RTÉ to miss out on English clash

IRELAND’s glamorous Rugby World Cup warm-up against England at the Aviva Stadium next month will not be broadcast live on RTÉ or any terrestrial network, it has emerged.

Sky Sports’ agreement with the English RFU gives them first refusal on the fixture, creating an “unprecedented” situation where a home Irish international is not covered live by RTÉ. However Montrose will have highlights of the August 27th clash, the last of four warm-up games for Ireland, that night.

It is another blow for RTÉ’s sports department which has already suffered the loss of Heineken Cup highlights and will be forced to continue pruning its offering as part of a raft of cutbacks.