RugbyPass’ The Season: Where will hit rugby documentary go next?
“It’s comparable to basketball in some parts of California or Friday Night Lights football in Texas or the Bible Belt,” director Nick Piper said.
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The documentary filmmaker behind RugbyPass’ hit series ‘The Season’ has revealed where he hopes to bring his camera crew next.
Speaking after the final episode of The Season’s sixth season, which followed Brisbane Boys’ College through the 2019 GPS rugby campaign, OnionTV’s Nick Piper said he hoped to take the series to the Gold Coast next.
“The Southport School is never far from any conversation I have with The Season fans,” Piper said.
“I’ve been in contact with the school and they’re fantastic, they love the series.
“The school and I laugh at the irony because the two domestic series, Nudgee College in 2017 and BBC in 2019, have both featured TSS as the winners.
“They almost don’t need a series because they’ve been a major player in the drama for both those seasons.
“They’ve had some incredible teams, particularly in 2019 – it seems an obvious choice for the next series.”
Around 200,000 viewers from across the globe have tuned in every week to follow BBC over the seven-week run, the director said.
The reasons why, Piper suggests, are as much in the background of his footage as the foreground.
“BBC Old Boys tell me they’d rather watch GPS rugby than the Wallabies,” he said.
“It’s because the professional game cannot replicate what the GPS brings.
“The colours of the crowd, packed into a grandstand, close to the sideline, the singing and chanting … but most critically, every player is being cheered on by friends who want them to win.
“It’s comparable to basketball in some parts of California or Friday Night Lights football in Texas or the Bible Belt.
“The recipe is all of that; it’s the crowd, the drama, the pageantry, the history.
“I’d stay in the Sydney and Brisbane GPS making documentaries for the rest of my days because it’s just gold.”
TSS coach Mike Wallace praised the series for showcasing the competition but said his school and First XV were comfortable without the cameras for now.
“It’s a fantastic concept but at the moment it’s not the best fit for our school,” he said.
“Our kids are here to get an education and we’re comfortable with what we’re trying to achieve in educational outcomes for our boys.”
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