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By Mitch Phillips
LONDON (Reuters) – Owen Farrell and the world of TikTok and “influencers” is about as unlikely a sporting confluence as could be imagined but with rugby seeking new fans and new markets, the England captain duly toed the line at the Six Nations launch on Monday.
The event is routinely carved up into separate media opportunities for newspapers, TV, radio and online operations, but this year a new “TikTok and influencers” room was added to the rotation.
While considerably reducing the average age of the attending journalists, the new section also brought something of a new approach. Instead of being asked (again) how proud he was to be England captain, Farrell was instead challenged to do “keepy-ups” (matching Ireland skipper Jonny Sexton with 10).
Wales coach Warren Gatland, resplendent in a smart suit and Welsh Rugby Union tie, looked only slightly nervous when one of the TikTokers jokingly asked him if he was ready to dance, before settling for some more routine questions.
The Six Nations has added TikTok to its list of official sponsors this year and has also arranged for a Netflix “behind the scenes” documentary along the lines of those recently aired for Formula One and tennis, though the dressing room secrets will be safe for a while as it will not be screened until 2024.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
