My Rugby World Cup experience on social media

This year's Rugby World Cup is the first one I have really felt and I have almost been converted into a rugby supporter! Not that it's a bad thing, I just wasn't sure if I was ready to learn a whole new curriculum about the sport, because this thing is serious business.

Whether I like it or not, I can honestly say that the only player's name I will ever say off the top of my head is Captain Siya Kolisi, otherwise the rest of my rugby knowledge, which I have unintentionally accumulated, is everything I have been exposed to through current affairs and pop culture.

Thanks to social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and even my secret guilty pleasure Tik Tok, I'm up to date with everything that's happening during this year's Rugby World Cup in France (yes, I even know where it's happening!) - especially when it comes to the Springboks. For those who may not know, Springboks is the name of the South African rugby team.

If I say so myself, then just after Zimbabwe, South Africa is the next best producer of memes and social media content. If you disagree, we can debate it in the comments, but I said what I said. Southern Africa is taking over the world! The Rubgy, Springbok content I have seen is TOP TIER. One thing I have learnt as a peripheral supporter is that when it comes to the Springboks, patriotism goes from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye. Let me explain what I mean.

Everyone in the building where I worked during the tournament wore green and gold every Friday. The first day I turned up in a different green to the rest of the building, I definitely got a few "she's a rebel" looks. I felt the need to wear a jacket because I didn't want to have to explain why I didn't seem to be "on their side". The other was my obvious ignorance of the sport, but over the years some of my dear friends have tried to give me little crash courses, which have helped a bit because I'm a quick learner - but still, please don't ask me to name all the team members. I have 30 full years of post-apartheid Springbok history to catch up on. After the team's recent performances, they should be considered for inclusion in the SA history curriculum in schools.

Post-covid, I believe the Rugby World Cup, more so than the FIFA World Cup last December, has brought in a lot of money for restaurateurs and pub owners across the country. It was a sight to behold to see pictures and videos of supporters filling venues for a common cause. In a way, the game has created a sense of unity in a society wracked by inequality, racism and economic turmoil. Rugby has provided an escape from everyday concerns such as load-shedding, which magically (or perhaps strategically) never happens when the Springboks are in the spotlight. I'm not complaining, it's an opportunity to express gratitude at a time when the world seems to be on fire from all sides.

Going back to how social media has played a huge role in my exposure to the great game of South Africa, let's talk about the memes and how I now know who Ox Nche is... and how an old social media post of his resurfaced and seemed to prophecy the moment we witnessed on the night of 21 October. That's exactly what happened. Thanks to a series of entertaining posts by award-winning chef Siba Mtongana during the Springboks' semi-final win to England, I found out who the hell Ox was! 😂 And it was the first time I'd met the sports personality and it wasn't on the field. Another Springbok rugby player I met thanks to social media was Makazole Mapimpi. There was a picture of him trending on Twitter where a photographer captured him just in time as his jump was parallel to the Springbok image in the background.

Well, the best collection of memes was around the quarter-final, where we saw the likes of Croissant vs Magwina and Eiffel Tower vs Electricity Pylons. If we were to give out social media awards, the RWC 2023 would give "It's giving Zimbabwe" a run for its money. By the time we reached the semi-finals, South Africans and all those who identify as South African had invoked the spirit of the late Nelson Mandela.

By the time we reached the semi-finals, South Africans and all those who identify as South Africans had summoned the spirit of the late Nelson Mandela to help the Warriors defeat the late Queen Elizabeth's Knights. We all know how that turned out. It was a very interesting night for us social media viewers, who were kept up to date with every beat of the game, thanks to my 20 rugby social media commentators.

As the tournament draws to a close, I look forward to seeing what content the All Blacks and Springbok supporters will produce. As far as I know, these two teams are among the Big Five of the rugby world, so the competition is guaranteed to be very heated.

Tell me, who do you think will win the 2023 Rugby World Cup?

• The Springboks
• The All Blacks