Seremaia Bai

[AlphaWiseOwl]

Does anybody have any idea why the SKY team keep calling him Umbai in commentary? BT Sport get his name right but SKY seem to have given him a new name. He clearly has BAI written on the back of his shirt so where does Umbai come from? I thought it might just be another little foible of Stuart Barnes but the others on the SKY team are doing it as well. Perhaps Cockers needs to explain it to them in in his own inimitable fashion.

[Darc Tiger]

Islander pronunciations can be a little unusual. Tuilagi -> Tuilangi.

[sapajo]

Does anybody have any idea why the SKY team keep calling him Umbai in commentary? BT Sport get his name right but SKY seem to have given him a new name. He clearly has BAI written on the back of his shirt so where does Umbai come from? I thought it might just be another little foible of Stuart Barnes but the others on the SKY team are doing it as well. Perhaps Cockers needs to explain it to them in in his own inimitable fashion.

Actually it is bad english they are actually saying "Urm" "Bai" in other words as said on the life skills advert do not be an "urmer"

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Does anybody have any idea why the SKY team keep calling him Umbai in commentary? BT Sport get his name right but SKY seem to have given him a new name. He clearly has BAI written on the back of his shirt so where does Umbai come from? I thought it might just be another little foible of Stuart Barnes but the others on the SKY team are doing it as well. Perhaps Cockers needs to explain it to them in in his own inimitable fashion.

As Darc Tiger said - islander pronunciation isn't the same as English.

Rabeni was more accurately pronounced Rambeni - follows that Bai would be more like Mbai seeing as they're both Fijian

[G.K]

Oh I get it now - to speak Fijian you just add an 'm' in there somewhere.

Bit like speaking Aus really - just stick 'mate' on the end and you're fluent.

[Romford Tiger]

for the amount of times he touches the ball or does anything, i don't think it matters!!!

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Oh I get it now - to speak Fijian you just add an 'm' in there somewhere.

Bit like speaking Aus really - just stick 'mate' on the end and you're fluent.

Fijian - m before a b
Samoan - n before a g

I'm sure there are many others

[jack]

Hadn't thought of it before the Mblinkin Ulster match! Mind you, Cockers will continue to talk about Tualaaagi ever though he's known many of them for many years.

[Iain]

Oh I get it now - to speak Fijian you just add an 'm' in there somewhere.

Bit like speaking Aus really - just stick 'mate' on the end and you're fluent.

Fijian - m before a b
Samoan - n before a g

I'm sure there are many others

Is the correct answer.
Also in Fijian, c is pronounced 'th'

Hence a few pronunciation clarifications for the Pacific Islands

Seru Rabeni - Seru Rambeni
Seremaia Bai - Seremaia Mbai
Sireli Bobo - Sireli Mbombo
Sailosi Tagicakibau - Sailaso Tangithakibau
Joe Rokocoko - Joe Rokothoko
The Fijian war dance cibi - thimbi

And so on.

[Iain]

Oh and while we're on the subject of Bai, How many of us were aware that this isn't his surname.

His full name is Seremaia Baikenuku.

[LE18]

Iain, I thought mods were not allowed to correct spelling or grammar errors, please will you now deal with those too?

[Iain]

I've not been a moderator for almost eight years now

[LE18]

I am aware. Just an old mans bit of Monday morning sport. Goes to show that those ex players/ commentators who have travelled the world do get it right sometimes, just like our own Blodwen on RL.

Seriously though, cannot anything be done about the awful grammar and spelling, bring back B J he would have sorted it, bet he would of!