We didn't know there was a language barrier between Wales and Ireland until today, thanks to Sam Warburton.
The former Welsh international was on commentary duty for BT Sport for the Heineken Champions Cup meeting of Leicester Tigers and Connacht.
Throughout the game - it became more and more apparent that Warburton couldn't pronounce the word Connacht.
Not to be harsh on the Welshman but it probably should be the first thing a commentator should learn the night before a game.
The pronunciation of players is one thing, but the teams that are playing is another. We were treated to the sounds of Conna, Connaw and Connawt.
You can hear the various attempts at about 0:40 of the video below.
Lead re-gained, bonus point in the bag for @LeicesterTigers 👊
Hosea Saumaki exploits the numbers after some great work from the pack!#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/j8EFHcUWI5— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) December 19, 2021
What made it worse was no one corrected him at half-time or post-game, so Warburton's post-match analysis was butchered with the same mispronunciation.
Hopefully, someone in the BT Sport backroom team will point it out to him. His co-commentator Nick Mullins had no trouble whatsoever.
As you might expect - many rugby fans were watching on and fairly peeved at hearing the same mishap over and over again.
The way Sam Warburton is pronouncing Connacht is making my head hurt. #LEIvCON
— Master Of None Podcast (@MasterOfNonePod) December 19, 2021
Will someone please tell Sam Warburton it’s not Conn-Awe. Con-Knocked is close enough. #LEIvCON #grating
— Steve (@Stevesilvrmint) December 19, 2021
Every time Sam Warburton says "Conn-awt" I want to jam pencils into my ears. #LEIvCONN
— Robert Ferris (@DrRobertFerris1) December 19, 2021
Seriously, what did Connacht do to Sam Warburton that he's butchering their name like this? #LEIvCON
— Conor McNamara (@conorgmcnamara) December 19, 2021
Warburton pronouncing “Connacht” could be used as a form of torture
— NippyK10 (@nippy1111) December 19, 2021
Warburton joined BT Sport back in 2018 after hanging up his boots in 2018. He earned 74 caps for Wales over an eight-year span.
Connacht lead Leicester going into the break by a five-point margin, before a trip to the sin bin for Finlay Bealham turned the game on its head.
Leicester managed to capitalise and scored two tries on their way to a 29-23 win. Jack Carty's late drop-goal secured the visitors a losing bonus point.
It now means Andy Friend's side have picked up six points from their first two Champions Cup games which isn't a bad haul by any means.
They sit fourth in Pool B with six teams still to play their second game. Harlequins, Munster and Leicester make up the top three so far.
See Also: Young Guns The Shining Light As Munster Scrape Past Castres
