BOK CAMP UNHAPPY WITH SIX NATIONS TV ADS SHOWN AHEAD OF FRONT-ROW SHOVE

SPRINGBOK captain Siya Kolisi is NOT a fan of having advertisements running on television while teams are getting ready for a front-row shove.

For those who watched Thursday’s Six Nations opener between France and Ireland, it was an eyesore as a number of mense took to social media to voice their frustration.

Kolisi was quizzed about it by Independent Media after Bok coach Rassie Erasmus also reacted to the news on X and told IOL reguit: “That is disrespecting the game.

“That is really bad, I don’t really want to talk about it.

“The buildup to scrums is part of the game, and I don’t know why people would run away from it. We say rugby is a game for everyone, but are we now also going to stop and have ad breaks when Cheslin [Kolbe] is stepping people? That is not fair. We want to watch the game.”

Erasmus subtly hinted that the build up to scrums should not be devalued as just “dead air” to be monetised.

Kolisi and Erasmus were not the only ones reacting to the gimmick that mutes the rugby and minimises the game to show a half-screen ad when the scrum is reset.

According to reports, it’s set to happen for the remainder of the tournament.

There was a vrag criticism after Thursday’s opener on social media, while some viewers accepted that ads would be coming.

An X user wrote: “Putting adverts during scrum resets is one of the most disrespectful things a broadcaster could do to a sport. Awful, awful choice.”

Another posted a short message criticising the American sports-style ad: “USA sports coverage arrives in the UK. Awful.”

Another wrote: “I’m sorry @ITV, Please don’t ever do that again.”