RNSS case studies :: Saracens

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Saracens

Our relationship with Saracens Rugby at Allianz Park remains strong and is further cemented by our newly installed technician Rory Adamson. He is based at Allianz Park  and forms part of the team looking after the many and varied events that take place onsite.

Match days are of course the mainstay of the stadium’s function but inevitably there is huge pressure on the facilities throughout the year. The artificial pitch proved its worth last year in the appalling weather, remaining open and playable when others became swamps. The East stand is in constant demand for functions and conferences and Rory and the team are kept on their toes every day.

We wanted to wish Steve Borthwick all the best as he retires from the pitch, though he will undoubtedly never be far away from the action in his new career as coach.

In March we all went off to Wembley to cover the prematch and interval entertainment. This included four tribute acts and a 1600 strong choir with dancers. Meyer M’elodie was employed alongside the in house systems and despite the amount of cable required the system was installed in six hours. Tony Birch and Richard were responsible for sound on the day under the watchful ears of Roger Lindsay, brought in as ever to ensure the high standards set by Saracens were met. It was one of the early outings for our new Shure Axient system which arrived with us that month. In that environment we couldn’t afford radio problems and the system behaved perfectly throughout the day, working alongside our UHF R handhelds and PSM1000 IEMs. We didn’t have a single dropout during the show, something Ali Otto and Merv Knock at Wembley said was incredibly hard to achieve.

In May we joined Saracens at HAC, converting the hallowed cricket pitch into a rugby pitch complete with grandstand, food outlets and (of course) bars. The mantra of ‘don’t damage the grass’ was drummed into the crew and the very tight schedule was met from beginning to end. Quite how the grass coped with players is another matter…..