Samsung introduce 'Slideliner' seats in Australia

The Samsung Slideliner will be introduced in Australia (©GettyImages).

Just when you thought Australia had topped themselves with their strange methods of advertising, the Samsung branch in Australia have released this new 'Samsung Slideliner' for rugby matches.

In a competition for "the best seat in the house" the contestant has the chance to get himself and three of his friends to sit on this slider to watch a match, sliding up and down the touchline following the action.

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Would it work?

At the moment this is a competition and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but then  again could this work in other leagues, especially the Aviva Premiership?

One thing that would have to be acknowledged is safety, and space, because during many rugby games there isn't much space between the bench and the stands, so a sliding bench would make things a bit more complicated.

Furthermore the cameras run down the touchline which could cause chaos for fans looking at the big screen wanting close-ups of the action but instead seeing a big blue bench blocking their view.

Also if four people are going along the touchline in this blue capsule no one will be watching the rugby just the fans in the seats, an embarrassing moment surely.

Another awkward moment would be if it was to break down half-way through the match, then the fans are literally sitting ducks who have to watch the game from a difficult angle while the other fans taunt them.

The idea of the competition is that the person has to buy a Samsung TV and with that they are automatically entered into the raffle, and the winner attends three games of their choice, but the catch is that there are some stadiums where the Slideliner cannot be installed, resulting in the fans sitting in the stands.

Positives

But there are some advantages to this, watching the game on the touchline you see how the team plays as well as getting a close up of the players making tackles, scoring tries and initiating scrums.

The fans also wouldn't miss a second of the game because it would be all in front of them as they follow the play down each end of the field. So would this work in the Premiership?

At some grounds this invention could be installed, but it depends on how much room there is on the touchline; at grounds like Twickenham and Wembley Stadium it would work, but at Adams Park or Selhurst Park it wouldn't.

The Slideliner will hopefully be a one-off project that doesn't become a regular thing in rugby as this may be technology that for once the RFU would say no to, however, don't rule it out making an appearance in next years' World Cup.