Bigger is Better for a Sofa Ref: Ugo Monye Helps Brits See New Laws Clearly Ahead of the World’s Biggest Rugby Tournament

LONDON, UK – 30 August 2023 – Over half of Brits (71%) are planning to watch the hotly anticipated rugby tournament from the sofa at home this September.

But when it comes to the big game, new research from Samsung has revealed that 44% of the nation are confused about the new rugby laws that will be introduced. And with over a quarter (27%) of the UK being self-professed sofa refs, there is more of a need than ever this year to understand the updates.

Which is why Former England rugby international and broadcaster Ugo Monye has teamed up with Samsung – for the recently launched 98” Q80C TV – to equip the nation to see clearly, without the need to ‘try’.

The presenter and pundit said: “Millions of people are excited about September’s line-up. And while the new laws are going to shake up the game – getting your head around the regulations is less exciting. But with the help of Samsung’s big TV’s, viewers can supersize their experience and feel like they are in the best seats in the stadium, ready from the comfort of their home for knock-out match analysis. Game on.”

Dan Harvie, Vice-President TV/AV Division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland added: “Ultra-large screen TVs are on the rise, as people look to watch more major cultural moments at home with friends and family.  And when it comes to the best way to watch rugby this September – bigger is better – our large screen TVs bring all the excitement of the stadium experience to consumers right from their homes. In fact, our customers are typically upsizing their TVs by an average of 13 inches, which is why we’re producing televisions with 98-inch screens for the first time ever. With the introduction of the new rugby laws, it’s never been a better time to upsize your screen to enjoy all the action up close in the sharpest definition.”

Ugo shares his top tips on the key laws to look out for over the next few weeks:

• Shot Clock: The main law change that rugby fans will notice is the shot clock. Designed to speed up play on the field and stop time-wasting, players have 90 seconds to take a conversion, 60 seconds for a penalty kick. Scrums and lineouts have a time limit of 30 seconds whilst the ball must be released within 5 seconds for rucks.

• Bunker: Another major introduction is the Bunker. Recently trialled at the Summer Nations Series, the match referee will be able to consult the Foul Play Review Official stationed in the ‘Bunker’ if they are unable to determine if a possible incident of foul play isn’t clear or obvious after two big screen replays.

• TMO innovations – Also known as Television Match Official, the TMO is an individual who watches the match action on a TV screen away from the pitch and feeds information to the referee via an earpiece. For this year, TMOs can only interrupt play to investigate serious or dangerous play that the officials have missed.

• Deliberate foul play – Referees can now show a full red card to players on the pitch for intentional foul play. Players that are handed a full red card will not be able to return to the pitch and can’t be replaced.

Samsung’s 98” Q80C TV is the ultimate TV for individuals that want to supersize their entertainment and enjoy all the thrills of the stadium experience at home – perfect for having friends over & group watching all the rugby action. Driven by the Neural Quantum Processor 4K, it uses AI Upscaling technology to enhance image quality to fit a super large screen, enhancing the depth and sharpness of the content allowing you to see every bit of crisp detailing on the pitch. Combined with Quantum HDR+ technology, it delivers superior black and brightness performance allowing you to see every bit of crisp detailing on the pitch as if you are in the stadium.

For more information on Samsung’s large screen TV range including the 98” Q80C TV, visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/big-screen-tv/