{"id":643920,"date":"2026-05-02T01:29:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/643920\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T01:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:29:10","slug":"inside-sky-sports-super-round-rugby-broadcast-how-a-vast-team-brings-the-action-into-your-lounge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/643920\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Sky Sport\u2019s Super Round rugby broadcast: How a vast team brings the action into your lounge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GaryGary Burchett is Sky Sport’s head of sport content.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s helping to reimagine the way his pay-TV network covers our national game.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Zealanders rely on us to deliver rugby; 99.9% of the country watch rugby through Sky. So, it has to look great, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

No matter how great it looks, what you see from the comfort of your lounge cannot do justice to the incredible teamwork that\u2019s frenetically playing out behind the scenes. A team of highly skilled broadcasters is preparing to tell a story that\u2019s yet to be written \u2013 such is the beauty of live sport.<\/p>\n

\"SkySky Sport employed 28 cameras during each match of the Super Round in Christchurch over Anzac weekend. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Tahi the truck<\/p>\n

The nerve centre of Sky Sport\u2019s all-singing, all-dancing production is an outside broadcast (OB) truck that resembles a very large motorhome on the outside and Doctor Who\u2019s Tardis on the inside.<\/p>\n

The truck houses an audio suite, control room, editing suite and colour correction facilities. A team of more than 20 people works shoulder to shoulder without a single ray of daylight, while presenting a compelling depiction of everything they can see only second hand. If the cameras don\u2019t capture it, nobody in the truck will know it happened. There are 28 cameras feeding pictures back to ensure nothing goes unseen.<\/p>\n

\"InsideInside Sky Sport’s Tahi OB truck broadcasting Super Round in Christchurch over Anzac weekend. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

In the hot seat is the director, who has eight screens in front of him with up to nine separate frames fed into each. Next to him is his assistant, meticulously keeping track of time. Behind him, communications are going out to presenter Kirstie Stanway and larrikin roving reporter Joey Wheeler. <\/p>\n

In the replay suite, a team of five editors scours every frame that comes in to add another chapter to the story that\u2019s now being written in real time. Every slow-motion replay, every montage of varying angles of the same action has been created by this eagle-eyed team. Speed is crucial with replays \u2013 the viewer wants it now, and the director wants it faster than that.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe replay team inside Sky Sport’s Tahi OB truck, producing content for the pre-match coverage of Hurricanes v Brumbies at Super Round in Christchurch. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Every person in the truck is working to their limit to present the best possible coverage for you at home \u2013 even more so for One NZ Stadium\u2019s long-awaited debut. Burchett says Sky Sport\u2019s coverage of Super Round was super-sized.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has an international flavour. In fact, you could argue that it\u2019s bigger than what we\u2019ve done for the All Blacks because we\u2019ve introduced Raptor Cam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Christchurch stadium and its sentiment and its meaning and significance, we just felt that this particular event needed a lot of showbiz,\u201d says Burchett, clearly very proud of his team\u2019s enormous effort.<\/p>\n

\"RaptorRaptor Cam operators at work during the Hurricanes v Brumbies match for Sky Sport. One pilots the mechanism while the other operates the camera. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Five matches over three days is a serious undertaking that produced an eye-watering 16 hours of action-packed live television.<\/p>\n

The impressive numbers surrounded one focal point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stadium itself was very much a central sort of theme of how we approached this production. I think last night [Crusaders v Waratahs] it was the story,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Burchett, by his own description, is a broadcast executive and a \u201cstoryteller\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t help but be struck by the emotion of what, you know, this sporting cathedral means to the locals, because it helps spur identity. And a sense of purpose and place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA full house for day two of Super Round at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on April 25, 2026. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Storytelling in television is the difference between hooking a viewer or losing them to the next channel. It\u2019s a one-two punch. Pictures followed closely by sound.<\/p>\n

Raptor Cam <\/p>\n

\u201cIt just looks box office,\u201d says Burchett as the powerful winch controlling the overhead raptor cam purrs behind him.<\/p>\n

The 4k four-wire camera is suspended above the ground at One NZ Stadium and can cover every inch of the playing surface to provide a bird\u2019s eye view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just takes you places that other cameras can\u2019t. It gives you a very intimate view of the way that the game is played, and I think the more we can tell stories about how rugby is played and the strategy, the more people understand it,\u201d says Burchett.<\/p>\n

A team of two is responsible for driving and focusing the camera, while a third person produces the supporting augmented reality graphics.<\/p>\n

\"RaptorRaptor Cam is suspended on four cables that can move it at a speed of up to 10 metres per second and can access all parts of the pitch. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Hamish Trott, Raptor Cam\u2019s managing director, says the new venue was a challenge to rig.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to use a 43m boom lift,\u201d says Trott as he describes the heavy-duty install of four winches attached to the large stadium trusses.<\/p>\n

Not only does Raptor Cam give viewers a perspective that no other camera can, it can move faster than any camera operator. Or winger.<\/p>\n

\u201c10 metres a second. It\u2019s a quick little beast,\u201d says Trott.<\/p>\n

Burchett is a big fan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe four-wire camera \u2013 the Raptor \u2013 it\u2019s the most dynamic camera in world sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Its presence in Christchurch for the Super Round is strategic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all about making a statement, championing rugby, getting people to fall back in love with rugby again, and, importantly for me, the casual watcher who comes in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said this to my team, the narrative of this weekend should not be for the rugby purists. Rugby needs to grow new fans, so if we can build a coverage that oozes showbiz, that feels big, that I think might increase someone\u2019s viewing enjoyment,\u201d says Burchett.<\/p>\n

The Commentary Box <\/p>\n

The commentary team working the Hurricanes v Brumbies game was a collaboration between Sky Sport and the Australian network Stan Sport. It included former All Black Justin Marshall, former Wallaby Morgan Turinui and experienced Australian caller Sean Maloney.<\/p>\n

In-match commentators are heard but not seen \u2013 so getting into the commentary suite while they were in full cry felt like the sort of access that only they themselves get. It shouldn\u2019t be. Maloney\u2019s mannerisms alone are pure entertainment.<\/p>\n

\"SkySky TV commentators (from left) Sean Maloney, Justin Marshall and Morgan Turinui in the commentary box for Super Round in Christchurch on April 25, 2026. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

The broadly built broadcaster has a unique delivery that uses every level of his equally broad vocal range. At times, it sounds like he\u2019s riding a rollercoaster with an unfiltered passage from his eyes to his consciousness and then his mouth. His excitement, disbelief and bewilderment are all as evident in his tone as they are in his vocabulary.<\/p>\n

What the viewer doesn\u2019t see is that with every vocal rise and fall, Maloney seems to have a physical action to match. He stands in his socks with his shoes kicked off as Marshall and Turinui sit beside him. The former international players are still on their stools while Maloney fidgets. Unable to stand still, he shuffles from side to side and crouches like he\u2019s defending his goal line from the next pick and go.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Hurricanes played the Brumbies at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on April 25. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

The stadium <\/p>\n

The stadium was undoubtedly a central figure in the Super Round story \u2013 but it also facilitated Sky\u2019s telling of that story.<\/p>\n

The roof meant conditions were predictable \u2013 and light quality was consistent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have those glares that you do in daytime broadcasts, so picture quality is exceptional, and we\u2019re in sparkling 4k ultra high definition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SkySky TV camera operators on the designated camera balcony at One NZ Stadium on Anzac Day. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

The fact that the stadium caters well to broadcasters is not by accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a very strong relationship with stadium management. They consulted us right throughout the process on broadcasting positions, operations, cabling drop points, studio facilities, so very much a partnership about how to maximise the most out of broadcast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burchett describes the $683 million venue as \u201cstate of the art\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt that this could have been a stadium in Munich, [or] Paris. It just has that sort of modern football feel about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Add to that a capacity crowd and a roof that reverberates every roar they make. And every decibel is picked up by eight ambient microphones and put to use on Sky Sport\u2019s broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very big on audio. TV\u2019s all about the visuals, but it\u2019s the audio that accentuates the drama,\u201d says Burchett.<\/p>\n

\"OverOver the director’s shoulder inside Sky Sport’s Tahi OB truck. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

The game <\/p>\n

Sporting theatre is not contrived. It is most often born out of a meaningful contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re only as good as what happens in the middle. I can put on the best production in the world, but if it\u2019s a 56-0 blowout, people aren\u2019t remembering the high-quality production; they\u2019re remembering one team being decimated. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want every match that we produce to go down to the last minute. I want a 79th-minute winner or someone to equalise. Maybe it goes to super point, or a golden point, because that sustains viewership, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Burchett says his team\u2019s job is to bring it to life.<\/p>\n

\"SkySky Sport presenters Kirstie Stanway, Tim Horan and Jeff Wilson at work on Anzac Day in Christchurch. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

At one stage during our tour, Burchett is approached by former All Black Jeff Wilson (now a Sky commentator) with an idea that came from former Wallaby and Stan Sport commentator Tim Horan about featuring key players before kick-off. It\u2019s a subtle tweak, but it\u2019s attention to detail that Burchett likes, and he suggests they try it in the following match between the Blues and the Reds. That\u2019s how fast and directly changes can be made in a structured programme with a broadcast team adept in playing with \u201ceyes up\u201d. <\/p>\n

Burchett trusts experts like Wilson to identify the stories within the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey played the game at the highest level. I know how to pull a production together, but the minutiae of what excellence looks like, that\u2019s their responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t have a producer telling Jeff Wilson what to say, right? That\u2019s almost disrespectful. So, they need to drive and lead the narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ExpertsExperts like presenter Jeff Wilson, a former All Black, are trusted to identify stories within the story. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n

Super Round was super in many ways. Three days, three sell-outs across five matches and a team of 96 tireless broadcasters who put you deep inside One NZ Stadium for an event that Super Rugby will never forget \u2013 even if the scorelines are already a bit hazy.<\/p>\n

Mike Thorpe<\/a> is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gary Burchett is Sky Sport’s head of sport content. Now he\u2019s helping to reimagine the way his pay-TV…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":643921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[25908,311605,64,63,23182,2651,10681,30256,505,115961,8612,155311,311606,15454,17017,5588,9407,50926,8278,16362,16371,236374,311604,20034,197345,3261,5950,8844,42543,66215,3607,760,38924,154999,12773,85,8824,1643,10965,3018,9501,320,19004,33939,153006,35022,8281,4849,48847,5391,91369],"class_list":["post-643920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-action","tag-alyse","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-behind","tag-bring","tag-brings","tag-broadcast","tag-central","tag-christchurch","tag-commentary","tag-consider","tag-curtain","tag-during","tag-flat","tag-front","tag-hard","tag-herald","tag-how","tag-inside","tag-into","tag-invited","tag-journalists","tag-look","tag-lounge","tag-mike","tag-moment","tag-move","tag-pictures","tag-position","tag-round","tag-rugby","tag-screen","tag-seeing","tag-sky","tag-sports","tag-stadium","tag-super","tag-take","tag-team","tag-that","tag-the","tag-this","tag-thorpe","tag-vast","tag-weekend","tag-when","tag-working","tag-wright","tag-your","tag-youre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}