WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

Some of the problems posed by  

evening kick-offs

England’s 7.00pm kick-off against Samoa under the Twickenham floodlights was part of their preparation for Rugby World Cup 2015, in order to acclimatize to a different pre-match routine prior to a late start. It is another experience for the players and also the match officials. They too have a revised agenda well before the action gets under way.

Matches under floodlights in rugby were once a novelty where away teams, mistrusting the quality of them, were sometimes reluctant to provide midweek opposition, quite apart from the fact that we are actually talking about ‘friendly’ matches, which supposedly didn’t matter, though there was never anything particularly amicable about Gloucester v Pontypool on a November night at Kingsholm. A fixture list of over fifty matches was normal for some clubs and a third of those would be under the lights. But, it has to be said that some of the lighting was a bit dodgy and I can recall two occasions in particular when I was flustered before the game even started. At Aspatria for a Tuesday night County match between Cumbria and Northumberland and back in the mists of time for Roundhay v Headingley (you can work out how long ago that must have been) for a Monday evening Leeds derby; I well remember going out for a warm up half an hour before the kick-off and, after asking when all the lights were going on, being told that they already were.

Home teams had their favourite dark corners, especially reserved for the ‘high ball’ and there were other features not immediately detected in the gloom. The referee was wise to attempt to familiarise himself with these: gaps in the lineout and distances could easily become ‘shortened’ under the lights, a reliable touch judge was highly desirable, if unlikely and it was also imperative that the referee did not select a dark coloured jersey for the game. The standard of floodlighting has been transformed although there will doubtless be a number of venues where visiting teams would prefer not to play under artificial light; however, on the international stage, like the Premiership Football clubs, visibility often seems to be better than watching in daylight!

Before the lights even go on, teams and referees need to adjust to a totally unusual routine for an evening start to the game. On a Saturday the whole timetable needs revision and the problem of actually occupying time can be awkward. In France, for instance, 9.00pm is often a normal time to kick-off, which poses serious complications to the build up. Even the obvious needs attention, like getting to the ground punctually – I bet most of the delayed kick-offs are for evening games.

Matches played after dark in England more often than not are accompanied by cold weather, not an immediate incentive for spectators to venture out, but there does seem to be a certain atmosphere at the big games, most of which are 7.00pm for 8.00pm starts anyway to meet television requirements. The World Cup is going to include many of these so, as England used the Samoa fixture to accustom the whole squad to a changed format, the officials……..and spectators too will have to fall into line.  

David Matthews (December 2014)