With the Rugby World Cup bringing the fantastic sport back to England for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, it’s providing us a great opportunity see the world’s best rugby players in action.
And whilst the game itself hasn’t changed too dramatically in its 144 year history, the technology that has helped us enjoy the game has had a revolution in recent years.
Hawk Eye technology
This year’s Rugby World Cup will undoubtedly enjoy the benefits of advanced Hawk Eye technology. This allows officials, coaches and medical staff to view any particular incident on the sporting pitch from a variety of angles at ultra-low speeds. By allowing the action to be carefully viewed in a variety of customisable manners, it provides a much more accurate picture of what is going on.
The technology first rose to fame in the ultra-fast tennis championships, but it is thought that it’s application could have undoubted benefits for the sport of rugby. Medical issues in particular will be able to be much more quickly acted upon, and with Bookies.com illustrating the pressure on the home nation to perform despite the unfavourable odds, the technology could help officials deliver an accurate verdict over any tight decision. To check the odds for the next match for the home nation, be sure to visit Bookies.com for all of the latest rugby information.
Augmented reality
A slightly more surreal innovation at this year’s Rugby World Cup is the augmented reality feature that is made available to anybody purchasing a match ticket.
Simply by using the Blippar app on a smartphone to scan a code on the ticket, fans will instantly be able to view a 360-degree view of the stadium that they’ll be visiting. The augmented reality experience also unlocks some exclusive interview and match preview content, as well as providing handy navigational instructions to guide you to the venue, and even to your specified seat.
In-ear commentary
Visitors to Rugby World Cup matches can also feel the benefit of the exclusive in-ear commentary option. For just £10 fans will be able to enjoy a live commentary on the match they are attending courtesy of in-ear technologies that can even provide an eye-opening insight into what the referee is saying to the players.
With a range of foreign languages and levels of expertise in terms of the commentary provided, it is just another technological innovation that is broadening the appeal of this game to a whole new audience.