While the action on the pitch has been the primary source of entertainment during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, there have also been plenty of memorable moments provided away from the field of play.
When it comes to top level sport in the current age, the broadcast surrounding the game itself now makes up a huge chunk of the viewing experience for those who watch the games. As a result, broadcasters have done quite a bit in recent years to improve this aspect of their product.
Pundits play a huge part in that, with the lineup for a given fixture often going a long way towards deciding how many of their viewers will tune in for the pre-match buildup and post-match discussion. With that in mind, we have decided to rank the five most entertaining pundits at this year's Rugby World Cup.
Before we get to the rankings, one important thing to note.
We are not ranking the best pundits, but instead simply who provided us with the most entertainment over the last couple of months. Their analysis and opinions could have been awful, but they were in the running here if they simply provided memorable moments in one way or another. As a result, some of the more analysis focused pundits do not feature.
With that in mind, here's what we came up with.
READ HERE: Remembering Paul O'Connell's Legendary Performance On 'Question Of Sport'
Ranking the most entertaining pundits at the Rugby World Cup
5. Jim Hamilton
Jim Hamilton may not have appeared on our TV screens as regularly as the other pundits on this list, but there is no doubt that the Scot was one of the most entertaining voices at the tournament in France.
He is absolutely excellent on The Rugby Pod alongside Andy Goode, while his pitchside reporting for World Rugby was also top notch.
One of the most memorable interviews he conducted was with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry ahead of Ireland's game against South Africa.
Rory Mcilroy at scrum-half? Shane Lowry in the front row?
Catch The Big Jim Show Live for all the after match reactions on RugbyPass TV! #RWC2023 | #RSAvIRE pic.twitter.com/gToBTqcx7w— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023
As well as that, his point about the Irish fans at the tournament was one of the most interesting Ireland points we heard made by someone from outside this country.
4. Rob Kearney
Having had an initial bedding in period after his move into television punditry, Rob Kearney really came into his own during this Rugby World Cup.
Some of his analysis on Virgin Media is top class, bringing his experience as a recently retired player to give some real insight into the tactical approach in the modern game.
He also was not afraid to throw the odd digs at teams here and there, most notably at Scotland after their elimination at the hands of Ireland in the pool stages.
"At what point do you say to a team, 'lads, stop with the chat and start backing it up.'"
Where does Gregor Townsend now go with this Scotland team after their World Cup exit.#IREvSCO | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/ACdYEhBC79— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 7, 2023
Kearney is certainly improving rapidly in this role and offers plenty of entertainment to the viewers.
3. Simon Zebo
If you needs a 'vibes man' on your rugby punditry panel, Simon Zebo is the person to call.
The Cork man provided plenty of entertainment on RTÉ, especially early on in the tournament. That was especially true when he has poking fun at his fellow pundits, most notably Jamie Heaslip.
Just the tail-end. pic.twitter.com/ssAYuVpxiu
— Daithí Ó (@hakaman) September 10, 2023
As a current player, Zebo also offers plenty in terms of his insight into current players and tactics.
READ HERE: New Footage Shows Reason for Altercation After Full Time in England v South Africa
2. Brian O'Driscoll
When Brian O'Driscoll speaks about rugby, you listen.
His name carries a huge amount of weight in the sport, not only in Ireland. He was by far the best pundit on ITV during this Rugby World Cup, both in terms of an entertainment and analysis perspective. That is evidenced by the fact that he will be part of their panel for tomorrow's final at the Stade de France.
O'Driscoll has made some very interesting points over the last eight weeks, especially in relation to Ireland. Be it his comments about Johnny Sexton after the New Zealand loss, his warning to Ireland during the pool stages, or even his analysis on his own social media pages, BOD brought the goods right from the start in France.
As an all-around pundit, he is probably the best in the business at the moment.
1. Matt Williams
When it comes to pure entertainment value, no pundit has come close to matching the output of Matt Williams during the Rugby World Cup.
You may not agree with his points, in fact it seems very few people do. In saying that, his continued daring, impassioned, and sometimes downright bizarre opinions have been among the highlights of the entire tournament.
He has hit headlines all over the world for some of his takes over the last couple of months. His bugbears with the approach of South Africa have been a consistent talking point, most notably their use of the 7-1 split on the bench. He felt it was a danger to the sport itself.
He also disagreed with his fellow Virgin Media pundits on occasion, bumping heads with both Rob Kearney and Shane Horgan at different points in recent times.
Most recently, he was absolutely hammered online for his strong opinion on the place of the scrum in modern rugby.
Scrum discussion:
🗣 "By giving a penalty where you can take 3 points or kick for touch and maul, you are incentivising scrummaging to get the penalty!"
🗣 "World Rugby have to make a decision. Do we want the scrum to be the focal point of our game?"#ENGvRSA #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/2OAXWSfZyh— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 21, 2023
There were few certainties during this Rugby World Cup, but one of them was that the Aussie was going to say something memorable during each broadcast that he appeared on.
Some people will remember the tournament for the action on the pitch, but for us, this was the tournament of Matt Williams.
As a result, there could no other choice for the top spot in these rankings.
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