Social media stats from the Rugby World Cup reveal the most popular player and it’s not even close
After the Rugby World Cup, which ended with the Springboks winning a historic fourth title and becoming the second team to win back-to-back trophies, the dust is starting to settle in France.
The 2023 edition will go down in history as a spectacular tournament that was the most technologically sophisticated in terms of digital and internet platforms, providing unprecedented access to data and offering unique insights into the game’s popularity.
Planet Rugby examines the relevant statistics in further detail after Olytico published an excellent analysis of precisely that.
Most popular player
The Rugby World Cup got underway as predicted, with France’s captain and star, Antoine Dupont, emerging as the most talked player of the competition by a significant margin.
The Springboks fly-half on September 13 would change that. Following his no-look cross-kick against Scotland, Manie Libbok and the Frenchman were almost at equal footing. There was also discussion about his goal-kicking. Along with Dupont and Johnny Sexton, eight South Africans made up the top 10 in September.
After suffering a face injury against Namibia, Dupont quickly took the lead, raising questions among supporters about whether he would recover in time for the quarterfinals. Sexton was the only other non-South African in the top 10 at the time, and this would persist for the majority of October. In second place, the eight Springboks would alternate between Siya Kolisi and Cheslin Kolbe, among others.
That is, until the championship round, when one guy stood by himself. Kolisi demonstrated his class both on and off the field during and after the championship game, going from trailing Dupont by a considerable margin. In the end, the legendary captain received about 150,000 mentions by himself.
Most popular team
Olytico also gathered information on the most well-liked teams (again based on mentions), and it was not shocking to see that the Springboks had about 1.2 million mentions—nearly 500,000 more than the second-place French side.
Whether they were receiving acclaim or criticism, the Springboks were in the news all the time because they were the champs.
With all eyes on Les Bleus, who were predicted to advance far in the competition, hosts France came in second—barely.
Finalists New Zealand followed closely following, playing quietly in the pool stages until blowing up in the knockout stages. Having gone above and above to almost make the final, Steve Borthwick’s team, the Red Rose of England, was the fourth most talked about team.
Ireland was next, however they were sidelined in the latter stages as they were unable to overcome their quarterfinal curse. Wales was next on the list, while Los Pumas was close on the trail of the Irish.