"Most people won’t have seen Wheelchair Rugby League... it’s absolutely brilliant" Pete Thomas on the RLWC2021

Whisper is currently delivering the World Feed for the Rugby League World Cup 21, which runs until 19 November and covers three Championships simultaneously for the first time: Wheelchair, Women’s and Men’s.

Whisper’s Head of Sport, Pete Thomas, commented on the approach…

“The RLWC2021 is a unique Championship being three World Cups in one for the first time. The way the RLWC presented it really appealed to us and the aim has always been to encourage viewers to be across all three competitions and follow all the games.

“We love telling the stories from the pitch, as we capture the best of the action, and the excitement of the tournament, peeking into the dressing rooms to capture those brilliant moments just before kick-off, or when the teams are coming back in at half time. It's all part of building the story for the viewers, letting them in and attaching them to these amazing players.

“Having the three Championships side by side has real benefits to how we are presenting the games. The Wheelchair game offers us a good route to explain the sport to new viewers, and to open that conversation without patronising regular rugby league fans, because most people won’t have seen wheelchair rugby league – and it’s absolutely brilliant! It ties completely to the running game, it even looks and smells the same, it is going to grab plenty of new fans.

“All three Championships are being approached in the same way by our production team. A key match might have more cameras, but all games have the same importance to us.

“While we're concentrating on creating a world feed that satisfies the requirements of the broadcasters around the world, who are taking this at different levels (with different levels of interest in the sport) – along with the RLWC and the BBC, we also want to tell the wider story of this tournament.

“Rugby League has always been a game for all. There have been great efforts by the RLWC to support the local communities where the games are taking place, as well as the teams themselves. There are some fantastic initiatives going on. Tracy Power who runs the social impact programmes educated us on all that’s going on alongside the tournament and we are proud to be a part of that too.

“It’s good to be able to share what the game is doing for people and how it helps on a daily basis. We want to give a voice to that social change; it’s as important as showing the best angle of a try in the Final.

“We want people to come away from watching this World Cup and think not only about what happened on the field, but also what an incredible tournament it was with a huge effect on people. It’s part of what Whisper stands for and that’s why we are so thrilled to be working on this.

“We like to get involved in tournaments that make a difference and we are loving being a part of this RLWC21.”

Don't miss games from all three Championships across BBC platforms this weekend.