The 'brilliant' new way to watch Wales stars play for free as Dan Biggar joins coverage
The 'brilliant' new way to watch Wales stars play for free as Dan Biggar joins coverage
The move has been hailed as a 'game-changer' by rugby fans
Biggar will be part of FR-UK's coverage of Friday's Pro D2 play-off semi-final
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Rugby fans across Wales tuned in to watch Welsh internationals Sam Davies and George North go head-to-head in the French second-tier on Thursday night, as Grenoble hosted Provence in the Pro D2 play-off semi-finals.
But those watching didn't need to pay a hefty subscription fee or even sign up for a seven-day trial, as the action was streamed for free on YouTube. In a move that has been hailed as a "game-changer", podcast host Tim Cocker has bought the rights to broadcast Pro D2 games for free in the UK and Ireland via his channel FR-UK Rugby.
The deal has seen Cocker - co-host of the EggChasers Rugby Podcast and a former rugby reporter for BT Sport - not only acquire the rights to this season's play-off matches, but also 35 fixtures next season. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
As well as Davies and North, the French second division also features the likes of former England star Courtney Lawes and Wales international Ross Moriarty, who both play for Brive, while Ospreys fly-half Owen Williams will join Nice this summer.
The broadcasts see Cocker commentate on the games, with former England international Joe Worsley, a coach at Brive, on hand to provide analysis.
After Cocker, Worsley and the FR-UK Rugby team signed the landmark deal earlier this month, their YouTube channel now has just under 13,000 subscribers, with 14,000 people watching their broadcast of the Grenoble v Provence clash.
Fans were delighted at being able to watch the action from the comfort of their own homes free of charge, with one telling Cocker: "You've played a blinder, Tim! It's going to be brilliant to be able to watch Pro D2 matches next season."
Another who tuned in to Thursday night's action added: "Really looking forward to more live ProD2, well done Tim, Joe and all involved securing rights and promotion of some fantastic rugby.
"This has been such a good watch!" wrote another. "Thank you Tim for sorting this [so] that the rest of us can watch and enjoy."
FR-UK Rugby will also be broadcasting the second Pro D2 play-off final between Brive and Montauban from 7.50pm on Friday night, with Wales icon Dan Biggar joining the coverage.
The fly-half, who has announced his retirement from rugby after seeing out his career with Toulon, is expected to put his French skills to the test as he watches his former international team-mate Moriarty in action.
Explaining why and how he acquired the rights in an interview with The Telegraph, Cocker said that talks with Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and Canal+, the league's rights holders, started a year ago, with Worsley's connections in the French game helping to get a deal over the line.
'It's mad and it's brilliant and I think it speaks to the forward-thinking nature of French rugby,' he said.
'I think that's the same attitude that persuades Top 14 bosses to give a third of the money from their TV deal to Pro D2, because they recognise it can help the whole sport grow and they have somewhere to go if they ever drop down.
'It's big-picture thinking. When we were first chatting to them, we had no subscribers. But we believe in the vision and so do they."
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Outlining FR-UK's future plans, Cocker added: 'Longer-term, we want to do something that feels professional and high-quality but is distinct from other broadcasts.
"What's the point in being on a new platform if you don't do something new with the coverage? We're pioneers in the Wild West with no road map. Let's do something different.'
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