Cardiff academic in roving reporter role for Rugby World Cup

University law professor volunteers in ‘The Pack’

While most of the nation enjoys the Rugby World Cup from the comfort of their homes, a School of Law and Politics professor has gone one step further by volunteering as a roving reporter during the event this September and October.

Professor Angela Devereux, whose usual role is Head of the Centre for Professional Legal Studies, is a keen rugby fan so when she saw an advert last year inviting people to get involved in The Pack, the name for the volunteer team, she applied.

She said, “I'm 60 next month, so I wanted to do something outside my usual sphere. I filled in a form setting out my experience and skills and said I was happy to do any job they thought I was suited for.

“I was invited for an interview at the Millennium Stadium last August and in January I received an email saying I had been selected to be in The Pack. This was a real achievement as only 6,000 out of the original 20,000 applicants made it to this stage.

“I was told I would be a flash quote reporter; interviewing players and coaches at press conferences and in the Mixed Zone after the match, filing the quotes I had obtained on a news service site - Rugby News Service - accessible to all the accredited media.”

In her previous life before law and academia, Angela was a journalist in England and Paris so her volunteer role was a dream come true.

Now that the World Cup has begun, Angela has worked on three matches in Cardiff so far: Ireland vs Canada, Wales vs Uruguay and Fiji vs Australia.

On match day she sits in the press tribune and afterwards interviews key players as they make their way from the changing room to the team bus.

“The most fun is being a part of such a great tournament and feeling like you’re gaining an insight most people aren’t able to get - like watching the former Canadian team captain arriving at the stadium with a large soft toy of a moose under one arm, or meeting the charming Uruguayan team.” 

“The toughest thing so far is learning the Fijian names and having to type really quickly which is tricky when you're nervous!”

The rest of the competition which runs until 31 October 2015. For information on fixtures taking place in Cardiff visit the Rugby World Cup website.