rugby (Lions) on Sky for the first time in ages, I remembered how annoying Will Greenwood is as a commentator, he just talks endlessly about nothing and means you cannot hear anything the ref is saying.
“I wish they would learn the mantra ‘less is more’”.
A third viewer wrote: “Anyone else find Will Greenwood intolerable. I’m now watching with no sound.”
Greenwood is part of a stacked punditry team for Sky Sports’ coverage of this summer’s action, with former Wales head coach Warren Gatland and Welsh legends Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar all on board.
Owen Farrell has also landed a punditry role with the broadcaster, with Ronan O’Gara, Kyle Sinckler, John Barclay, Conor Murray, Nolli Waterman, Anthony Watson and Sir Ian McGeechan all involved too.