Editorial: Ad slot should be kicked into touch

It was a great feast of sporting television at the weekend, right?

First the All Blacks mowed down the French 37 to 17, showing them they are no longer the bogey Rugby World Cup team they once were.

Then, the highlight of the night, the Warriors secured their place in next week's NRL grand final with an enthralling win over the Storm in Melbourne.

There's nothing more exciting than getting ready for such a night of great viewing. You get your beverage of choice close to hand, a few snacks just in reach and the countdown to the All Blacks begins.

Ritchie McCaw leads his side onto the field and you can't help but feel a little proud as he notches up his 100th test.

The anthems are under way - you slurp away on your cuppa and down the first of the Toffee Pops.

Then Piri Weepu steps forward to lead the haka. Like or hate the new haka, it's still another passionate explosion of our culture. The hair on the back of your neck is standing up as the players hiss and chant at the French. You're almost bursting with excitement for the kick off.

But hold up. What's this? An ad? Surely it's a production error. Am I still on Sky?

Yes, this is the annoying reality of this World Cup. A 90-second ad has made its way into the most anticipated moment of television.

Goodness knows how much businesses are paying for this slot because there's no doubt they have a captive audience.

But why is this happening? It appears television advertisement breaks have been inserted between haka and kick-offs - and lengthened from 10 minutes to 12 minutes at half time - to push the Rugby World Cup towards Super Bowl-like marketability.

It's not just something that happens if you're watching the game on channels other than Sky. TV3 and TV One are both doing the same. The only channel that isn't using this format is Maori Television, with general manager of programming Haunui Royal reported as saying they decided against putting advertisements between haka and kick-offs, forgoing revenue to continue the on-field feed and commentary. Good for them.

We are used to seeing the haka then ripping straight into the game.

Where will this commercialisation end? There are breaks in play for injuries and setting up line-outs and scrums. Will we be watching the latest in retail sales during these slots next?

We all need to make money, but this is the biggest downer. Here's hoping it's just a Rugby World Cup annoyance and not something we will have to get used to.