From this season, RTÉ no longer have live coverage of the Heineken Cup, as the exclusive rights have been captured by Sky.

So, very reluctantly, we have added Sky Sports to our cable TV package. At €23 per month, it is over €100 more expensive per year than the TV licence. We'll probably watch a few Premiership matches as well, but I can't see myself getting too excited about something like Reading v. Wigan. Herself will probably watch the Ashes when it's on, as she has inherited an interest in cricket from her father.

Having the Heineken Cup on Sky is a pain for two reasons. First, having to pony up the aforementioned €23 per month for the privilege, and then having to put up with Sky's really poxy coverage. Sky, like any other British TV station, is biased in both commentary and analysis toward English teams. If I have to put up with this, I would at least prefer if the commentary and analysis were biased towards Irish teams.

Then there are the statistics. As anyone will tell you, 89% of all statistics are completely irrelevant. But on Sky, there is this overbearing obsession with stats and records. The camera focuses on a particular player, and an utterly meaningless statistic appears under his name, like the number of tackles he missed or passes he completed in the first round of matches. Who sits there and counts all of this stuff? Does it matter one jot? Of course not.

This isn't just a Sky thing by the way. British sports coverage in general is obsessed with statistics. I reckon that's why cricket is so popular in England, because there are so many numbers that can be juggled during a match. Strip all of it away, and the game itself is pretty dull.

Come to think of it, it's not even a sports thing. I remember when the National Lottery launched in the UK, the commentary during the draw on TV was all about how often certain numbers came up and when was the last time. As if it made any difference.

I really miss RTÉ's live coverage of the Heineken Cup. The triumverate of Tom McGurk, George Hook and Brent Pope are as good as any panel of experts that Sky or the BBC could put together. The commentators aren't up to much, but they're no worse than Stuart Barnes and Mark Robson. I tried once watching the match with the sound off, while listening to the great Michael Corcoran on RTÉ Radio, but it wasn't a satisfactory arrangement.

If RTÉ got the rights back, I'd cancel Sky Sports without a second thought. Bring back Hooky and Popey, I say!