Six nations. One throne. That’s the premise of a clever (unless you’re a stickler when it comes to the Italian flag) promo for BBC Sport’s Six Nations coverage, which kicked off live from Millennium Stadium in London this past weekend. The rugby championship, which pits European powers England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, and Italy against each other in one of the sport’s most high-profile events, is a tournament in which old world powers rely on a combination of wit, determination, and ruthlessness to emerge victorious. Sound familiar? Cue the Game of Thrones treatment.
“Which one of six will wear the crown?” the narration begins, swiftly moving across a map of Europe, mock fortresses-turned-stadiums clicking into place à la Westeros. “Here the crown sits: Ireland. Here power rests. This is ours, take it if you dare” narrator (and Thrones season five cast member) Jonathan Pryce declares as the camera pans over the Emerald Isle, home of the defending champions. “And who dare say that a challenge will not arise here? England’s challenge,” the voice of High Sparrow asks when it moves to London. “A long time waiting, plotting, planning. Oh, to rule again.”
Brace yourselves. Rugby is coming.
